The First Letter:
Dear mayor or town committee,                                                                                     August 31, 2001

I,  Dennis M. Parker
    Leominster, MA, USA
Many years ago, in World War II, I spent time in your county and town.  I had often thought about writing to you.    Today is the day that I am following through with it.  I hope you can be of help to me.   I would like to know if anybody in your town will still remember my visit.  Perhaps in your archives, some old newspaper articles from 1944 mentions my presence in your town.

This is my story:
I, Dennis Parker was a pilot in a Thunderbolt  P-47 USA as a  second lieutenant.  On a flight mission to Wiener Neustadt, I experienced a problem with my airplane. At the same time a ME- 709 flew towards my aircraft.  Trying to avoid a crash, I tried to change the direction of my aircraft.  It was impossible to accomplish that; I could not move the right wing of my Thunderbolt.  It seemed to be frozen or locked.  The P-47 aircraft fell from an altitude of 22000 feet to 5000 feet.

The only choice I had, if I did not want to die, was to jump from the plane. Truthfully spoken, that is how I fell from the sky into your town.  This was on a Wednesday; April 12, 1944.  I remember that this was a big sensation.  A lot of people came to see the fellow that literally fell from the sky.

My time spent in your town was short.  I was taken a prisoner of war.  My story has a good ending, though. After a couple of years, I was able to return to my home country, the United States of America.  
 
Now that I am no longer a young man, a lot of time is spent reminiscing; often I think back at this part of my life. I would love to receive an answer to this letter.  Is there anybody in your town of Grünbach am Schneeberg that remembers my story?

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Please respond to the e-mail address listed above or the home address per airmail.  You can either write in English, that is the language that I speak, or in German.

This letter was written by a friend of mine in my behalf.  Her name is Ingrid and she will translate all your letters and inform me accordingly.

I thank you already in advance for all your assistance.

With high regards,     Dennis Parker

The Reply:
 
Grünbach am Schneeberg, 5th of March
Mr. Dennis Parker
Leominster, MA, USA
 
Dear Mr. Parker,
We were very happy to hear from you after such a long time, also that you have survived the 2nd world-war.  I will introduce myself: My name is Romirer Sonja, I am 46 years old and I am the manager of the local community-office.  When we received your letter I thought, who can I ask, who can give me information?  As my ex-father- in-law is very prudent, I asked him if he could remember the man who "fell from the sky". "Of course", he said. It was very exciting because many people saw the spinning airplane.  They came to look and hear what has happened. It was very dangerous for you! You survived the plane crash but it was war and there were always busy man, who want to be special capable.  But we thank God, the rifle was not used! I think you became a prisoner. Nobody knows what happened with you when you leave Grünbach. When you write us again - please inform us about your further life!
 
I am sorry, there is no newspaper but someone took a photo from you and Mr. Romirer inquired after it. In the letter - which didn't arrive at your address - I enclosed it. But now we have made a
copy and I think you will recognize the pretty young man!  From the material of the parachute women sew blouses and it was a very long-lived material. I think the rest of the plane will be checked exactly! Many years after these, the inhabitants thought, what has happened with the American!  I have enclosed a leaflet, it's from the election campaign of our mayor, and I have marked the place where you landed (red arrow). There is no picture which will show it better.
 
The name of our village is "Grunbach am Schneeberg" and we have nearly 2000 inhabitants.  There are less firms and the most people must drive to the next town for working. But it is a nice
country with mountains, forest and meadows.  The letter written by Mrs. Smith is very nice and friendly and I would be pleased if she would send us an e-mail or a letter or a postcard.
 
Dear Mr. Parker, I wrote this letter in English, so that you can read it without translation and feel that we are happy that you remember this time, also it was hard for you.
 
Looking forward to your letter we remain
With best regards and wishes,
 
Sonja Romirer
 
The Second Reply:
Dear Mr. Parker                                      03.03.2002
 
You can see here a Postcard of the year 1941 with sight of Ortsteil Rosental in the county of Schrattenbach.  Your airplane crashed in Ortsteil Rosental. The crash site is located very much in the center of the picture in a fruit orchard. The second house from the right is our house(family Braun and Reithofer). My neighbor Johann Berger and we, both of 1930, could observe how your smoking plane crashed, not far from my house, in a fruit orchard.
 
This of course, was sensational, so we ran together , with a growing group of other dwellers, to see the destroyed plane. This postcard has been put to our disposition by Mrs. Maria Auer a resident of Ortsteil Schrattenbach. You, dear Mr. Parker, have landed with your parachute. This part of the town is located behind the photographer of this picture. 
 
There, you with your parachute, have caused a big uproar. Mrs. Auer(of 1927)with both of her sisters as well as Mrs. Rosa Samwald(today 86), her mother and sister were the first ones to reach you. Mrs. Auer describes you as a handsome young man in a brown leather outfit, and sends you by these means her heartiest greetings. Mrs Samwald has herself sent you a few lines, that I am repeating.
 
Dear Mr. Parker
In relation to your writing to the town of Grünbach, I wish to inform you that I can well remember when you landed on our acre. Naturally there was at once a lot of people on hand. My mother stretched out her hand, some people didn't like this gesture and have notified the police, stating that she had given you some food too, that was not true. Then the police arrived. Mother say's that if her son was to be a POW, then she would be very happy if someone gave him something to eat. Her son was on the Russian front and he never came home. In the year 1945 the Russians entered our town too and these were bad times for us.
 
Except for losses of material value, we came away fairly good. My mother died in 1967, my sister, last year. Now I am completely alone.
 
Whole-hearted greetings from,
Rosa Samwald
Grünbach am Schneeberg.
 
Dear Mr. Parker,
You have been next sent by foot from Schrattenbach through Rosental to Grünbach, where your police escort was followed by a great bunch of people who were interested in seeing this happening. All of us would like to know what your age was at that time and what happened to you next. Also, how and when did you get home and how your later life was.
 
Where exactly do you live in the States? Does MA stand for Massachusetts?
 
My son-in-law and I both hope to stay in touch, and we might be able to send you some late pictures of our township, and places of interest of these times.
 
Till now we could not find out if there were any newspapers from those times that reported your plane crash. Such as Mrs. Samwald has indicated, our territory, was in the last war, considered as a war zone because of the mines in Grünbach.
 
With friendly  greetings,
Eduard Braun and Josef Reithofer.
With best regards to Mrs Smith.
 
Appendix A: Letters