European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 5, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6fn up 13 p 3 it 1 f Iti i y i ref Werner Angress from refugee to a Day paratrooper a a. A. ,. Courtesy Wetmor Anresa a cmdr Angress in 45 at ludwigs Hist Germany near where his 82nd airborne div linked up with . Stephen Hoyt f try a stepped out into the void. I was told Yon w i must count. One thousand two thousand i three thousand and if nothing happened j by then you should use your spare Chute. By two thousand i Felt a Jerk looked up and saw the Chute unfurled beautifully above me 1 had a great feeling that the Earth was coming up to meet the time was 1 . June 6,1944. The third leg of Werner Thomas Angress War journey thus took off As he soared Over the hedgerow crossed Fields of Normandy. However the significant difference Between staff sgt Angress and 10,000 of his comrades from the 82nd airborne div is that the recently naturalized american was combining his first training jump equipment jump night jump and his first combat jump Alt into one. Before he could jump the 24-year-old jewish refugee from nazi Germany had to obtain the Persona permission of Brig. Gen. James Gavin the 82nd�?Ts Deputy commander. Angress now a retired professor and author of volumes of material on German and jewish history knows of Only one other completely Novice jumper Gavin a Driver. The first part of Angress Odyssey began on oct. 30, 1937, when he and his family fled Germany with the nazis on their heels. Angress father who at one time occupied an office at berlins famed Corner of Friedric Strasse and in Terdin Linden later perished at the hands of the nazi regime. Werner reached America two years later. A Tom Quot As he became known to his american friends ended up in Nottoway county va., South of Richmond and cast of Lynchburg. The second part of Angress Odyssey began when several in his sex Berlin group grew tired of Rural life and joined the army in 1941. A your idea was to go to the army learn English which none of us knew Well at the time and then move on to something else Quot Angress remembers. The future professor Wras inducted into the army and the 29th div a the old Blue and Gray a on May 10, the same Day Rudolf Hess flew into Scotland on hts baffling Mission. At that time the length of service was one year. In june Roosevelt extended the draft period for one year so now Tom knew where he would spend at least the next two years. Later that summer he went on the first of Many a a covers which were supposed to end just in time for a Nice chunk of Christmas leave. The exercises ended on dec 7,1941. Says Angress a someone who Wasny to supposed to turned on the commercial radio and heard the announcement. A they be bombed Pearl Harbor the bastards a he yelled out. A i asked what was Pearl Harbor. I was such an idiot that 1 did no to know what the place was. One of the smart ones said a Well that Means what s duration a duration Means you la be in that Many a army for the duration of the War a he shouted at me. A by the time we made it Back to fort George g. Meade Hitler had declared War on the United states. I was 21 years the 29th was sent to Northern Ireland but Tom stayed Back because of his refugee status. A my old unit company a was nearly wiped out on a Day a he recalls solemnly. Angress was transferred to the 79th div and sent to Camp blading near Jacksonville Fla. While there Chi. Angress was treated like a prisoner of War. He remembers a jewish sergeant from Brooklyn who automatically considered every non american citizen to be the enemy. A i was there four months and was not allowed one minute of leave a says Angress. A some of the regular soldiers would shout that we should be put up against the Wall and shot. They took our weapons away and made us police the officers club and Wash but soon a new company commander capt. Roundtree took Over. This huge texan took a liking to the Young Corporal with the thick German accent promoted him and made him communications sergeant. A this was a big joke a says Angress a since no sooner did i get on the radio than someone yelled Back who is that Heini talking a a Angress return trip to Europe passed through the interrogators school at Camp Ritchie the future Camp David my. Angress had volunteered for the course when he heard the army was looking for German speaking soldiers. That was october 1943. As the interrogator class finished near the end of 1943, rumours were afoot that there would be More Maneu vers. To avoid what he considered the most Boring part of army life Angress volunteered for overseas duty. A not because i was heroic but because that would have meant my seventh or eighth Man Euver and i had had it a he says. By Early january 1944, Angress was on a troop ship bound for Liverpool England. Two Mouths later Angress was assigned to the 50sih Parachute regt a unit attached to the 82nd airborne div. When he showed up the company commander capt. Breem asked torn if he was a trooper. No not vet came the response. Not yet huh that Means you a consider becoming a trooper huh Angress told him he did not want to be As signed to an intelligence Section in a Parachute unit As a no jumper a Captain Breem made every Effort to get me training. One Day it was too Rainy another there was something wrong with the plane. It just never worked on june 4, says Angress a we were told that everything was ready. My Section Leader a superannuated lieutenant who had been a sergeant in the first world War ordered me to get my things and go with the no jumpers. In my estimation he was hopeless. Anyway i said a no sir. I will go with the division i had no intention of going in by the lieutenant was accustomed to arguing with the feisty Angress who had recently been promoted to staff sergeant. He must have envisioned Angr Fiss being sent Back with a reprimand so he told him to go to division Headquarters for permission to jump. Gavin gave it. His words Are still Clear in Angress mind a Well my Driver is doing the same thing. If you re willing to then you can do it too. Yes sergeant you Are coming with us. Two thirds of it is attitude says Angress a i went Back and told the lieutenant i was going to jump got my things and proceeded to the hangar. At 4 the next Day we were taken for Coffee and had our faces blackened for the invasion which was now on a. Final preparations began around 9 30 . An Gross checked the German Luger pistol he had privately purchased for 12 pounds from a Royal air Force sergeant. A they were really pretty lax about that sort of thing a he says. He also thoroughly checked his issued carbine a weapon he describes As a a piece of junk Quot which he later discarded in favor of a a totally unauthorized sunday june 5, 1094 a
