April 7-10 1945: Kirchlinde Germany

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In Kirchlinde Germany,  I decided to sketch the Zeche Zollern I/III coal mine which was functioning to fuel the German war machine in 1945. It was closed and empty when I sketched it. Many of the windows were broken. I sat in a German grocery store parking lot to get the sketch. A cemetery was across the street behind me.

Kirchlinde Germany and the surrounding communities north west of Dortmund were critical for final Allied combat operations in the Western Theater of WWII from April 7th to 10th, 1945. It was hit hard by 75th Infantry Division artillery essentially flattening the city. The 290th Infantry Division captured the city and cleared it. My father, 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken was leading C-Company in the 75th Infantry Division during the attack. My father lost 12 men under his command in the attack on Dortmund. Around April 7-10, 1945, US forces faced, among others, the German 2nd Parachute Division, which conducted counterattacks in the area.

Kirchlinde (a western district of Dortmund, Germany) was the site of  intense fighting during the final stages of the Ruhr Pocket battle. American forces, including field artillery units, encountered enemy machine gun fire in the area, resulting in casualties while pushing through the region. Forward Allied observation units directed the Allied artillery fire.

The Zeche Zollern Mine founded in 1873, used forced labor from Russia and Poland as well as Allied Prisoners of War. Forced laborers were starved and literally worked to death. During World War II, the German war economy, including the mining industry, relied heavily on forced labor to replace conscripted German soldiers. By 1944, over 40% of the Ruhr mining workforce consisted of forced laborers, totaling around 163,000 people.

Over 12 million people were brought to Germany as forced laborers in the course of World War II. In the summer  of 1944 alone, in addition to six million civilian laborers, two million prisoners of war and over half a million concentration camp prisoners were forced to work in the German Reich. Many were forced into the depths of the earth to mine coal to fuel the German war effort.

Also in the occupied territories, millions of men, women and children were forced to work for the enemy. It was the forced laborers who kept the agricultural supply and arms production going. The industry profited from the expansion of production. German employees advanced to supervisor positions, until the 75th Infantry Division captured the mine and liberated the forced laborers. All these displaced persons became a logistical nightmare to feed and house.

Other C-Company soldiers who died on the approach to Dortmund Germany…

John Romero (Private First Class), From Las Animas County, Colorado died in the Dortmund area.

Harold E. Rosen (Private First Class), Died near Dortmund Germany.

Richard C. Ruggles (Private), From Orleans County, New York died  April 7, 1945 in the Dortmund Germany area.

John R. Sockich (Private First Class), From Riverside County, California died in the Dortmund area.

On On January 24, 2026, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old American intensive care nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, was executed by multiple masked ICE agents in Minneapolis Minnesota USA. I was in Europe documenting the final stages of America defeating the Nazi fascist regime, but Nazism seems very much in force in America with brutal misconduct of ICE agents on the streets of my fatherland.

April 7, 1945: Castrop-Rauxel Germany

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The 291st Infantry Division attack on Castrop-Rauxel Germany resumed on April 7, 1945. Two squads of the 1st Platoon of G-Company rode into Castrop on two lead tanks, followed by a tank destroyer. The two other tanks found positions on the outskirts of town and supported the attack with fire. Machine guns were set up in the upper stories of two houses to support the attack.

At 7AM C-Company moved into the city on the left on foot. Three tanks drove at full speed down Highway 2 with the soldiers hanging on for dear life. As they cleared a road block, they were hit with a hail of German small arms fire. American troops jumped down and sought cover in houses on either side of the street. A moment later the tank destroyer took a direct hit and burst into flames. Three men who had jumped off the lead tank ran to the back of a house, and surprised a German crew of six who were about to fire a 120-mm mortar. The Germans were killed and a thermite grenade was dropped into the barrel of the mortar.

C-Company continued to move into town from the left killing Germans who were trying to escape. About 15 Germans ran towards the woods on the opposite side of town and they were in the sights of one of the machine gunners. He didn’t fire because he wasn’t sure if they were Americans or Germans.

The 1st and 2nd Platoons found one another in town. A captured German soldier told the interrogator that the town was swarming with parachutists. Because it was getting dark, and the 3rd Platoon could not be located, it was decided to hold off further attacks until morning.

C-Company of the 1st Platoon had received orders to push through Castrop-Rauxel and continue mopping up operations to the south. Mopping up operations continued through April 8 and 9th 1945.

