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The Eddie Potocnik Story...December 23, 1944

12/17/2013

30 Comments

 
PictureThe crew of the doomed B-29 Marauder.
The Battle of the Bulge was the final offensive staged by the Germans against the Allies on the Western Front. The D-Day campaign had resulted in driving the German forces out of France and back into Germany and occupied Belgium.

The Germans had launched their last assault through the Ardennes Forest and had created a salient or “bulge” in the Allied lines, thus the name of the campaign. That was launched on December 16, 1944.

Months before, six airmen from Wisconsin and Illinois had been assembled as a crew for a Martin B-26 “Marauder.” Included in the crew were radioman and waist-gunner Corporal Edward L. Potocnik of Owen and engineer and waist-gunner Private Joseph W. Kowalski from Illinois.

They were part of the 391st bomber group and departed Maine for the European Theater of Operations August 17, 1944. After stops in Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and Ireland they finally flew their B-26 to their new base in Roy Arhmede, France on October 1 whence they would fly missions against German targets along the Mosel River.

After five recorded bombing missions, the 574th bomber squadron of the 391st bomber group was ordered into the Battle of the Bulge with the primary target of the railway bridge at Ahrweiler near Eifel, Germany. This was a key factor in the German supply line for the Ardennes front. Both sides knew the value of the target.

There were thirty Allied planes in the raid. Fourteen made it back to base.

The German air defense strategy was effectively simple: anti-aircraft (“flak”) guns would rake the fuselage and engines of the Allied aircraft from the ground, thus “softening them up” for the fighter pilots of the German Luftwaffe. In this raid, in particular, it was terrifyingly efficient. Adding to the chaos in the air, an unusually large fighter group—numbering sixty—jumped the wounded 574th squadron.

PictureEdward Potocnik
Eddie Potocnik’s friend, Joe Kowalski was the first crewmember wounded. According to an interview once given by Potocnik, “the planes were so confined that it was not uncommon for the airmen to not wear parachutes during flights.”

As a result, Kowalski was injured and losing blood so rapidly that he could not don his own parachute. In addition, if the plane were to return to base, Kowalski could not survive the flight. Potocnik buckled on Kowalski’s parachute and pushed him from the waist window at 8,000 feet.

The B-26 was then hit by enemy aircraft fire as a mixed group of Me-109’s and FW-190’s who caught the bomber group by surprise, coming out of the sun.

According to Potocnik, all of the remaining crew were in their positions but the plane had taken far too much damage to survive. The pilot, Lt. Dale Detjens of Wausau, tried to maintain control of the plane and would not leave his seat.

It should be remembered that when a plane is going down and spins out of control, gravitational forces (G-force) increase due to effects of centrifugal force. It becomes impossible to move as the g-force increases. Potocnik knew that his time to act was limited.

As Potocnik and tail-gunner Staff-sergeant Joseph J. Miller were trying to make it to the waist window. Again Potocnik recalls, Miller “who was not wounded, tried to come to the waist to bail out but didn’t get to the window in time when the plane suddenly went out of control. I looked down at the tail-gunner and made eye contact with him, and we both knew that I was going to survive and he would not. We both knew that he would not make it to the waist in time to bail out because of the G-force of the plane. The image of his eyes is, and has always been, forever imprinted in my mind. That image is what I have always carried with me throughout my life.”

In what must have seemed an eternity, Potocnik jumped from the plane only 30 seconds after he had pushed Kowalski out. He barely had time to open the parachute before he was on the ground.

“I landed so close to the plane,” he remembered, “that the explosion and concussion of the plane helped slow the speed of my fall.” The B-26 hit the ground 200 yards west of a farm and went nose-first into a wetland cow pasture, near the small hamlet of Bauler.

In a field, an eleven year old German boy watched the plane go down.

When Edward Potocnik’s parachute settled, he was immediately surrounded by a group of young German boys, probably the Hitler Youth, who had only one weapon between them. They had been told to keep watch and to capture any enemy fliers or soldiers.

What Potocnik could not have known was that Joe Kowalski, the wounded waist-gunner whose life Potocnik had saved, was also taken prisoner by a lone German soldier where Kowalski came to earth. The soldier took him to the nearby village of Bauler where his wounds could be tended quickly.

Earlier in the war, Luise Vetter moved her family out of the city of Dusseldorf which was suffering from the heavy and repeated bombing from the British and Americans. Her daughter had become a nurse and was away working at a hospital in Adenau, Germany. Frau Vetter had moved her family to the old family hunting cottage at Bauler.

