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42 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, January 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 14, 2004 Lee French would like to return this German officer�s hat to the family of the man who wore it. French�s father got it while serving in Europe during World War II. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell War relic spurs quest Medford man wants to find the family of a German officer his father says he killed in World War II. All he’s got for leads is a German service cap By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune Medford resident Lee French has an old hat he would like to give back to the owner’s loved ones. "I’d like to track down the family of the guy who originally owned it, and give it back to them if they want it," he said. But he realizes that’s a tall order, given it was taken half a world away and some 60 years ago. It’s a World War II German officer’s cap that his father, Staff Sgt. Robert D. French, got while in Central Europe with the 7th Armored Infantry Battalion, 8th Armored Division, Third Army. His father died in 1986. The brown hat has a short bill, a golden braid around the front and an eagle above the crown. There are two Nazi swastikas on the front. Advertisement "The story on the hat, of what I remember, was that my father was out on a road and his jeep broke down," Lee French recalled. "About that time, a German patrol came a long and my dad hid in a hay loft of a barn. "I’ve always thought that probably wasn’t a good idea because that’s the first place they’d look," he added. Sure enough, a German soldier eventually came to check out the barn. "This officer climbed up the ladder and dad shot him," he said of the story he heard from his father. "That’s all I know," he added. "I don’t know how many other guys were on patrol or how he got away." His family also had the officer’s pistol and dagger for years, but those items were stolen, he said. "So all we have left is the hat," he said. Prompted by a story he read in Sunday’s Mail Tribune about the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, Lee French decided to try to find out who owned the hat and give it to his family. "I know the Germans kept very meticulous records," he said. "With that registration number, I’m hoping there is a name to go with it." The registration number is 193487. Next to it in a little box is stamped the number 4. A date on the hat indicates it was made on Dec. 20, 1934. "There are also penciled initials there (under the sweatband) that looks like ‘VLA’ or ‘V1A,’ " he said. "But I don’t know if that means anything." He has contacted the German embassy in Los Angeles to no avail. He also took the hat to the military museum at the former domiciliary in White City, but veterans there couldn’t provide much help. He doesn’t know where his father acquired the hat. He was in central Europe, including the Ardennes Mountains, the forested region in northern France, Belgium and Luxembourg. His father was the associate editor of Buffalo Chips, the newspaper for the 8th Armored Division, the unit known as the "Thundering Herd." It was commanded by an officer named George Patton. "He thought General Patton was a real SOB, excuse the language, but he said he would follow him anywhere," Lee French said. His father brought back numerous photographs of the war, including one of him wearing the hat. After the war, he would cover the Dachau war crimes trial. After he returned to the states, he wrote for the Toledo (Ohio) Blade, then went into advertising. Lee French believes he can to track down the officer’s family because he was able to find a woman his father met in Czechoslovakia during the war. "I figured if I could find his old girlfriend, then why not try to find out who owned the hat," he said. "His family may not want it but I have to give it a try." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? 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