SEIBERT, WARREN L. Dec 24, 1944 age 24 POW/KIA Germany

WARREN LOVELACE SEIBERT  b. Sept 24, 1920 Pontiac d. Dec 24, 1944

Prisoner of War / Killed In Action Gerolstein, Germany

Pfc 36591666 Army 422 Inf Reg 106th Inf Div

Buried Luxembourg American Cemetery, Luxembourg

Parents: Warren Raymond & Oral May (Lovelace)

Siblings: Donald W., Monica D., Oral L., Gertrude Ann
Spouse: Rose Jean Agee
Child: Janet (Sokolosky) ?

There is Warren Raymond born in Petoskey who on Jan 26, 1920, in Pontiac, marries Oral May Lovelace born in Bad Axe. He was living in Oakland Co and worked for Oakland Motor,; Oral worked as a telephone operator in Bad Axe. From that start they went to Holland Township where he again worked as an auto salesman. But with the Depression, 1940 found them in Detroit with Warren now working as a welder.

 

Redford 1940

 

 

Warren was active during his time at Redford. ROTC was one actively where he was in a group with Boris Lapping and Hugh Weber, also named on the Memorial Plaque. He enlisted in Oct 1940 in the Michigan National Guard. His draft registration was Feb 16, 1942. Warren stood 6’2”, 134 lbs with brown hair and eyes. He worked at National Twist Drill and Tool Co.



Yearbook Prediction

Oct 26, 1943 he married Rose Jean Agee. From one source it seems they had children; there is a Janet Seibert, born 1945, at Cass Technical High but no source to verify Warren as her father.

The 422nd Inf Reg went into combat in the Schnee-Eifel Area of Germany on Dec 10, 1944. On Dec 16 they were hit by the German Ardennes counter-offensive and quickly cut off. Several sectors of the regimental zone received heavy artillery fire and ground attacks. At 5:30 am on Dec 16 the temperature in Bastogne, Belgium was 14° F. Poorly equipped American forces suffered greatly while German forces, drawing on years of experience fighting in the Soviet Union, were equipped with warm, practical clothing.

On Dec 18 orders by radio directed the  422nd and 423rd Inf Regiments to attack and destroy enemy forces at Schonberg and continue along the St. Vith road to clear the enemy from that road which was a principal supply route for the Allies. In the afternoon of Dec 19, having no resupply of food or ammunition or evacuation of casualties for the past four days, the two regiments surrendered to the Germans. Of the 7,001 men missing in action at the end of the battle, 6,697 were captured, 6,500 of whom would return home; that left 197 who did not survive the camps. 564 were killed in action, 1,246 were wounded. It was the largest mass U.S. surrender of WWII.

They were marched some 50 km to Gerolstein. It was Dulag 377, a transit camp thru which all POWs passed for processing. From there they were marched or moved by box car further into Germany.

Warren was shot while trying to escape at Gerolstein.