When to run up the white flag and surrender to the Americans became a crucial question for German civilians. Doing so too early meant falling afoul of the Nazi authorities who were demanding a fight to the finish; doing so too late could mean a violent introduction to the American way of war. All too often, the local Nazi bigwig called upon his townsmen to fight to the death, then fled just before the Americans attacked.

April 6, 1945: Castrop-Rauxel Germany

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Castrop-Rauxel was an important Coal mining town North West of Dortmnd Germany. Castrop-Rauxel is near the Rhine-Herne Canal, in the eastern part of the Ruhr industrial district. The 75th Infantry Division, which included my father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken’s C-Company would have entered the city on April 6, 1945.

The city faced heavy Allied bombing, suffering significant destruction (around 24-26% of all buildings) and was the site of fierce fighting as U.S. forces entered the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945.

The 75th Infantry Division liberated slave laborers and encountered German resistance in its coal mines and synthetic oil plants, which were strategic targets. The fighting involved intense urban combat as American troops pushed through the industrial heartland, leaving a legacy of damaged infrastructure and the complex task of dealing with Displaced Persons.

The 75th Infantry Division held a line from the Zweg Canal on their Western flank east just south of Ickern and Brambauer Germany. The 2nd Battalion of the 291st Infantry Division was given the task of attacking south into Castrop-Rauxel. Company G and F moved into the city with a selection of machine guns, 81mm mortars and a platoon of tanks. Elements of the German Parachute Division lay ahead and heavy resistance was expected. A captured German soldier confirmed the reports.

At 4:30AM on April 6, 1945, G Company soldiers were fed a hot meal from the company kitchen truck which had arrived during the night. The kitchen was set up in a German home and the men ate silently. By 6:45 AM troops were in position and ready to begin the attack.

Half of the homes in Castrop-Rauxel were two story homes build to wood and stucco. The other half of the city consisted of small industrial factories. Partially destroyed buildings offered good cover for enemy snipers. The German 40mm Anti tank guns were being used to fire on American troops with lethal efficiency. Being hit by one of these large shells would literally cause a soldier to explode.

Many of the homes flew white flags, but the citizens had been recruited as a make shift army known as the Volksstrom. The citizen army would fight fanatically and then surrender in droves. They did not have uniforms and they would surrender in civilian clothes. The Volksstrum did have the assistance of well-trained German officers.

The 75th Infantry faced increasing fire from snipers and 120mm mortars. The first German captured was a Volksstrom and he stepped out waving a white flag. He was shot from behind in the hip, by a soldier from the German 2nd Parachute division. The parachute division had been given orders to fight to the last man.

Coal, known as “Black Gold”, was the life blood of the German war machine. The Germans developed a method of converting coal into a cheap diesel fuel that could be used to power the Panzer tanks and other machines of death. Knowing coal was so important, I decided to go to the Zeche Zollern Coal mine, which is now a museum. The site is famous for its light and airy Art Nouveau style architecture. Miraculously this mine went largely undamaged by Allied bombings. The mine used prisoners of war and forced laborers who suffered immensely under horrific conditions.

The mine became known as the “Castle of Work.” The mine was central to Germany’s war effort, with production focused on supporting military needs. The shaft hall was the link between the working worlds above and below ground. This is where the miners climbed into the cage that took them underground. The work in the shaft hall was considered particularly monotonous and was not very popular. Around 60 miners worked here in noise and dust, unloading the wagons and sorting the waste material. It was loud and stuffy at the sorting belt, unbearably hot in summer and freezing cold in winter – an unpopular place to work.

Oestrich Germany: Row Houses

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My father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken was approaching Dortmund with his C-Company in the 75th Infantry Division. They were clearing the approaches to Dortmund which was being heavily defended. Casualties were high.

Besides a hatred for Jews, the factory and mine owners of Dortmund liked the industrialized principles of the Nazi Party and they profited from the forced labor used to fuel the German war machine. Dortmund and the surrounding communities (like Oestrich Germany) worked at full to keep Hitler’s war machine running.

During WWII, Dortmund-Oestrich, like much of industrial Germany, relied heavily on forced laborers (Zwangsarbeiter) from occupied territories for its war effort, especially in its mines and factories. Forced laborers faced horrific conditions, malnutrition, and mistreatment, with many dying from abuse or bombings. Forced laborers made up a significant portion of Germany’s workforce by war’s end, a vast human tragedy involving millions across Europe.

