Jürgen G. Krohnke was born on 9 November 1918, two days before the end of WWI. As his name reveals, Jürgen was of German ancestry. His roots were in the duchy of Schleswig, in northern Germany. In the difficult years after WWI, the entire family had left the war-stricken Germany and moved to the United States. They had started a new life in Schleswig, Iowa, a small town named after their former home-country. Although the monument states that Jürgen was born in the US, this probably done because of anti-German reasons. Even his parents knew for sure that their son had been born in Germany, only weeks before they had left.
In September 1944, after the allied forces had crossed the border, for many people in southern Limburg, the long-awaited liberation was imminent. One-by-one, the small villages were liberated by allied soldiers. Some of those villages were rid of their occupier with little effort, for others, days of bitter fighting were needed. The most common image after the end of the battle: German soldiers fleeing eastwards, pursued at a relatively short distance by American soldiers and cheerful local citizens.
In the late afternoon of 16 September 1944, roomers were spreading through Bocholtz like wildfire: “The Americans are coming!” Although the liberation of this village was only scheduled for the days to come, some Dutch civilians took their chance. Celebrations erupted in the streets. Some people even had the guts to fly illegal Dutch flags. A pair of German soldiers riding through town on bicycle, got so scared by this sight, that they turned around and rode straight back to Germany.
Between 17 and 19 September, the time had finally come. Although they only faced little resistance within the town, the American troops had to proceed with great caution. During their advance they killed 14 enemy soldiers, something the townspeople didn’t really like. The victims were all Austrian men, aged 55 to 60. They had all been forced to join the ‘Volkssturm’. The 14 soldiers had always maintained a good relationship with the locals.
On 20 September, parts of the US 113th Cavalry Regiment ‘Red Horse’, supported by troops of the 30th Infantry Division ‘Old Hickory’, had advanced towards the eastern extremity of Bocholtz. They found themselves about halfway between the village and the German border. The mission of these troops from here was to head north and liberate the rest of Limburg. They were not yet allowed to cross the border into Germany.
The German troops defending the Westwall were well aware of the allied advance towards their position. They were convinced that the Americans would attack their line. Therefore, they had started firing artillery round towards Bocholtz regularly, a few weeks before the Americans came near. The useless shelling had killed 8 civilians.
The Americans were determined to end the constant threath of German artillery shells on Bocholtz. After they had reached the eastern side of the village, the heavy tanks were positioned to open fire on the German artillery bunkers. The Germans, thinking the attack on the Westwall had started, responded with an all-out artillery barrage on the American tanks. A hail of artillery shells hit the unexpecting American troops, who scrambled to find cover.
When the first shells came in, Jürgen ‘Jerry’ Krohnke stood next to the light armoured vehicle he was the driver of. He tried to get into his driving position. When he was on top of the vehicle, he got hit in the face and neck by shrapnel. Despite the attempts to rescue him, Krohnke died before he could be taken to a hospital.
Centoaph: Sgt Jurgen George Krohnke BIRTH 9 Nov 1918 Crawford County, Iowa, USA DEATH 20 Sep 1944 (aged 25) Belgium BURIAL Morgan Cemetery Schleswig, Crawford County, Iowa,
From Find a Grave