Frederick Charles Ramlow, Jr.

August 10, 1909 - March 15, 1970

Known variously as "F.C.", “Fred Charles”, "Fred C.”, or just "Fred", Frederick Charles Ramlow, Jr. was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and graduated from Northern High School (Flint, Michigan) in 1930.  After high school he worked for his father at Ramlow's, his father's fur shop in Flint. By the time Fred married Genevieve "Jean" Betty Jeffrey (October 14, 1933) he had changed professions. He was a truck driver/delivery man [1] for King Cigar Company at the time of his enlistment in the US Army (March 30, 1943). [2] 

Fred was sent to Camp Rucker, Alabama, for boot camp. Then, on October of 1943, he was sent to Camp Young, DTC (Desert Training Center) in California, to train as a combat engineer.  Located just north of the Salton Sea, the DTC was used to ready soldiers for the fight in North Africa, but Fred's unit was deployed to Europe. Fred's duties included maintaining trucks, and command cars, bulldozers, and building "Treadway Bridges" (tactical pontoon bridges for rapid river crossings),

Company A transferred from California to Camp Miles Standish, Boston, January 8, 1944, and departed for Europe by ship on the 18th. They put to shore at Grennoch, Scotland, on January 29, and then boarded a train to Sutton Poyntz, Weymouth, England. There, with the 298th Engineer Combat Battalion of the US Army Corps of Engineers attached to the 1st US Army, 7th Army Corps, Fred underwent intensive training, including "Exercise Tiger" in Slapton Sands, Devonshire, a rehearsal for the invasion of Normandy.  

On June 3, 1944, Fred's battalion, under the under the XXI Corps of the 7th Army, transferred to the marshalling camps for D-Day at Southampton.  

Sgt. Donald J. Schindel was also in the 298th ECB. Here's what he wrote about the first two days of action:

"On June 6, 1944, we boarded the U.S. Employee to cross the channel.

On June 7, 1944, we arrived at Omaha Beach in the wee hours of the morning. We could not unload because of the debris in the water toward the beach. When daylight came, we saw on the water an armada of ships that none of us had seen in our lives. There was a battle ship next to us and the Germans kept lobbing shells out to the harbor. The six guns on the battle ship turned to their direction, fired those six guns, and that ship just rocked. It was quiet after that. On June 10 they moved us down to Utah Beach where we loaded at midnight. The truck driver and myself found the rest of the company in a field about 10 P.M. He pulled the truck to the hedgerow, I threw my duffle bag into the bushes and went to the center of the lot to check with the rest of the guys." [3]

For the next two months, Fred's unit fought its way across France. The circumstances of his capture had to be pieced together from several sources. The dates of Fred's capture and status differ in the two local newspapers. One indicates that he had been missing in action  "since September 10, 1944", and then on January 13, 1945, updated his status to POW, whereas another reported that that Jean received a telegram from the War Department notifying her that Fred had been MIA in France since August 7, 1944, and then updated the status to POW in two articles of October 7 and 8 of 1944, which matches the August 7, 1944 After Action Report of Company A of the 298th Engineering Combat Battalion. [3] 

So, what happened on August 7 that involved Fred's unit and company? The following is from the official history of the 298th:

August 6-7, 1944: Bn. alerted to move; received movement orders at 1600 hours to move at 1630 hours to bivouac in vicinity of BRECEY. Bn. moved at 1630 hours and reached the destination at 2030 hours. At the new bivouac area orders were waiting for the Bn. to continue movement to the vicinity of MAYENNE. At 0100 hours on August 7, 1944 Capt. Frances R. Fulton, Lt. Ray L. Whiteturkey, the Bn. Recon. Section, and two squads of Co "C" resulting in their passing a point where they should have turned - at this point Co "A" took the lead and Co "C" joined the rear of the Bn. column. At a R.J. approximately 2 miles East of MILLEY, the head of the column was ambushed by enemy infantry and tanks. Considerable confusion resulted. A defense was set up by Co's B, A, & C..." [4]

From this source, it's reasonable to conclude that Fred's unit (Company A) had just taken point in the 298th's drive, at a road junction about 2 miles to the east of the village they had just liberated: "Milley" is actually the French town of Milly-la-Forêt, which is about 38 miles directly south of Paris.

Here's a photo of the liberation of Milly-la-Forêt:

Fred's experiences in Stalag 7A and Nussdorf.

Fred was the oldest and tallest  of the American POWs. [6]

Liberation, Recouperation, Reassignment and Discharge

Jean Ramlow was notified by the War Department that her husband had been liberated on May 23, 1945, nearly two weeks after receiving a telegram from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the first stop on his journey of rehabilitation.  On June 21, Fred sent another telegram to Jean informing her that he was boarding a ship to the US, after spending a week at "Camp Lucky Strike," (near Le Havre, France).  But he wasn't coming home directly. Instead, he told Jean to drive to meet up with him in Miami, Florida, where the couple spent the first two weeks, pending medical release for active duty.  After that, Jean went home to Flint, Michigan, and Fred returned to active duty at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. After a couple months, Fred was released to go home on furlough. [7]

The Post-WW2 Years

Fred was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the rank of corporal just before he was honorably discharged on October 23, 1945. 

Fred and Jean were active member of Court Street Methodist Church in Flint, Michigan, until they passed away in 1970 and 1977 respectively.  [8]

[1]  Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867-1952: State File Number - 25 13008,  County File Number - 22764.

[2] Flint Michigan City Directory (1933-1940)

-Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985 for Frederick C. Ramlow, March 25, 1970.

[3] "Military Bio" of Sgt. Donald J. Schindel (of Aurora, Illinois), composed for his grandson in 1974, available online: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~kipke/298army/298members/schindel_dj.html

[4] THE HISTORY OF THE 298TH ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION IN EUROPE JUNE 9, 1944 - MAY 8, 1945

[5] After Action Reports (26 July - 1 Dec. 1944): Losses in Action - A Co. - 7 August 1944, Pfc. Frederick C. Ramlow, Jr., No. 36588712; Michigan Casualties List, World War II (Vol. 3. Part 5, p. 1310);  Listed as POW in the Battle Creek Enquirer, January 13, 1945, p. 3; THE HISTORY OF THE 298TH ENGINEER COMBAT BATTALION IN EUROPE (JUNE 9, 1944 - MAY 8, 1945) Transcribed by Bob Kipke; "Frederick Ramlow, Jr., Prisoner in Germany," The Flint Journal, Oct. 9, 1944, p. 9.

[6]

[7] Articles from The Flint Journal: "Held Captive for 21 Months" (May 23, 1945, p. 11), "en route to Miami" (June 21, 1945, p. 3), "discharged at Ft. Belvoir, VA" (Oct. 31, 1945, p. 5).

[8] Obituary of Frederick C. Ramlow, Jr., The Flint Journal, Mon, Mar. 16, 1970, p. 21