Info/photos received from;

Tom Auriemma

Email I Received from Tom Auriemma..... "His uncle and Bill were friends"

Ben,

The following are the stories that Bill Guether shared with me when I visited him at his house on Staten Island, NY in March 1998. Feel free to add what you want to his web page. Bill told me that he had no children so I  am grateful that I can share a picture of him with you and provide some information about his war time experiences so he can have his own web page.

Thank you for taking so much interest in this project.

Regards, 

Tom

I met Bill Guether in March 1998 to discuss the tragic ambush that took place on March 2, 1945 and other war time experiences that he wanted to share with me.

Bill’s second narrow escape from death came on March 2, 1945 in kapellen Germany, as Company C was attempting to cross the Rhine River. Bill was one of the more fortunate men who became a P.O.W., while several other men in his company were killed by a German ambush.

Bill said his last escape from death was when he was a P.O.W. and being transported in a boxcar deeper into Germany. He exchanged seats with another P.O.W. so he could play pinochle with some of the other men. An American plane strafed the train and the man who exchanged seats with Bill was killed. Bill said the train stopped at a nearby farmhouse and someone was able to get some white paint and painted POW on the roof of the boxcars. That helped protect the men from anymore friendly fire.

Bill Guether’s Story in the 643^rd Newsletter May 31^st 2000.

Death of Gerard Duncan and Carlton Schafer January 9th, 1945.

As we rode in that open field, Shafer and I thought we would be safe if we walked. Schafer said I have a feeling I’m going to die. No sooner we got out of the halftrack we walked side by side. Just then the German tank hit our gun. Schafer got hit and died. I was not hurt. I run back in the woods. Ahead of me was a bunker. As I ran toward that bunker, tanks were shooting at me coming very close to hitting me. They must have seen me heading for that bunker. The next thing I found myself inside. I don’t know how I got in. I think someone is looking after me. Inside was a lot of smoke. No sooner I got inside I got tree burst. The tree burst should have killed me, but it didn’t. When the tree burst stopped I walked back to the halftrack, the German tanks were gone. Gerald Duncan’s body was next to Schafer on the ground. The other men were ok. They died at Reharmont Belgium 9^th January 1945.

(1st left under) Bill Guether (2nd left under) Sidney Auriemma- (1st right under) Salvatore Immitti

Family Guether - 193 Bedell Ave. Tottenville, Staten Island, NY

Herman - Frank -  Rudy - George - William "Bill" - Lisa- Frieda