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LIBERATED POW'S  RETURN TO THE STATES - 12June 1945


USS Admiral W. S. Benson (AP-120)

The USS Admiral Benson at anchor 		   The transport Admiral W. S. Benson sailed from Wilmington, California on 17 May 1945 bound for Marseilles, France, via the Panama Canal. Transiting the canal between 23 and 25 May, the ship was then rerouted to the French port of Le Havre, where she arrived on 3 June 1945.
   The following afternoon, she commenced embarking troops, a task which was completed very early the following morning. Among the 5,026 passengers were repatriated allied military prisoners (RAMPs).
   Standing out of Le Havre at 0800 on 5 June, Admiral W. S. Benson anchored off Staten Island on the evening of the 11th, and then sailed up the North River early the following morning. Despite the early hour, the RAMPs on board Admiral W. S. Benson, received a hearty reception; the transport "dressed ship" and exchanged whistle signals with passing ships.  (read more about the USS Admiral Benson)
   On June 12, 1945 the USS Admiral W. S. Benson (AP-120) docked in New York City's harbor.  It was the same port from which the USAT James Parker had sailed on December 28, 1943 carrying the 508th PIR to Belfast.
   The movement orders for the "RAMP" portion of the ship's manifest was 288 pages long with 15 to 20 names typically listed on each page.
   Of the 4,000 or so RAMPs, only 22 were from the 508th PIR - men who who had been made prisoners of war and interred in German Stalags (prison camps).  Now they were returning a year and a half after the regiment had left for the ETO.

HEADQUARTERS
NORTHERN BASE SECTION
COMMUNICATIONS ZONE
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS
APO 562          US ARMY

Subject: Movement Order RO Group 1047-2-B  D-2
26 May 1945  Nominal Roll of Prisoners of War
Nationality U.S.
                                                                                        Service Army

To:      :  See Distribution

1.  The individuals listed below are assigned to movement to RO group
Group 1047-2-B as Liberated Prisoner of War, Escapees, or Evaders.

    The Movement Orders comprising the passenger list (see sample at left) were broken into sections which listed names based on what region of the U.S. they called home.
   For example, those who harked from New England were grouped to facilitate in-processing once they reached the CONUS,
   Each group was listed by unique number (on the subject line) and the men fell under the column headings at left.  The entries are reproduced below.
   Note that in the "DATE RET'D" column, the men received a loan from the U.S. Government as an advance against their accumulated pay due.  The typical advance was 2500 French Francs, which converted to $50.44.
   NOTE:  Column headings with an asterisk (*) contain relevant data added by Jumpmaster