Despite the Allied bombing campaign which leveled 66% of Dortmund’s homes and 98% of the inner city. Workers kept rebuilding the factories. It therefore made perfect sense that Dortmund would not surrender easily. Even after a heavy bombing raid on March 6, 1945, it become clear that the soldiers in Dortmund was determined to fight to the bitter end. Dortmund and the surrounding towns suffered immense destruction from Allied bombing. Unexploded bomb ordnance, especially near sites like the stadium, remain to this day.

Some of the Soldiers of C-Company who died on the approach to Dortmund Germany.
Edward H. Cockrell (Pvt.), Died April 1945, Dortmund Area Germany
Walter A. Jarosz (Pfc.), Died near Dortmund Germany
James A. Kukalis (Sgt.), Died near Dortmund Germany
Noah L. Laswell (Pfc.), From Perry County, Indiana died near Dortmund Germany

Bodelschwingh Germany: Zeche Westhausen

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Bodelschwingh is just a 7 minute drive south of Mengede, on the North West outskirts of Dortmund Germany. My father, 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken was leading C-Company in the 1st Platoon of the 75th Infantry Division. Their goal was to secure and cut off the western approaches to the city of Dortmund.

Dortmund has been bombed to the point of being a pile of rubble, but it became clear that the Germans were determined to hold on to this industrial stronghold with absolute radical determination. Dortmund was considered the Pittsburgh of Germany. Dortmund had been early supporters of the Nazi party. The large industries profited from forced labor and producing the fuel and armaments that fed the German war machine.

In 1933 the Jewish population in Dortmund was about 4,000. In 1935 local citizens boycotted Jewish businesses. By August 1938, the Jewish population dropped to 2,600. In October 1938, the government dismantled the synagogue. In November 1938, riots collectively known as Kristallnacht took place, as mobs destroyed Jewish businesses and homes in Dortmund’s city center. Within days, 600 Jews were arrested and sent to Sachsenhausen, near Frankfurt Germany, where 17 died and the survivors paid fines before the Nazi’s released them.

By May 1939, only 1.444 Jews remained in Dortmund. Some escaped Germany shortly after the start of WWII, leaving only 1,222 Jewish Dortmund residents by June 1940. They were not allowed to use public facilities such as bomb shelters or use radios or televisions. Eventually the Jews were confined to “Jewish Houses”. This made it easy for the Nazis when they began the Final Solution.

Between 1940 and 1945 Dortmund was a rally point for the deportation of Jews to death and forced labor camps. The Nazis gathered eight separate groups of 500 or more Jews in Dortmund and sent then to the camps. The larges group between 700 and 800 were removed in April 1942. They were sent to Belzec death camp in Poland where they all were killed.

Zeche Westhausen was a coal mine in Dortmund, Germany. During WWII it was active and utilized forced labor, particularly from the Soviet Union. Germans considered Soviets to be subhuman, and they would literally starve them and work them to death. German miners between the ages of 18 to 35 were drafted into the army and thus slave laborers took their places in the mines. By 1944, over 40% of the Ruhr mining workforce consisted of forced laborers, totaling around 163,000 people.

April 2, 1945: Rhine-Herne Canal Germany

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During WWII, the Rhine–Herne Canal,a vital industrial waterway in the Ruhr area of Germany, was a strategic target, seeing heavy fighting as Allied forces broke into the region in April 1945; the Germans destroyed bridges to slow the advance, but American troops eventually crossed the canal, securing cities like Herne and Gelsenkirchen, capturing key crossings and disrupting German resistance as part of the final push into Germany’s industrial heartland. 

On April 1, 1945. (Easter Sunday) C-Company spearheaded a drive south, atop of tanks of the 701st Tank Battalion to Rhine-Herne Canal virtually unopposed. By April 2, 1945 C-Company was at the Rhine-Herne Canal the 75th Infantry Division replaced elements of the 134th Infantry Division to secure the area.

Crossing the canal would require assault boats and pontoon bridges to be built by engineers. Each canal that the 75th Infantry Division had to cross was a dangerous natural barrier to the advance into the heart of Germany.