When Kowalski was taken to Bauler, villagers took him to the home of the only woman in the village who could speak English, Luise Vetter. In her diary, Frau Vetter said that she “first soothed him, then dressed his wounds while he lay on our kitchen table which was under the Advent wreath the family had made from berries and vines from the garden.”

She recalled looking down and thinking “this boy is some mother’s son.” Instead of seeing him as an enemy soldier, she saw him as a son. That day, Luise Vetter reached beyond nationality and into humanity.


The following poem is a re-interpretation in English of the original German language poem by Luise Vetter of Bauler, District of Ahrweiler, Germany.

Before me, the enemy, wounded lies
Mid agony, pleading, still he defies.
The sky gave forth a deafening drone
As human targets fell to the snow.

Before me, the enemy, wounded lies
His plight’s solution, time defies.
The enemy, helpless, cries and pleads
My heart for my homeland weeps and bleeds.

O’er stripes and stars, blood freely flows
My hand, reluctant reached, then froze.
Is this not another mother’s son
Are his wounds less, his needs undone?

Oh fear, oh death, oh horrors of war
When will this misery at last be o’er?
What end to see this hatred cease
And in its place, eternal peace?

Compassion’s foe, no longer blind
The victor’s spoils now re-defined.
May the secret of war this simple truth impart
That the surest target is a mother’s heart!

Picture
Frau Luise Vetter, circa 1940, the author of the poem. She is the who tended the wounds of the downed enemy flyer.

When Kowalski was stabilized, he was then able to be moved to a hospital. He was taken to Adenau Hospital where he was treated by Luise’s daughter, Freya Vetter. When Kowalski opened his eyes to see his nurse, he said “All German women seem to look alike.” Of course, the only two German women he had met were mother and daughter.

Eddie Potocnik was taken by his captors to a Prisoner-of-War (POW) camp. He was given a small tin for his rations and each prisoner was given additional rations of cigarettes and chocolate. Potocnik claimed that he was kept alive by not smoking. He would trade his rations of cigarettes for chocolates which gave him needed calories. Instead of sleeping on cots in the POW barracks, Potocnik would sleep in slit-trenches outdoors to avoid the dangers of bombing.

Shortly after the events of December, 1944, Luise Vetter wrote a poem describing her experience with the wounded airman. It is a telling description of doubt in the face of an enemy that is overcome by human compassion.

The war in Europe ended May 8, 1945. It was Eddie’s birthday.

Potocnik and Kowalski made it back to the United States. Kowalski was sent to a Chicago hospital where a finger was amputated and he suffered pains in his leg. Potocnik suffered from shrapnel wounds that caused him great distress. Their four crewmates were buried in Germany.

Eddie came back to Owen-Withee where he married Berniece in 1947 and raised turkeys. Joe married and moved to California.

Planning a trip to see Joe in the early 1952, Eddie and Berniece Potocnik were preparing for their trip when they received a call from Joe’s wife. They were told not to come. Joe Kowalski had died.
Picture
In 2010, Freya Vetter, former nurse and daughter of Luise Vetter, contacted the Bauler village historian Hermann Bierschbach with the poem composed by her mother. She was 92 years old and wanted to fulfill her mother’s wish that the poem somehow make it into the hands of the young soldier she tended. Bierschbach immediately agreed. After all, it was an 11 year-old Hermann who witnessed the falling of the B-26 near Bauler. Freya Vetter died five weeks later, having passed the poem to the next leg of the race.

Three Wisconsin travelers fulfilled the quest, as far as was possible. Dale and Kathy Bartz with Rosemary Berchem had traveled to Germany where they met Arnhild Wöste who introduced them to Hermann Bierschbach. Herr Bierschbach passed the poem on to the three travelers who, with Frau Wöste’s help, translated the poem into English.

Eddie Kowalski was long dead and he left no heirs. They did, however, find Eddie Potocnik. They were able to meet with Eddie and Berniece and bring the poem to the United States—a poem of great beauty and compassion.

