Version vom 1. Mai 2015, 14:08 Uhr

Presseartikel

Stadtverein Braunau lädt Sohn von gefallenen US-Soldaten nach Braunau ein.

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  Zeitungsbericht über Tod von Corp. Clifford Barry, 26. Mai 1945

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  Bestattungsurkunde Clifford Barry, Friedhofsverwaltung Marblehead

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  Grabstein Clifford Barry, Friedhof Marblehead

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  Zerstörte Innbrücke, 02.Mai.1945, Foto: Jaroslav Smejkal

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  Zerstörte Innbrücke, 02.Mai.1945, Foto: Jaroslav Smejkal

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  Zerstörte Innbrücke, 02.Mai.1945, Foto: Jaroslav Smejkal

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  Pontonbrücke, 02.Mai.1945, Foto: Jaroslav Smejkal

Der Stadtverein Braunau setzt ein beeindruckendes, einzigartiges und menschliches Zeichen des Gedenkens: 70 Jahre nachdem der US-Soldat Clifford Barry im Mai 1945 beim Einmarsch der amerikanischen Armee im Inn ertrank, lädt der Stadtverein Braunau dessen Sohn David Barry nach Braunau ein.

„Wir sehen das Ende des Zweiten Weltkrieges vor 70 Jahren als würdigen Anlass, den heute 73jährigen David Barry in Begleitung seiner Frau nach Braunau einzuladen, damit er erstmals jene Orte, in denen sich sein Vater in den letzten Tagen seines Lebens aufhielt, besuchen und so von seinem Vater Abschied nehmen kann“, Mag. arch. Ingo Engel als Obmann des Stadtvereines diese Initiative.

Der Stadtverei nBraunau hat für den knapp ein wöchigen Aufenthalt von Mr. und Mrs. Barry ein umfangreiches Programm erstellt. Dazu zählen Stadtrundgänge in Braunau, Burghausen und Salzburg. Am Freitag, 15. Mai, wird Mr. Barry an einer Pressekonferenz im Braunauer Rathaus teilnehmen und sich ins Goldene Buch der Stadt Braunau eintragen. Im Anschluss an die Pressekonferenz ist eine Trauerfeier auf der Innbrücke geplant. Schließlich wird Mr. Barry auch bei der offiziellen Gedenkfeier vor dem Mahnstein vor dem Geburtshaus von Adolf Hitler anwesend sein.

Dieser Einladung gingen umfangreiche Recherchearbeiten von Mag. Florian Kotanko, wissenschaftlicher Begleiter von braunau-history.at und Obmann des Vereins für Zeitgeschichte Braunau, voraus. Mag.Kotanko fand in verschiedenen amerikanischen Archiven schließlich folgende Fakten: Corporal Clifford Barry, geboren in Marblehead, Essex County,verheiratet mit Barbara, Vater eines Sohnes, war 30 Jahre, als er am 5. Mai 1945 starb. Sein Leichnam wurde in seine Heimatgemeinde überführt und im Friedhof „Waterside“ beigesetzt.

Zugleich ergaben die Recherchearbeiten von Mag. Kotanko, dass am 5. Mai 1945 neben Mr.Barry auch der US-Soldat Richard L. Felt im Inn ertrank. Er wurde am amerikanischen Soldatenfriedhof in St. Avold in Frankreich begraben. Zu Richard Felt fand Mag. Kotanko keine Nachfahren.

Auf der Website des 245. Pionier-Bataillons(http://hillabee.net/245eng.htm)wird dieses tragische Ereignis beschrieben: „.... On May 5, 1945, on the eve of the end of the war in Europe, two combatengineers of Company B of the 245th, Corporal Clifford G. Barry [Marblehead,Massachusetts] and Private Richard L. Felt [Waltham, Massachusetts] weredrowned while attempting to maintain the bridge. Corporal Barry and PFC Feltwere both awarded the Bronze Star Medal posthumously. The current of the Inn River, raging at thistime due to the spring snow melt from the Austrian and Swiss Alps, was reportedas 10 feet per second. The bridge waseventually destroyed by the swift river on May 12, 1945.“

