Medals
Received: SILVER STAR MEDAL, BRONZE STAR MEDAL, 3 PURPLE HEART
MEDALS
Military
Job: SGT
Company:
FORD MOTOR CORP.
Occupation
after War: TOOL ENG.
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.