GROUP
NO

 STALAG
POW NO		 *STALAG NAME NAME, RANK, ASN US UNIT *COMPANY *CAPTURED
(First Rpt'd)		 DATE RET'D
TO CONT'L		 ADDRESS OF
RECUPERATION
1049-2-B 4F (Lib)
82-663		 Stalag 4B Muhlberg Sachsen 51-13 Allega, Melio A
Pvt 33675173		 508 AB Co C 6 Jun 44 3 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 1999 Duss Ave
Ambridge, Pa
E-1047-4-A 13B (Lib)
80452		 Stalag 13B Weiden Bavaria 49-13 Cartwright, Frank B
Pfc 34457003		 508 P Inf Co A 6 Jun 44 7 May 45
(50.44-2500 FR)		 Rote 4
Elizabeth City, N.C.
1036-18-A 4F (Lib)
8352		 Stalag 4F
+ Work Camps Hartmannsdorf-Chemnitz Saxony 51-12		 Dennett, Ray J
Pfc 38276060		 508 Prcht Inf Co I 6 Jun 44 7 May 45
(50.44-2500 FR)
Camargo, Okla
1036-6-C 4F (Lib)
80241		 Stalag 4F
+ Work Camps Hartmannsdorf-Chemnitz Saxony 51-12		 Donohue, George E
Pvt 35608772		 508 Para Inf Hq 3rd 2 Sep 44 8 May 45
(50.44-2500 FR)		 104 Leonard St
E Liverpool Oh
F1036-3A 4B (Lib)
80342		 Stalag 4F
+ Work Camps Hartmannsdorf-Chemnitz Saxony 51-12		 Finnicum, John O
Pfc 35447790		 508 Prcht Inf Co F 6 Jun 44 10 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 Hartford, W Va
1034-7-B 7A (Lib)
84365		 Stalag 7A Moosburg Bavaria 48-12
(Work Camps 3324-46 Krumbachstrasse 48011,
Work Camp 3368 Munich 48-11)		 Greenless, Benjamin
Pfc 16151808		 508 Inf Co I  10 Sep 44 29 Apr 45
(50.44-2500 FR)		 923 8th Ave
Alpana, Mich
1047-18-A 4-B (Lib)
80363		 Stalag 13B Weiden Bavaria 49-13 Hill, Richard R
Pvt  38403620		 508 Para Inf Co E 7 Jun 44 7 May 45
(50.44-2500 FR)		 Clemscott, Okla
E-1049-2-B 4A (Lib)
81676		 Stalag 4A Hohnstein (Airfield at Dresden-Klotsche)
(No Base Camps: 13 Work Camps) Saxony 51-14		 Hyland, Bruce W
Pfc  20227009		 508 Inf Col I 8 Jun 44 16 May 45
(50.44-2500 FR)		 9300 Lakeshore Rd
Derby, N.Y.
F1036-3A 2A (Lib)
89123		 Stalag 2A Neubrandenburg Mecklenberg 53-13 Kalkreuth, William D
Pfc 35748126		 508 Prcht Inf Co B 18 Sep 44 1 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 215 1/2 N Huron
Wheeling, W Va
1047-2-B 13B (Es)
82-410		  Stalag 13B Weiden Bavaria 49-13 Laird, John R
Pfc 13125706		 508 Prcht Inf Co B 6 Jun 44 6 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 131 Drexel Rd
Ardmore, Pa
1036-7C 4A (Lib)
83744		 Stalag 4A Hohnstein (Airfield at Dresden-Klotsche)
(No Base Camps: 13 Work Camps) Saxony 51-14		 Montague, John R
Pfc 16131387		 508 P. Inf Unk 6 Jun 44 9 May 45
(50.44-2500 FR)		 1514 Jefferson St
Madison, Wisc.
E-1049-2B 6J (Lib)
7098		 Stalag 6J Krefeld Rheinland, Prussia 51-07 Nienart, Ben
Pfc  32570290		 508  Inf Co D 17 Sep 44 13 May 45
(50.44-2500 FR)		 211 Clark Place
Elizabeth, N.J.
10347-6A 2A (---)
150045		 Stalag 2B Hammerstein
(99 work camps in vicinity of Koslin & Stolp) West Prussia 53-17		 Novak, Frank J
Pfc 15329046		 508 Prcht Inf Co B 6 Jun 44 6 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 5608 Dolloferd
Cleveland, Ohio
F1036-1A 4F (Es)
81351		 Stalag 4F + Work Camps Hartmannsdorf-Chemnitz Saxony 51-12 Posadas, John Z
Pvt 39032357		 508 P Inf Co H 8 Jun 44 6 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 1018 Bosworth St
San Francisco, Cal
E1047-2A 113B (Lib)
80464		  Stalag 13B Weiden Bavaria 49-13 Reed, Robert H
Pvt 15323001		 508 Prcht Inf Co A 6 Jun 44 7 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 Rte 3
West Alexander, Pa
E-1049-5A 4A (Lib)
82659		 Stalag 4F + Work Camps Hartmannsdorf-Chemnitz Saxony 51-12 Roth, Stanley J
Pvt  20432545		 508 Para Co F 1 Jul 44 8 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 532 (Bennett?) St
New Orleans, La
1036-2C 13B (Lib)
81353		 Stalag 4B Muhlberg Sachsen 51-13 Saffici, William D
Pfc 13177145		 508 Para Hq 1st 6 Jun 44 6 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 1425 S Bancroft St
Philadelphia, Pa
1036-1A 3A (Lib)
90338		 Stalag unknown Stevens, Hiram C
Sgt 31116799		 508 Inf Unk 20 Sep 44 22 Apr 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 871 Middle St
Bath, Me
E1049-7B 13B (Lib)
82662		 Stalag 4B Muhlberg Sachsen 51-13 Sumeracki, Sylvester J
Pfc  36592497		 508 Prcht Inf Hq 1st 6 Jun 44 7 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 3625 Theodore
Detroit, MIch
E-1036-7-A 4F (Lib)
80-396		 Stalag 4B Muhlberg Sachsen 51-13 Tindal, Marlin I
Pvt 37567698		 508 I Inf Unk 6 Jun 44 7 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 P.O. Box 124M
Fond du Lac, Wic
1047-6-A 6A (Lib)
80-465		 Stalag 4A Hohnstein (Airfield at Dresden-Klotsche)
(No Base Camps: 13 Work Camps) Saxony 51-14		 Wagner, Paul W
Pfc 36589636		 508 Prcht Inf Unk 6 Jun 44 12 May 45 Iden
(50.44-2500 FR)		 616 Cleveland
Decatur, Ind
1036-6-C 13-B (Lib)
81810		 Stalag 13B Weiden Bavaria 49-13 Whalen Roy W
Pvt 15086866		 508 Inf Unk 6 Jun 44 8 May 45
(50.44-2500 FR)		 RR #1
Loveland, Oh

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