Scott County the Beginning
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Pvt. Lonzy Byrge, POW Stalag 7, Moosburg, Germany
Rev. Lonzy Byrge was born November 26, 1923 in Caryville, Tennessee. He was the son of John and Ola Geneva (Carter) Byrge. Lonzy entered the service during WWII as a Private in the US Army’s Infantry. He saw engagements in Northern Africa and Italy. On January 21, 1944 during a battle near Sicily, Lonzy and his fellow soldiers noticed an air raid by the German Air Force. Lonzy dove head first into a fox hole and was wounded by shrapnel in the legs. The medics who were treating his wounds found 47 pieces of shrapnel in his legs. He was taken prisoner January 21, 1944 by the German Army where at one point (Where his legs were drawing underneath him and couldn’t straighten them) he was told that if he didn’t walk, they would break his legs.
So, at that point he started walking. He was put on a train and was taken to Austria then to Germany, where he was eventualy paired with a German citizen because of his ability to farm, as a farmer. The German citizen told Pvt. Byrge that he shouldn’t drink the water because it was poison so he drank hard cider. The German was good to him because he told Lonzy that he was a veteran of WWI and was captured by the Americans and they were good to him. Lonzy was limited to small amounts of food so, he would go to the fields and find hens nests and gather eggs and eat them. Pvt. Lonzy Byrge was a prisoner in Stalag 7a in Moosburg, Germany for 16 months and was liberated by the American forces on July 12, 1945. Lonzy married Margie (Massengale) Byrge and they had two daughters; Nancy and Vicky. He retired from Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn, Ohio in 1982. He and Margie moved to Scott County after his retirement. Rev. Lonzy Byrge died March 17, 2011 and is buried in the Cecil Cemetery in Scott County, Tennessee.
Sgt. Glen J. Allen, US Air Corps POW in Germany
Glen J. Allen was born December 3, 1923 in Newcomb, Tennessee was the son of Millard and Essie (Marshall) Allen. During WWII, Sgt. Allen was sent to Europe with the US Air Force and a member of the crew of the 418th Bomb Squadron. From April 1944 through June 1944 flew 25 missions in hostile territory such as; Brunswick, Saarguemines, Berlin, Laon, Liege, Brussels, Paris and the French Coast on D-Day on June 6, 1944. Sgt. Allen was with a crew flying on the “Messie Bessie” which was the name of the air plane that he was assigned. On June 24, 1944 the crew was flying to a target in Rouen, France on another air craft called the Return Ticket. Eyewitness accounts of the incident state that at 11 :56 hours near Rouen, France. The number 3 engine was hit by
flack and caught fire and fell off the wing also, the right landing gear fell off. The pilot regained control and there were 4 to 6 parachutes were coming out. Of the ten man crew two were listed as KIA, three avoided capture and five were captured by the German Army. Sgt. Glen J. Allen was one of the five who were captured. He landed in a river and was captured while swimming to shore. He was taken to Stalag Luft 4, Gross Tychow. He remained there until he was liberated on June 8, 1945 by the American troops. Sgt. Allen was a highly decorated soldier and was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Theatre Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, Good Conduct Medal and the Air Medal with two Bronze Stars. After returning home he married Effie Hicks and they had three children; Shirley, Fred and Rebecca. Sgt. Allen lived and worked a farm on the Smith Creek community of Scott County and was a member of the American Legion Post 136 of Oneida, the Disabled American Veterans Association, the Oneida Masonic Lodge# 695 where he served as a mason and a shriner and was a former president of the Scott County Fair Association and retired as manager of the Scott County farmers Cooperative. Sgt. Glen J. Allen died on June 29, 2006 at the age of 82 and was buried at the Carson Memorial Cemetery in Oneida, Tennessee.
Pvt. Witmer Posey, German POW
Witmer Posey was the son of Lemuel and Ollie (Owens) Posey. He served in the European Theatre as a Private during WWII. Pvt. Posey was captured by the German forces on November 9, 1944 and was a prisoner at Stalag 6g in Rheinland, Prussia. He was released on July 9, 1945. He is buried in the Owens-Posey Cemetery in Scott County, Tennessee.
PFC, Joe Chambers, German POW
Joseph R. Chambers was born November 27, 1924 in Scott County, Tennessee and was the son of John and Kizzy (Adkins) Chambers. He was one of six siblings, his brothers were Arlie, Jay and James two sisters; Nella Burress and Emma Muse. Joe Chambers entered the US Army during WWII and had the rank of Private First Class when he was sent to Europe. He was wounded on December 16, 1944 and taken prisoner during the Battle of the Bulge, he was sent to Stalag 4b in Muhlburg, Germany. PFC, Chambers was one of 7,500 Americans who arrived in December of 1944. There were British,
Australian, French, and Russian prisoners in this POW Camp as well. They received harsh treatmentp over time many of them died. At one point there were as many as 20,000 prisoners in the encampment. On April 23, 1945 Stalag 4b was liberated by the Russian, Red Army. Although they had been liberated the Americans were still held as captives until June 6, 1945. PFC. Chambers, was awarded the Purple Heart with one Bronze Leaf Cluster, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Cammpaign Medal, four Bronze Service Stars, WWII Victory Medal, Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII, Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar and was a POW. After returning home Joe married Velma (Lloyd) Chambers and they had six children; Judy, Glenda, Diana, Barbara, Terrie and Sandra. He worked as a painter for the Union Carbide Company for over 32 years and became active in the Jakes Branch United Baptist Church, serving as a deacon for more than 50 years, Secretary, Teacher and the Sunday School Superintendent. He belonged to the Masonic Lodge #670
F&AM, the American Legion Post #136. He served on the Scott County Tax Equalization Board and was the president of the Coon Hunter’s Association.
PFC. Joseph R. Chambers died on September 11, 2009 and was buried at the Fairview Memorial Gardens in Scott County, Tennessee.