A letter from Germany
The following letter was sent to & Mrs. Edward
Potocnik from the translator in Germany


Dear Mr. and Mrs. Potocnik,
    It means a lot to me to write this letter to you today but let me introduce myself first.
    My name is Arnhild Wöste. You may have heard of me by my American friends Rosemary Berchem and Kathy and Dale Bartz who visited with you last year.
    Together we had done a trip to the area where you, Mr. Potocnik, crashed with a warplane on December 23, 1944. During our visit we learned about you, Mr. Joseph Kowalski and the other members of the crew who unfortunately didn’t survive. Your terrible fate moved us very much when Hermann Bierschbach, the elderly man pictured in the newspaper article, told us about it and showed to us the photos and the documents he had collected.
    The villagers never forgot about the tragedy of December 23, 1944, and they still talk about it today.
    Please know that people here in Germany are very grateful for what you Americans have done for us and our country. We are aware that our situation would be very poor and bad if you and others wouldn’t have risked and
often even given your lives to free Germany.  We are trying hard to keep these memories alive with the young ones. I’m a teacher of history myself.

    Thus, this newspaper article attracted a lot attention. People got in touch with Hermann Bierschbach, the journalist and the newspaper to thank them for the information and to let them know how much they had been moved by it.
    Hermann Bierschbach gave me the photos that show the place where you landed with your parachute. Peter Schmitz, who, at the age of nine, witnessed the scene, showed the exact spot.
    It’s my hope that your fate and the tragedy of December 23, 1944, together with the poem, will help to make people aware that we are all brothers and sisters and how terrible wars are. I have experienced that it does work – and not only in Eifel area but also further north where I live. My students were very touched when I told them about you, Mr. Joseph Kowalski, the other crew members and the poem.
    Thank you for risking your life and bearing the horrors of war in order to save Germany.
    Herman Bierschbach and other people in Eifel area asked me to send you their greetings, thanks and best wishes.
    Wishing you and your family all the best,
 
                                                                Arnhild Wöste



All but one of the B-26 crewmates are gone. Luise and Freya Vetter have passed, as well. On opposite sides of the Atlantic, Hermann Bierschbach and Eddie Potocnik sit and remember December 23, 1944 and a plane falling from the sky/

Picture
Hermann Bierschbach, the 11 year old boy who saw Eddie Potocnik's plane go down.

September 20, 2015

Picture
Eddie Potocnik now sits in a nursing home in Owen, WI. What he remembers of December 23, 1944, he no longer tells.
I just received news that Eddie passed away today. He was 92 years old. I got to visit him once after writing the above story.
He didn't know me and couldn't communicate but I just had to spend some time with him. When a writer devotes so much time to the research and writing of someone's story, a bond develops. His passing leaves me grieved but grateful that I got to tell a small part of his story.

On the evening before his funeral service, I got to meet with some of Eddie's family. What lovely and charming people. Berniece is a adorable now as when Eddie married her. The family is absolutely charming.

In that small town in Germany, there is a small shrine dedicated to the events described above. I am honored to report that this article is a part of that display.

God bless you, dear Eddie.

30 Comments
Gloria Garcia
12/28/2013 03:53:18 am

Thank you so much for publishing this story of my uncle, Eddie Potocnik. We had heard about the article but didn't find it until today when another cousin sent me the link. This is a wonderful acknowledgement of his service in the war.

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Travis
2/12/2014 10:52:04 pm

Thank you for the very kind words, Gloria. Berniece Potocnik handed a few documents to Judy Vollrath and I got it from Judy. Since I am a trained historian, a little leg work provided a rich trove of historical and personal treasure.

It really was my pleasure.

Travis

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Kathie Potocnik Rice
2/10/2014 01:32:57 am

On behalf of my parents, Edward & Berniece Potocnik, and sisters Janice Potocnik Homan & Eileen Potocnik, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks for your article. We were very touched by it. Our Dad was a different person because of this experience - we admire him so much. We've learned much from him. Thank you again - we do feel it's important to "Never forget". Sincerely, Kathie Rice

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Travis
2/12/2014 10:55:13 pm

Kathie, it was a great pleasure to do it. It was a wonderful story and the facts were astonishing. My only concern was in telling it as it should be told--with warmth and human compassion.

I am deeply moved that you and your family enjoyed it.

Travis

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Denny Henke
2/10/2014 01:31:38 pm

What a great story. We need to keep the history of our local war hero's alive especially their true stories as they lived it. Their history must be passed on to future generations so we never forget the tragedy of war. I am proud too know Ed and we are both members of the Owen Legion Post . A true hero among us .

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Travis
2/12/2014 10:57:08 pm

I agree with you 100%, Denny. Most of the time a true hero needs their story to be told for them, as they will not tell it themselves.

Thanks for writing!

Travis

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Eileen Potocnik
2/12/2014 10:18:53 am

I must join my sister, Kathie Rice, in giving you my heart felt thanks for the time and effort you've put into writing about our father's WW II story. He gave so much, and his memories of his service lived with him until just a few years ago. But he never talked of his experiences until much later in his life. We are truly grateful for your work in telling his story.

