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Last Name: ` THIEDE	First Name Middle Initial: HARVEY E		Nick Name:
Street: 3230 ROOSEVELT	City & State: DEARBORN, MI		E-Mail:
Zip: 48124-3686	Phone:		Spouse: JEAN
Conflict: WW II	Service Branch: ARMY		Unit: B CO 48 ARM BN 7 DIV
Theater: ETO	Where Captured: BELGIEM		Date Captured: 12/20/44
Camps Held In: MALMEDY: BAD ORB 9B			How Long Interned: 105 days
liberated / repatriated: liberated	Date Liberated: 04/04/45		Age at Capture: 21
Medals Received: SILVER STAR MEDAL, BRONZE STAR MEDAL, 3 PURPLE HEART MEDALS
Military Job: SGT		Company: FORD MOTOR CORP.
Occupation after War: TOOL ENG.

Military Bio:

Harvey E. Thiede of Dearborn, MI, a long time member of two veterans’ organizations the MOPH and the AX-POW, held many offices local and national. Harvey entered trade school in 1938 and graduated Tool & Template Maker of 1941. He later attended Junior College to learn Mfg. Eng. But was disrupted by entering the military April 1942. Harvey started his basic training in Ft. Knox, KY, and was later transferred to Camp Polk, Harvey was assigned to the 7th Armored Div. B Co. 48th Armored Battalion. After maneuvers in the desert in California, Harvey returned to Ft. Benning, GA, to Miles Standish, to Camp Shanks, NY, to Scotland on HMS Queen Mary, then to Tidworth Barracks, England. Harvey missed D-Day, and sat in the English Channel to get ready for hedgerows in France. Spearheaded drive to Berlin. His crew was detoured to Holland October 44 – Nov. 44. And on Dec. 16th Harvey’s crew moved south toward Belgium. On 17th December they came into St. Vith, Ardennes, and took place in the Battle of Bulge. Harvey had to walk through 2 feet of snow, at 20o below, in no winter clothes. This lasted until 24 December when they either ran over a mine or were hit by a mortar. Five of the GIs were made guests of the Nazis. They marched all night until they reached Malmedy, this is when the massacre occurred. The Gunner and driver were shot down and left to die. The next morning Harvey and the others were loaded onto cattle cars and hauled away into Germany to Stalag 9B Bad Orb until they were liberated by a armored division. They were taken to Rheims, France hospital for three months then to Lucky Strike and on to a Liberty Ship homebound for NY. Back into hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas for 3-1/2 months for repair from wounds to the face and head. Harvey was later discharged on October 31, 1945.