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The fate of two US soldierswho died in 1945 unearthed by Austrian historian. In May1945 for the three yearold child David Barry the world collapsed. His father, the 30 year old US ArmyCorporal Clifford Barry married to Barbara B. drowned in the river Inn, asizable stream forming the border between the then Nazi- Germany and Austria. Together with him his comrade Priv.Richard L. Felt drowned also. This tragedy took place at the eve of WWII whenelements of the 80th Infantry Division of General Patton’s ThirdArmy crossed the river Inn at the small township of Braunau to invade Austria.In order to do so, a pontoon bridge was built on 3rd and 4thMay by the 245th Engineer Combat Battalion with assistance from the179th Engineer Combat Battalion and the 995th TreadwayCompany. The original steel bridge between Braunau and Simbach, which was builtduring the Austro Hungarian Imperial time, was blown up on May 1st,by withdrawing Nazi troops just a few hours before US troops arrived (http://hillabee.net/245eng.htm).

Adverse weather conditionsand snow melt in the Alps resulted in high water levels in the river Inn and astrong current which put a heavy load onto the pontoon bridge. In theirstruggle to maintain the bridge for their comrades to cross over, Barry andFelt sacrificed their lives for the liberation of Austria. Both were awardedthe Bronze Star Medal posthumously. Clifford Barry was transferred to and buried at Marblehead WatersideCemetery, whereas Richard L. Felt was put to restin the Lorraine American Cemetery at St. Avold (France) http://www.abmc.gov/search-abmc-burials-and-memorializations/detail/WWII_43068#.VIqqqXvEqlQ . The US military expectedstrong resistance from German Nazi troops when they started their occupation ofBraunau, as Braunau is the birth place of Adolf Hitler. Fortunately localcitizens managed, halfway forcing and halfway convincing German military tosurrender the town without a fight. Therefore and luckily no further casualtiesor damage was reported during the invasion of Braunau itself. Austria has had problemshandling its Nazi past for many years and still is haunted by it. Braunauspecifically and additionally has the burden of being Hitler’s birth place. Thehouse where Hitler was born still exists and gives some Austrian citizens quitea headache about its use (see recent report on BBC www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30539384 ). With regret citizens ofBraunau often were and still are confronted by tourists enquiries/questionsabout Hitler’s birth place and the political orientation of Braunau’s citizens. In order to prevent wronginformation, myths and rumors from being spread, on November 2013 theStadtverein Braunau (an association of historically interested Braunau citizens)started a project, where all available, scientifically founded historical factsof Braunau and Hitler were gathered in a database that is made public on www.braunau-history.at. This project is supported by the public and political organisationsand also asks local citizens to submit any relevant documents, photographs etc.that may put light on the issue and to be publicized in the data base afterthorough scrutiny by qualified historians. Members of the Stadtvereinare very glad and proud to report, that their website since Dec. 2013 (when itwas opened) was visited more than 16.300 times and by over 13.000 interestedpeople from all over the world. Countless information was given, but alsoreceived. During this process a private diary was obtained by the historian ofthe Stadtverein. It revealed until then unknown information on the death of oneAmerican soldier during the invasion of Braunau. This triggered a vivid searchthrough numerous archives which finally yielded the fact that actually twosoldiers were killed and that their track was leading towards Massachusetts,Marblehead and Waltham. With the aid of the Marblehead historian Mr. ChrisJohnston, the son of Corporal Clifford Barry could be located in Marblehead, MAand contacted by the Austrian researchers. For a number of yearsa small public remembrance ceremony against Nazism, against fascism, againsthate of foreigners, has been held at a memorial which is located in front ofHitler’s birth place. Now 70 years after the end of WWII and the death of thetwo brave soldiers, the Stadtverein, supported by all local political bodies,finds it an appropriate gesture of reconciliation to invite Mr. and Mrs. Barryto the anniversary ceremony in May 2015 and to honour his father by enteringall that is known about him onto the website www.braunau-history.at. Unfortunately, sofar not much is known about Richard L. Felt. Was he married, did he have