Having sat at the West bank to sketch I can say that the crossing would involve bridging about 100 yards while possibly under enemy fire. I sketched a crane as unloading several barges. The company tower was for Rolland Mills West which mills flour for baked goods.

Herzogswall Recklinghausen Germany

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Recklinghausen Germany was known as the fortress city. It also had the nickname of the waffle because of the shape of the city walls as seen from the sky. Recklinghausen’s oil facilities made it a key target for Allied bombing, particularly by the Royal Air Force. The Allies launched a major bomb attack on the city on March 23, 1945 killing 173 people.

On April 1, 1945 (Easter Sunday) the 134th US Infantry Division American troops captured the city which was strongly fortified by Germans. The Germans knew that this fortified city was needed to stop Americans from crossing Rhine-Herne Canal. My father, 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken with his C-Company troops were moving south with the goal of cutting the trapped German troops in the Ruhr Pocket in half.

By the end of the day on April 2, 1945, the 134th Infantry Division had cleared Recklinghausen and was being relieved by elements of the 290th Infantry, 75th Infantry Division, and elements were heading to an assembly area in the vicinity of Westerholt Germany. Remaining elements of the 134th Infantry in positions along the Zweig Canal were relieved by the 290th Infantry. The 75th Infantry Division assumed responsibility for the sector.

The German flanks were  secured by Lippe Canal to the north and Rhine-Hern Canal to the south.  The final artillery battle was fought in the Recklinghausen Market square.

After Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, an Interment camp was stablished in Recklinhausen for German civilians in a former forced labor camp in the Hillerheide district. This Civilian Interment Enclosure 91 held 20,000 prisoners. It was used by the Allies to question German prisoners about war crimes and mistreatment of forced laborers. The 44th Infantry Division was involved in  involved in investigating potential war crimes around May 3, 1945, where local people were forced to bury bodies from mass graves near Recklinghausen (Suttrop). The camp closed on April 15, 1948.

I decided to sketch a remnant of the medieval city wall. Only a few short sections remain of this wall.

Marl Germany: Memorial at Saint Georges Church

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Marl, Germany, was a key industrial town centered around the Chemiche Werk Huls, a massive chemical plant built by IG Farben to produce a synthetic ribber and fuel for the Nazi war machine. Mark therefor became a major target for Allied bombing raids, especially in 1943, leading to heavy damage. The chemical plant used forced labor. The Allies captured Marl on March 31, 1945.

In Marl Germany, I went to the Saint George Church to sketch. On the back side of the church, I found this memorial for World War I, and World War II. A knight is seen stabbing the throat of a dragon.

After the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Infantry Division took Dorsten Germany on March 31, 1945, the 75th Infantry pushed east towards Marl Germany. Private Dean Bergeron of C-Company of the 75th Infantry Division was killed in action on that advance to Marl. Dean Bergeron died on March 29, 1945. Dean was the third soldier my father, 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken lost from his command of C-Company.

On April 1, 1945, the 290th Infantry Division was ordered to relieve the 8th Armored Division and attack through their lines toward the 75th Infantry objectives to the East. With the enemy in sight, two division objectives were taken in a few hours. Marl is about 7 miles East of Dorsten.

Throughout the entire action the German 116th Panzer Division employed its tanks piecemeal in support of infantry elements. By so doing, the 116 Panzer Division lost the ability to launch a formidable counter-attack, while the small groups of platoon size that were committed could hope to slow down the Allied advance only temporarily.

On April 1, 1945, the 290th Infantry Division was ordered to relieve the 8th Armored Division and attack through their lines toward the 75th Infantry objectives to the East. With the enemy in sight, two division objectives were taken in a few hours. Marl is about 7 miles East of Dorsten Germany.

March 29, 1945: Dorsten Germany

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I spent several days in Dorsten Germany since this city was so critical for my father’s C-Company of the 75th Infantry Division as they pushed east into the Ruhr pocket after they crossed the Rhine River. The most obvious landmark in each German city  I sketched would be the church steeple. I would locate a church steeple and that would be what I used to orient myself as I explored the city streets.

The medieval core of the city of Dorsten was significantly damaged by allied bombing. This sketch shows the oldest building in the Dorsten Market Square built in 1567, known as the City Weigh House. In 1935 the Local Dorsten Historical Society opened a museum in the former town hall rooms. In 1945 the building was miraculously only partially destroyed from allied air raids. After the war, the building served for a short time as a tavern.

