PEDRO - STORY OF MISSION

Created: 2/20/1945

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

- rv of Mission

Onedro, in uniform of Obergefrelter of Infantry and supplied with Soldbuch and Sonderaueweis of couriern/ Army CP. (which Arny notas flown from Lyon, together with Carlos and Antonlas. He was the second to drop, landing exactly at the chosen poijjt, somem south of Stuttgart. He landedree, leaving him about six feet from the ground, but uninjured. Cutting the shrouds, he left the chute In the tree, burled his strip tease, American pistol, and spude, and took off for Stuttgart,.

m before Stuttgart, he met Carlos; they went as far a* the city together, and then separated, as directed for his mission. He went on toward Pforshelm, spsaUng the nightmall village en route. Pforzheim having been bombed the preceding night, evacuation was taking place, and he continued to Karlsruhe, both by car and on foot. There, being unable to learn anything about theofth Inf. Div. from soldiers hs questioned, he celled the telephone central, who knew nothing about the unit and therefore assumed that it was not in the vicinity. He want on to Brucksal and Heidelberg, traveling at night, as he had to do most of the time throughout his mission, as air attacks prevented daytime travel. At Heidelberg, he learned that only convalescent troops were In the area.

the military

e naau -

nevertheleso had to callruck to take him to

Vhlle at the Heidelberg railroad station, where he drew rationsourier, his papers were controlledatrol, who took himew others for further examination. The officer In charge Questioned the Feldpost number shown la his papers, and on calling up about lt, learned that lt was the nuabereldgendarmerle, and not of an Army CP. The officer did not seam angry, indicating that perhaps there hadistake in the stamp used when his papers were issued,

but Jail

In the back of the truck were only the guard and Pedro, who was handcuffed. Tnls was0. En routs, he hit the guard on the head with the sharp points of the handcuffs, tripped him, and then Jumped from tho truck, lie believes he knocked tbe guard out, but did not kill him. hort distance further, the truck had stoppedailread crossing, but Pedro dropped to the ground, waited, and was not mlBBed. After trying to break the handcuffsock, he remembered that they could be opened bynife blade between the teeth and closing them tighter. This he proceeded to do, with success.

Without any paper* or his pistol, all of which had been taken by the patrol at the station, he went to Mannheim, and crossed the Hhina without being controlled at the bridge. ffJHMrWW In iudwigshafen, hs continued with his mission, though handicapped by not having any papers. He continued to Bad Durkheim, where he learadd. men whom he questioned that the SS Division "Goetz v. Berllchlngen" wae being moved from Bltseh to Koln. Also, he learned that the staff of General Blasicowlti was located in Bad Durkheim and In Vachenheio. Proceeding to Frankenstein, heailhead, though aerial activity prevented It

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fron being used in the daytime. Be continued tout because of the careful guard was unable to learn the nature of the supply dump there. In AlBenborn, he tried to get into the message center to get some Information about the Lager there, but could not because of his lack of papers. From there, he went to Kaiserslautern.

In Kaiserslantera, he was controlled by two men who appeared to be ordinary soldiers but who identified thenBelveB as Becret field police, who were rounding up deserters, and who noticed hin because he was carrying no rifle or helmet. Shortly, two more police came up. Pedro told then he waa Juet looking for police headquarters, in order to turn himself in. He was taken there, and on being questioned said he had escaped. camp and come through the lineo. Aoked why he had come bo far back before reporting, he oald he had not wanted to report to Juet anyone, but wanted toolice headquarters, where he could beurlough and senthe police then took him to Wachenhoim, where he was carefully questioned about condition! in France, the treatment he received ir. the cas^i, etc. Asked how he wae able toin France In German unifoma, he 3nid he hadivilianji suit. He said he had passed through the German llnea without feeing detected because it was at night and everyone was asleep.

