I took a train to Paris, France and then found a station that had a Eurocar rental. I drove the rental across France to a small farming town named Clamery, France which is west of Colmar, France. The directions to the military camp were rater vague, but the town was so small that it was impossible to miss.
I could hear American radio broadcasts from 1945. American officers and soldiers were all around the camp. I et up to sketch this view be cause the entire army had set up for a photo in front to the troop carrier truck to the right. I am not a camera, so knew I could not catch the whole outfit as they posed, but I sett about catching the scene. I jut hoped to catch a few soldiers after the group photo to flesh out my scene.
I originally planned to sketch the Colmar battle sites but found out that my father, Arthur Thorspecken had arrived in Europe just after fighting had stopped in Colmar. The 75th Infantry troops were being rushed up to the Netherlands to replace the British 6th Airborne division. During this time Dutch citizens in German occupied areas were enduring the “Winter of Hunger””. due to severe food shortages caused by the German occupation.
My father hat taken French in Leonia New Jersey High School and he was rather good at picking up the language. I think that is part of the reason he was promoted to become a 1st Lieutenant. I wish he had encouraged me to study French. I certainly could have used the help on this trip. The problem is that Arthur was quickly moved up north of France to Belgium and the Netherlands. He would not have had many opportunities to speak french other than in the port City of Le Havre.
I realized as I was sketching that I was the only one in the camp who fully understood all the lyrics to the songs being played on the loud speaker. Though dress in American Uniforms everyone spoke French. I was the odd duck out, an American in the American camp.