The Saint Agatha’s Church was first built on the 13th century. The first church on the site was expanded into an opulent gothic hall church. A fire on 1719 severely damaged that church. The bells for the church were first cast this year. In 1945, that church was completely destroyed by allied bombs. The pews and the parish archives went up in flames. The rubble of the old church is now incorporated into the new concrete building which has a smaller and less opulent steeple.

As I was doing this sketch, a gentleman spoke to me for some time about cities in the area, he wondered why I was in Dorsten Germany, because there were far more popular cities for tourists to visit. One thing he said stuck with me. He said, “In America you don’t have much history. 200 years is nothing compared to the history you find in European cities.” Of course America hasn’t invaded neighboring countries sparking off a World War or sent citizens to concentration camps to be exterminated…..yet.

In March of 1945, the XVICorps which included the 75th and 30th Infantry Divisions along with a battalion of the 8th Armored Division had crossed the Rhine River on landing craft the day before. On route to Dorsten Germany the American combat group unexpectedly encountered resistance from the remnants of the German 116th Panzer-Division and the 15th Panzer Grenadier-Division.

The 9th Army Group General Willaim Simson originally planned to bypass Dorsten on his drive towards Berlin Germany. But then orders were received on the night of March 28, 1945 that Dorsten would be taken by 0800 hours the next morning. A new task force was created, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Harris, the 2nd Battalion Commander, 290th Infantry Division and consisting of the 2nd Battalion minus G Company. Another division moved into position 3 kilometers east of Dorsten. Task Force Pointer was told to hold in place at the forward advancing position because the main effort against the town would come from the east instead of the west.

The 75th Infantry Division had already by passed Dorsten to the south but were ordered to backtrack and help take the city which was needed to get allied supplies from the north to the south across the Lippe Canal. The division backtracked at night until they reached the railroad tracks that run south out of Dorsten. The tracks were an obvious place to stop and approach the city from the south. The infantry jumped off at 0600 hours on the morning of March  29, 1945 following a 15 minute artillery preparation by 15 battalions of artillery.

March 26, 1945: Gahlen Germany

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After crossing the Rhine River, and expanding the bridgehead on the opposite side of the river, American forces  including the 75th Infantry Division, crossed the Lippe Canal around March 30th, leading to rapid advances eastwards as German defenses crumbled.

Gahlen Germany is between Hünxe and Dorsten Germany on the Lippe Canal. My father 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken advanced with his C-Company, in the 75th Infantry Division through this small hamlet. German troops were offering stiff resistance to slow the advance into Dorsten.

On the push to Dorsten, , the Americans encountered resistance from the remnants of German 116th Panzer-Division and 15th Panzer Grenadier-Division. The US troops of XVICorps, including the 75th Infantry Division, the 30th Infantry Division and 8th Armored Division forced the units of German 116th Panzer-Division to withdraw to Gahlen, east of Hünxe, on March 26, 1945.

On March 27, 1945 the bridgehead on the opposite side of the Rhine River had been expanded and the crossing site sectors had been united. This site became a safe zone where command posts could plan the advance into Germany and supplies could be moved east for the advancing army.

Gahlen was heavily bombed and suffered greatly from the heavy fighting at the end of March 1945. An air raid siren sounded and all the residents of Gahlen rushed to bomb shelters. School children ran from their school to join their parents in the shelters.

While I was sketching, school children were wandering the street in groups. I think they were searching for items in a scavenger hunt. There was plenty of laughter as they searched. One boy shouted for joy when he found me sketching. I don’t know everything he said. But I said “Danke” and gave him a thumbs up. He shouted to his teacher to take a look. At another moment, a little girl and her mom wanted to see what I was doing. The little girl said something in German and I said “Danke.” As she was leaning forward, she dropped a small glass bead into my art bag by mistake. She was afraid to take it out. I reached in and found it and gave it back. Her mom smiled, and they walked away, happy to have seen an artist at work.

In 1945 the residents of a Gahlen huddled in the dark listening to the explosions above. Then it grew quiet. The air raid siren cut off and people slowly emerged from their shelter. Many of the children wandered back to school. They found an UXB (unexploded American artillery shell) stuck in the ground in front of the school. Curious, the children slowly got closer to see the dud. It glinted in the sun. One student backed away and then ran. At that moment, the shell blew up killing several of the children.