Peter Gaich

Peter Gaich

NAME: Peter Gaich

ASN: O-1301127

PLACE OF BIRTH:

DATE OF BIRTH:

DATES OF SERVICE:

UNIT ASSIGNED: HQ A/B Training Center

G CO 2nd Bn 509th PIR

CAMPAIGNS: Anzio, Rome-Arno

AWARDS: Parachutist Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, EAME Campaign Medal with arrowhead device, World War II Victory Medal

SUMMARY OF SERVICE:

11 Jan 1944 - 2nd Lt Peter Gaich O-1301127 HQ A/B Training Center SO 4 Assigned to G CO 2nd Bn 509th PIR

29 Feb 1944 - Captured in Italy and sent to Oflag 64 or 21B Schubin (Moved to Usedom) Poland, Altburgund 53-17

SERIAL NUMBER	O1301127	O1301127
NAME	GAICH PETER	GAICH PETER
GRADE, ALPHA	2 LT	Second Lieutenant or Nurse or Dietitian or Physical therapy aide
GRADE CODE	G	Second Lieutenant or Ensign
SERVICE CODE	1	ARMY
ARM OR SERVICE	INF	Infantry
ARM OR SERVICE CODE	10	INF: INFANTRY
DATE REPORT: DAY (DD)	29	29
DATE REPORT: MONTH (MM)	02	02
DATE REPORT: YEAR (Y)	4	1944
RACIAL GROUP CODE	1	WHITE
STATE OF RESIDENCE	91	California
TYPE OF ORGANIZATION	160	Parachute Infantry
PARENT UNIT NUMBER	0509	0509
PARENT UNIT TYPE	07	Battalion/Training Battalion Combat/Special Troops
AREA	98	North African Theatre: Italy
LATEST REPORT DATE: DAY (DD)	19	19
LATEST REPORT DATE: MONTH (MM)	03	03
LATEST REPORT DATE: YEAR (Y)	5	1945
SOURCE OF REPORT	1	Individual has been reported through sources considered official.
STATUS	8	Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated
DETAINING POWER	1	GERMANY
CAMP	045	Oflag 64 or 21B Schubin (Moved to Usedom) Poland, Altburgund 53-17
REP
POW TRANSPORT SHIPS

Also, this is an excerpt from an article/book mentioning my grandfather that used to be on the Oflag 64 website.

Information Involving My Grandfather has been indented (--)

Another interesting article in this latest Item is Richard B. Parker's letter and excerpts from Major Gen Deane's book, "The Strange Alliance".

I suppose everyone has his own "escape" experiences, but his quotes state the 3 men, Colley, Gruenberg and Dimmling escaping detention from the NKVD enroute to Moscow brought back experiences quite similar to 3 of us.

--Cory, Murphy and Gaich. Cory, Fabian, Murphy and Robinson hid in our tunnel at Oflag 64 January 20 -21 until the camp was evacuated.

We along with others who were left in the local hospital then made our way to Warsaw / Remberton. Robinson was lost to illness in local hospital, Fabian somewhere else, and Murphy and

-- I picked up Gaich to continue "our escape" throughout South S. E. Poland always trying to find a way to Moscow!

We walked, rode sleds, hay wagon, trucks, you name it - finally arriving in LVOV where the Russians promptly put us in the local jailhouse. An inquisitive newspaper reporter, Vladmir Belayev who had covered our Navy and others in Murmansk interviewed us and was easily convinced that we were valid Americans and not German spies as the Russians contended.

He was assisted in this by a Jewish lady who had taught English at Krakow University and who had escaped detention when the Nazi's rounded up Jews in the area, putting them to death in the LVOV sewers.

In any case, the 2 of them convinced the Commandant (a 1st Lt. NKVD) to release us to the care of the local Russian General. The general had been a Military attaché in Washington before the war. He saw that we had a good room in the main hotel, hot baths, food, etc. At one point his entertainment of us was interrupted by a phone call saying 4-5 Americans were in the hotel lobby.

Thinking our stay would then be fortified by more escaped POW we made our way for a reunion. To our total surprise these were.
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Air Force personnel from Poltava in the Ukraine seeking to recover shot down B-17 crews and Norden Bomb sights in the area. After 2-3 days and much haggling with the Russians, they flew us to Poltava Air Base (1500 miles east of LVOV).

Next day we were flown to Teheran, outfitted with new uniforms at the Persian Gulf Command and into Miami by air.

Looking back, except for a small few days as guest of the NKVD in LVOV, we made of trip home a bit faster than those who came through Odessa, including Colley (who was captured same place and time as I was, and whom I of course knew) Dimmling and Gutenberg.

We 3 arrived in Miami February 28, 1945! Murphy (Hill T."Spud" Murphy) committed suicide after the war. Fabian (Bill) and Robinson (Henry H.)both came to our 50th reunion in Louisville, which I hosted. I think we had 185 (including some wives).

--No one seems to have heard of or from Peter Gaich who was captured in March 1944 near Cassino, Italy. Being of Serb/Croat heritage, he acted as interpreter for "Spud" Murphy and me on our trek through Poland.

19 Mar 1945 - Repatriated

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