He believes that hla story was doubted, and that he was sub-pected of espionage. He was nent to Bad Durkhelra, where he waseearched, nnrf threatened, but not harmed. He was giver, awhich put hln to sleep for about ten hours, and on awakening, he found himselfellrench prisoner, the cell being guarded by HuBelana in Gemon uniform. He was there for eight dsyB, beingseveral times, mostly about hla early life, in answer to which he told the truth. Passing the time together, he and the Frenchman tried hypnotising each other, and the Frenchman succeeded on him. When the Frenchman wanted to do it again the next day, Pedro refused, suspecting some sort of trick.

He was finally taken to Heideloerg by the police, to the same prison to which he was going when he wide his previous escape. Five or six days later, he and forty othersrched to Mannching-bel-Ingol-stadt, not far from Munich. He and one other of the prisonern wer-?while en route. There, he was putrison-fortress, with about six hundred prisoners, liueationed by hi3 fellow-prisoners, hla story was that he had been picked ups they wouldn'tthat he had. camp and come back to glght again. Onet. Col. addressed all the prisoners,assembled in theand told then that the charges against them would be dropped and that they would be released to continue fighting for Germany. This was about the middle of April. Four or five days later, all the Gorjran military prisoners were token to Dachau, where they were delouaed, given showers, and clean uniforms. All were asked their specialties, and he jaid heanitaeter"). He wna given an armband and akit, but none of their: were given any papers.

s' training, they were released and tarchednit toward the north. The first place they bivouackedmall

here Pedro found thnt the priest had fornerlyrisoner la Dachau, iron him, he learned that the people of the village wanted to surrendsr to the advancing Americans, rather than have their hooes destroyed, which fact he relayed to the other men of his newly-fflrned unit. Together with the people of the village, they waved white flags at the first column of Americans which passed by, but were told to surrender to the next colurai to arrive. This they did. He told an officer of the American unit who he was, and, apparently without mich questioning, was put to work helping to screen the inhabitants of the area. Altogether, they foundoldiers who were disguised as civilians and trying to avoid capture. Whename for these prisoners, Pedro went along to Kunich with then, to. headquarters. There he was picked up by an officer of. headquarters, who took his to Augsburg, and finally turned him over

ss.

Attached are two letters he brought back with him from the unit where he turned liinoelf over.

flDRO - NACHRICHTENAUFT.-tO.

Zelt: 0 Tage.

Fahrtllste: arlsruhe -

adeunklrchen.

uftrag:

st die Identlfl2lerunft von ElnheltenArmoe, welche von Sued-Baden in das beochrlobene Goblet gekonmen sind-

u. Anzoichen, daaa dienach dom Abschnltt westlloh doe Rhelnea und noordllchmor.Armoc ge-achlckt wurden, urn Fronteinhclten zu verataorken.

b.Slnd Anzeichen vorhanden, dass eine Panzordlvlslon alch In olneo in dor Fahrtllste genannten ^oblote beflndet?

ja, sollen Angaben geoacht warden ueber( wenn noogllch altzlorilnfe).

s Divisionerllohlngen1'in Goblet woetllch"von "Bitech? Glbt os Anzoichen,hlndeuten, dase ale verschoben wlrd? Odor dasewlrd?

alchnf.Division in der Nacho

gross sind die fclndlichen Truppoder Strecke Kalsoralautern-Honburp-Ncunk1rchen?

uskuenfte ueber dasRamsteln,.

tfo 1st die Panzerbaaie "Hanptquartlor Sued" in

Pforzheim?

b. Was fuer Lager glbt oe in der Kaehe v. KoenlKebach?ede moegllche Auekunft ueber Lager in Enkonbach und Alscnborn.

d. Hachrlchten ueberFLAQER hoechet wlchtlg .

n jeden Fqlle sollen Angaben gomacht warden ueber Groesae,

Taetlgkolt, cenauo Laffo. Vort&ldlp.unp;en, und Morkpunkte die brkennung durch Luftaufnahmen

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