World War II veteran from Minnesota reflects on return to POW camp in Poland
Over the past year, WCCO has shared stories about a 101-year-old World War II veteran from Bloomington.
We caught up with Les Schrenk on the beaches of Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day last summer in France. More recently, he got a chance to visit the former POW camp in Poland where he was held captive for 15 months.
WCCO talked with Schrenk about the emotions of returning to the place that nearly took his life.
"I heard the pilot call the navigator for the nearest land, and I knew we were going down," Schrenk said. "If he would have just kept on firing, I wouldn't be here."
During World War II, Schrenk's B-17 was shot down in Denmark. He is convinced that after that initial shot, the German pilot intentionally stopped firing, allowing his crew to reach land where they were able to parachute out of their B-17.
"He could have killed us any minute," Schrenk said.
Nearly 70 years later, he was able to meet Hans Herman Muller, the Luftwaffe Ace who shot his plane.
"I'm glad I did it, put it that way, because it turned out to be very enjoyable for me, meeting him," Schrenk said. "He seemed like an old friend right away."
That meeting also enabled Schrenk to open up about his war experience, something he hadn't done most of his life. He also tracked down what remained of his crew's B-17 in Denmark. More recently, Schrenk returned to the Polish camp, where the Germans kept him prisoner.
"The Gestapo would come, the SS, and chase you right out of the building, right into the middle of winter," Schrenk said.
He spent 15 months as a German captive, sometimes going 5 days without food.
"He was one of the most brutal guards you could imagine," Schrenk said.
And when food did come, it was a potato or clover soup, or rotten fish.
"You had two choices. You either ate it and got sick or you starved," he said. "One day at a time. I believe in prayer. I think that helped."
Les went from 185 pounds to about 90 pounds during his time as a POW. In March, he returned to the camp, more than 80 years after he was liberated, accompanied by honor flight volunteer Mike Johnson.
"The town made him a local celebrity, and they rolled out the red carpet for Les," Johnson said.
It was a big enough story that a Berlin television crew interviewed him.
Even though the years had changed the landscape, seeing the camp one last time gave Schrenk a sense of peace.
"They tell me the last prisoner that visited there was over 12 years ago," he said.
These trips to Europe allow Schrenk to connect with his past, whether it's driving a Jeep in Germany or flying over Utah Beach.
The war experience is not something he wishes on anyone. Schrenk chooses to live, knowing that each day is truly a gift.
"I think I'm very, very fortunate to be able to do it," he said.
This spring, an Eighth Air Force statue was unveiled in Normandy. Schrenk was honored at the ceremony.
