THE REAL ESTATE TAX PRO ™
Norton Accounting Services, LLC
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
NortonAccountingServices.com 985-640-6072 Info@NortonAccountingServices.com
1527 Gause Blvd. Ste. 132 Slidell, LA 70458
INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Bob PAGE 1 Why the Sun Is Better Than You Think PAGE 1 The Rookie: 3 Oldest Rookies in Sports History PAGE 2 The Best International Dishes That Require No Electricity PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Easy Foil-Grilled Sausage and Vegetable PAGE 3 The Strange Battle of Castle Itter PAGE 4
The battlefields of World War II were often fought by complex sets of alliances between countries and factions, the likes of which few wars before or since have ever seen. Few battles proved that more than the Battle of Castle Itter. In the grand scheme of WWII, Castle Itter was no Omaha Beach. During the Nazi occupation, the Third Reich converted this medieval Austrian castle into a prison for important French prisoners who could possibly be used as bargaining chips, and they ran this as a subunit of the Dachau Concentration Camp which sat about 90 miles away. All of that said, if allied forces captured this, it would not represent any sort of decisive victory. Instead, what made the happenings of May 5, 1945, so remarkable is that the Battle of Castle Itter is the only WWII battle where German and American soldiers fought on the same side. In the waning days of the war, the German guards of Castle Itter abandoned their posts, leaving control of the prison to the prisoners. However, they were still prevented from escaping by units of Waffen SS and Gestapo troops roaming the woods that surrounded the castle. So, the castle handyman and cook asked for help. The cook encountered Major Josef Gangl, a Wehrmacht officer, who, after becoming disillusioned with Nazism, had decided to help the Austrian resistance instead. Gangl only had about 20 other Wehrmacht troops that were still loyal to him. So, in order
The Strange Battle of Castle Itter
TheOnly Time Americans and Germans Fought Together inWWII
to free Castle Itter from the SS, he hoisted a white flag when he made contact with Captain Jack C. Lee Jr., a U.S. tank commander. Together, they made their way to Castle Itter and prepared to withstand a siege and free the prisoners. The battle was short and resulted in only one casualty — Josef Gangl was killed by a sniper. It ended when a small rescue group dispatched by Major John T. Kramers, with whom the castle handyman had made contact, arrived with a column of tanks, and scattered the SS troops. The prisoners were freed, Lee was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and Josef Gangl, for his service to the Austrian resistance, has a street named after him in a nearby town that still remains to this day.
4 • NortonAccountingServices.com
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software