The following is an account of the ‘Liberation of New Oxford’, which occurs concurrently with the Ike Farm living history. Another bravura effort by our tireless Bill Donegan:
Linda and I found another great WW2 event just 9 miles east of Gettysburg. It is New Oxford. The scenario is Alsace being first deserted by German troops, reoccupied, and then liberated by the Americans. The event is scheduled on the same week-end as the Eisenhower Farm WW2 Living history. It is easy to cover both events if you skip Saturday morning at IKE Farm and pick up the slack later in the afternoon or Sunday. We did both events. It was a marathon week-end!
Friday night began with a USO dance in New Oxford. Saturday morning at the train station for 0700 appell. Then I helped Pete and Will hitch up the 20 mm to the back of the Krupp truck and helped Linda and Kate into the back of the truck for a ride into town. We dropped off our two DRK nurses, picked up seven gebirgjaegers, and off we were to the tactical. We were part of a German convoy comprised of several cars, trucks, motorcycles. On the way to the site we sang several German songs as we speed along the two lane country road. Several people were waving to us as we drove past. We set up an ambush about six miles outside of town on the American convoy route from Gettysburg to New Oxford. We jumped out of the truck, set up a skirmish line in the woods, and camouflaged the vehicles. Our gun was so well covered by oak branches that the poor Amis didn’t have a chance of spotting us. We wiped them out in quick order. They didn’t know what hit ’em. They didn’t even make it out of their vehicles. Will popped round after round at them while I loaded the gun. It was great fun.
Following the German success, we returned to New Oxford to find that the town was barricaded against an allied invasion from the other direction, and another army. Other German troops were getting into position as we deployed our 20 mm gun again. German Calvary troops on horseback were riding past us shouting that an armored column was approaching the town. A runner arrived and advised us to trajectory our gun on the western approach road, which was also being covered by John Dubbs’ gun along with an MG 42. We complied. Suddenly a jeep appeared. Ping it was vaporized by a round from the Dubbs gun. Then smoke, out of which the first tank appeared. Ping! We knocked it out with one round (good shooting’ Will). Then a runner from one of the gebirgs units ran to advise that the Amis were trying to out flank us. We swung our gun around 95 degrees to our left and sent a round down the side road hitting a halftrack. Infantry appeared about 300 meters in the distance. Will started popping shots at the infantry while I reloaded. Suddenly a gunner’s nightmare, the gun jammed. As we tried to un-jam the gun a sniper shot and killed Pete our feldwebel, then another shot and Will went down ; shot in the head. I quickly took cover behind the shield and remained there until the Americans began to reload. I made a dash for my rifle by the truck. I managed to get off five rounds before I was hit in the chest. Down I went. As I lay there I wondered where our two DRK nurses were at that moment. I lost consciousness.
Next on our list was attendance at the fashion show at IKE Farm. Linda and I went back to the digs for a spruce up and she changed into her 1940 Girl Scout leaders’ uniform, while I remained in my German artillery uniform. I modeled my 1944 German uniform sans equipment as I was a POW. The announcer was going through the description of my uniform beginning with my cap and ending with shoe wear. As she was explaining the hobnails on my boots I decided to give the crowd an exhibition of German goose stepping and managed to escape my captors. I found a civilian suit and returned to the show to model that as well.
Next back to the digs again for a nap before dinner and another USO dance. We had dinner at the “Hofbrau Haus†in Abbotstown just three miles east of New Oxford. Following that it was back to Gettysburg for the next dance.
This endeth the report please note the attached photographs.
Respectfully submitted by Bill Donegan
Photos by Bill Donegan and Jeff Roncone
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