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Travis
2/12/2014 11:00:17 pm

Thanks so much, Eileen.

The effort was joyful and the results were rewarding. It is a story worth telling and I'm glad that I got the opportunity to do it.

You and Kathie are blessed to have such a dad.

Thanks for writing. You have all made it such a cherished moment for me.

Travis

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Sharon Lee Fritz Weiler
3/2/2014 03:27:03 am

Hello Travis, I am writing on behalf of my family. My siblings and I are nieces and nephews of Uncle Eddie. I was named after him, hence the middle name Lee, which is also his middle name. My birthday (on the 8th of another month) matches his birthday on the 8th of May. My oldest son is also named after "Uncle Eddie" as he was born on Eddie's birthday in 1963. Eddie was our "favorite Uncle" and we are all so very proud of him and love him and his family as if they were our own. I want to thank you for a wonderful story, that will remind generations to come of the sacrifices if our servicemen and women. Again, thank you.
Sharon Lee Fritz Weiler

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Agatha Andrews
6/13/2014 04:13:11 am

Thank you for this story. I am the niece of the co-pilot of Eddie's plane, Frederick T. Kaye, who died in the crash. My family has just been contacted by the army because they believe they have found my uncle's remains (from 70 years ago!). We are so touched that people have not forgotten the sacrifices of that time. Please send my warmest regards to Mr. Polocnik, if you are in touch with him.

Reply
Travis
6/16/2014 11:06:48 am

Thank you so much for writing, dear Agatha.

I am so relieved for you and your family! I am writing an update to the story with the facts you have relayed to me.

I will pass along your greetings and your news to Eddie and his family.

It is welcome news, indeed.

With kindest regards, Travis

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Agatha Andrews
6/16/2014 11:41:21 am

Hello Travis!

Just to clarify, although it is grim, my uncle's body was found and buried in Germany, with two other crew members, within days of the plane's downing, and then the three of them were reburied after the war. My uncle's remains were buried in Luxembourg at that time. Apparently, the army now has further remains of my uncle, although we don't yet know the full story. We are hoping for a stateside burial. The army has recently sent me a file of information on the crew and the downing of the plane. I would be happy to share it, if it would be of interest to you! I must say, though, that Mr. Potocnik's recollections are remarkably full, and I don't know whether the file would add much to what you know. The account in the file is based largely on his report at the time of his return stateside after the war, and it is nowhere near as complete as your account here!

Travis
6/16/2014 11:47:49 am

Dear Agatha,

I would dearly love to receive any information that you would be willing to share!

While Eddie's recollection was remarkable, finding additional even repetitious information is always valuable. Thank you for sharing it!

Travis

Reply
Agatha Andrews
6/16/2014 11:55:50 am

Please send me your email address, so that I can forward the file! Thanks!

Reply
Travis
6/16/2014 11:59:22 am

Thanks so much!

The email address is: [email protected]

I look forward to reading it!
Travis

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Kurt Bublitz link
1/12/2015 09:51:16 am

I too thank you for the story you have written. Eddie is my Uncle as well. I served 20 years in the Navy on various ships and submarines. It wasn't until a few years back when he told me of his experience which you have written about. In the beginning of the article you mention he had been assembled as a crew for a Martin B-26 “Marauder.” Later you mention B-29 a couple of times (I am sure it was just a mistake). It was a B-26 "Marauder" that he was
attached too. Again, thank you for the article.

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Arden Fritz
1/19/2015 01:23:57 am

In the summer of 1945 (I was 8) before being discharged from the Army Air Corp and shortly after being released from his POW camp, Eddie, while on termination leave visited my Grandparents Walter and Belle Fritz. I was privileged to just happen to be present when Eddie told his story to my Granddad. I was very impressed by the story. Eddie and Berniece settled into the neighborhood, played softball with the whole bunch of us and earned the reputation of being one of the really good guys. There is a lot of history to be told about the contribution of this generation of veterans just in the little area of Owen-Withee, Wisconsin. I am a cousin of Sharon Lee Fritz Weiler.

