Embedded Files
Rank: Staff Sergeant
Date of Enlistment: 16 Aug 44 Fort Douglas Utah
Dates of Service: 16 Aug 44 to 16 Apr 45 United States
28 Apr 45 to 18 Jun 46 European Theater of Operations
Date of Discharge: 09 Jul 46 Fort Sheridan, Illinois Separation Center
Frederick Jay "Johnny" Nickisch was born on 20 July 1923 in Wishek, North Dakota to Otto and Nellie Nickisch. He was the fourth child of six siblings. He was known as Fred to his immediate family and as Johnny to many of his extended family and friends. Fred grew up in Butte, Montana where he completed 2 1/2 years of high school before dropping out in 1940 to work in one of the many mines in and around Butte. The 1942 Butte City Directory lists him as working in the St. Lawrence Mine. Fred's military discharge paperwork states that his civilian occupation was an commercial airplane pilot employed by the Air Transport Command in Great Falls, Montana from 1941-1944. He piloted C-47 Skytrains carrying cargo. He also flew in Africa evacuating wounded and transporting them to hospitals. Much of this portion of Fred's service to his country is still shrouded in mystery as the Air Transport Command out of Great Falls operated as part of the 7th Ferrying Group, which was part of a Top Secret government program created as part of the Lend Lease Act to supply Russia with war materials. Fred more than likely ferried aircraft and goods along the ALSIB route (Alaskan Siberian). More can be learned about ALSIB and the 7th Ferrying Group here http://bravo369.net/. This doesn't explain his service in Africa but does offer an explanation as to what he did prior to enlisting in the military.
According to Fred's wife Mary, Fred could not be drafted because he worked in the copper mines in Butte. The miners were exempt from the draft because copper was of vital importance to the war effort and were not allowed to enlist. So in August of 1944 Fred followed in his brother Irvin's footsteps and went to Utah to enlist in the United States Army. Irvin had enlisted in June of 1944. The first four and half months Fred spent in basic training as an infantrymen. On 16 April 1945 he shipped out for Europe and the war arriving in Europe on 28 April 1945. It is unknown what ship he was on as the United States government intentionally destroyed all troop manifests from WWII in 1951 according to an official statement from the National Archives. Other soldiers of the 751st Field Artillery Battalion who enlisted and went to Europe the same time as Fred indicate that they made it to the front lines on the day the war ended on May 7th, 1945.
Fred joined the 751st Field Artillery Battalion as part of Head Quarters Battery while they were positioned at Detmold, Germany. It was here that the Allied Army became an occupying army and Fred would spend the next 9 months as a military policeman in Occupied territory. In the vicinity of Detmold were many Latvian and Lithuanian displaced persons who were held in camps. The largest such camp was in Augustdorf which held 8000 Russians and 2000 Polish prisoners. It became the job of the US Army to process these people and send them back to their respective countries. The task of processing the regular German Army troops and civilians became the job of the soldiers as well. They were tasked with finding high ranking Nazi officials and members of the SS. So large internment camps were created to process people.
Fred told of being on MP detail during the occupation and gathering all the Germans in a valley outside of town to process them. The SS and high ranking Nazi officials were all arrested and held for trial. Those who were in the regular army and were civilians were released. Many of the SS men would take great measures to evade capture by the occupying Americans, to the point of scraping off SS tattoos with shards of broken glass.
On the last day of May 1945, the US Army turned over the area around Detmold to the British occupying force and moved to Neuhof, Germany to take on the same assignment of occupation and security. It is possible that it was here that Fred encountered the German SS man from whom he retrieved this 6.35mm Bergman pocket pistol.
Fred told the story that he was on his way to or from the theater depending on who you ask. He and his friend encountered a German who they knew to be an SS man and they confronted him. At which time he ran and they were able to subdue him and take this pistol. Fred would bring this pistol back to the United States as a war souvenir. There is a good chance that this incident occurred in Neuhof, Germany near the Highcard Theatre that was frequented by the troops shown below along with Fred's paperwork to bring the pistol back to the United States after his discharge. More detailed information about the history of this pistol can be found here http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Lignose3/lignose3.html.
High Card Theatre, Neuhof, Germany (Photo Courtesy Phil Servedio)
Fred was promoted to Technician Grade 5 (E5) sometime around the end of 1945 and his military occupation changed to a general clerk. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant during the beginning part of 1946 and his military occupation changed again to Motor Pool NCO. It was in August of 1945 that a group of 5 officers and 23 enlisted men left for Special Service City to take over a Transient Camp according to the Unit Journal. It is possible that Fred was part of that group who would move to Special Service City in Seckenheim, Germany. This is where Headquarters Battery would end up being located from late 1945 to their departure in July of 1946 operating the Motor Pool, Hotel, and touring services in the area. It was here that Fred would have seen and interacted with General George Patton whom he had a general disdain. On several occasions he could be heard saying that if General Patton were on fire he wouldn't walk across the street to piss on him. According to Fred's service file he was a motor pool non-commissioned officer. He was the NCO in charge of headquarters motor pool consisting of 34 vehicles and was in charge of 15 German civilian personnel and thirty enlisted men. He requisitioned automotive parts and equipment and kept preventive maintenance rosters on all the vehicles. He also kept records on mileage, gas, and oil consumption. Below is a photo of Robert Alger standing next to a sign for the Special Service City Mess and Billeting.
(Photo Courtesy Phil Servedio)
The 751st Field Artillery Battalion was assigned to the 7th US Army during their time in Neuhof, Germany. The 7th US Army operated a ski school in Oberjoch, Germany called the Seventh Army Alpine Chalet which correlates to at least one of the photographs of Fred Nickisch with another soldier standing next to a sign indicating as such.
Fred Nickisch returned home from the war, and like many veterans of WWII did not speak of his experiences. He shared few stories. He spoke on occasion as if he had seen a Nazi death camp but there is no evidence to suggest that the 751st Field Artillery Battalion had anything to do with any of the death camps. He also spoke on at least one occasion of riding on a half-track and being shot at by a sniper. He relayed several stories of skiing in the Swiss Alps and the fact that one could set your watch by the trains that ran in the region. There are stories of him towing glider planes and being a reconnaissance observer depending on who you talk to, neither of which can be substantiated currently. Beyond this he didn't speak much of his time in Europe or of the men he served with. He returned home and settled in Butte, Montana where he would eventually marry Mary Margaret Hill and have nine children. Fred died on 24 October 1989 and was buried with military honors. He was proud of his service to his country and this is evidenced by the continued military service by one of his children and many of his grandkids.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse