Winter, Raynold (1918-2008)

https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/stc:9882#/kaltura_audio

Biographical Information: Raynold John Winter was born March 15, 1918 in Watkins, Minnesota. He was drafted into the Army in 1941. His company was trained in southern California as military police in the 506th MP Battalion and was assigned to guard Boulder Dam, which was later renamed Hoover Dam. His company, Company D, was reassigned to combat in Europe and retrained as infantry before being shipped overseas. Winter and many others were captured at the Battle of the Bulge. They became prisoners of war in Leipzig, Germany, where Winter was hospitalized for malnutrition before being liberated. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service. After the war, he married Catherine Klein of Watkins, where he worked for Kraft Foods. In 1958, they moved to Maple Lake, where he worked for Tem Tee Bakery. He became a member of the Northstar Baseball Hall of Fame as manager of the local Lakers team. Winters passed away at the age of 90 on December 2, 2008 at the VA Medical Center in St. Cloud and is buried in St. Anthony's Catholic Cemetery in Watkins. He was survived by Catherine, their six children, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Transcript Summary: Raynold J. Winter described his experiences serving with Company D, 506th MP Battalion and the 422nd Infantry during World War II. He discussed his initial training at Camp Roberts, California, his company’s duties as military police guarding Boulder Dam, and their retraining as an infantry company in South Carolina before being shipped to Europe. Winter recalled how his company was captured by German forces during the Battle of the Bulge. They were brought to Leipzig, Germany, as prisoners of war, and much of the interview covers Winter’s experience as a POW. Winter described how American planes bombed the prisoner camps and how American POWs got along with each other, the German guards, and French POWs. Winter most vividly recalled how poorly fed the American POWs were and noted that they received only small rations of bread and turnip soup. He recalled that some POWs died from malnutrition while others found ways to supplement their rations. Winter described being admitted to a German hospital for malnutrition, and recalled a amicable relationship with a German orderly there until the camp was liberated. He also briefly described how he returned home and the medical treatment he received after being liberated from Germany.

Interview by David Overy

Includes archival material