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Connie Howard
3/8/2015 11:16:21 am

I have been bless because of the German citizens who have told their stories and shown the place where my cousin's plane crashed on December 23, 1944. Lt. James F. Gatlin, Jr. and his crew were assigned to the 575th Bombardment Squadron, 391 Bombardment Troup, 9th Air Force. His plane was struck by enemy fire while on a bombing mission near Ahrweiler, Germany. Gatlin and four of his crew member were reported killed in action. It is because of a German historian that my cousins remains were identified using my DNA. I am very proud to know that he is now been returned to his family and buried with full Military Honors at the National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL. For seventy years I have held dear his letters to keep his memory alive. At 8eighty four, I now rest in peace thanks to the German civilians and our own Military for bringing him home.

Reply
Travis
3/8/2015 11:50:14 am

Dear Ms. Howard,
How extraordinary! Your letter was a wonderful surprise to me tonight.Thank you so kindly for sharing your story with me.

Since writing this story about Eddie Potocnik and the crew, I have heard so many amazing stories and yours stands brilliantly among them. I have also begun to collect letters and remembrances of the crew and their families with a view to editing a book about them all.

Here is my impertinent question: Would it be possible for me to get copies of those letters that you possess? They would be an incredibly valuable feature among the other documents. Please consider.

You may reach me at my regular email address at: [email protected].

Thank you so much for writing.

Travis

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Allan Wessel link
9/23/2015 01:47:34 pm

Thank you for this story. Eddie was my uncle. I knew that he had been in the military in World War II, but he never talked about it. I learned that he had been a POW on a visit to the High Grounds Veterans Park in Neillsville a number of years ago when I was researching our family history.

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Travis Rogers, Jr.
9/24/2015 09:04:11 am

Thanks, Allan. I am so saddened to learn of Eddie's passing last Sunday. Please accept my deepest sympathies for you and your family.

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Sharon Lee Fritz Weiler
9/24/2015 12:02:19 pm

Travis, not totally computer literate, so did not fill in the website - not sure what it means. My reason for writing - the post from Allen Wessell, I'm curious as to his relation to my Uncle Eddie. I thought I knew the names of my cousins (there are many), so I'm wondering if he is related from my Aunt Berniece's side, which is entirely possible. Is there any way you can find out. I'd ask for his email address, but realize now-days, that people are wary of their privacy/info getting to the wrong people. Have really enjoyed reading the posts/coments that have come about your rendition of Eddies story. I am deeply saddened on his passing, but also know he's in a better place. Again thank you for your great effort and any info you can provide me with
Sharon Lee Fritz Weiler

Reply
Elroy Glenn Churkey
9/25/2015 01:39:53 pm

Eddie was my cousin by marriage. My mother was Salma Franz Churkey.

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Sharon Lee Fritz Weiler
9/25/2015 02:11:10 pm

Hello Elroy,
So glad you posted your relationship to Eddie. It is another piece of the puzzle of Genealogy.

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Sandie Yeaman
2/20/2020 09:19:24 am

Hello... I am the only known living relative of Joseph Kowalski, who the poem was written about. I would LOVE to hear from any of you. I received a package from Kathy with more information that you can imagine. I underswtand that the writ of the poem wanted to make sure it;s final rsting place was in a family members hand.

[email protected] or tt at 402-312-5353

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Richard Miller
12/30/2024 12:38:04 pm

I am the brother of Joe Miller who died in the plane crash near Bauler Germany on Dec 23,1944. Just saw your post from 2020. Wonder if you are still around?

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Travis Rogers Jr.
12/30/2024 04:03:03 pm

Yes, sir! Still alive and kicking. May Joe’s memory be eternal.

Travis

Richard Miller
1/9/2025 06:27:59 pm

Really appreciate your response to my inquiry about my brother Joe! Always wondered if there is a picture of the crash taken by any local person. Joe’s final resting place is with our grandfather in Temmels, Germany. Our dad’s hometown.

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Linda (Miller) Smock
1/21/2025 02:15:56 pm

I am Joe Miller's niece (Richard Miller's daughter). Several weeks ago we were notified by the military that the crash site had been excavated and some human remains were found but they were unable to identify specifically whose they were. We were told the remains will be buried in a military cemetery potentially this summer and the marker will include all the names of the serviceman who perished in the crash. We were told family members will be invited to attend.

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Rick (Balk) Pepper
1/27/2025 07:46:26 am

Joe was my uncle, Linda my cousin. I have a couple other photos of their aircraft I’d be happy to share if any family are interested. [email protected]. An unimportant detail in the grand scheme of things, but a factual correction: the aircraft was a B-26 (not 29, that’s the Superfortress).

Reply



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    Travis

    My love of history developed right alongside my love of music. I have taught it and written at length on it. This is my place for quick musings or sharing favorite stories.

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