An Emotional Day with Dad

Today was special. We got to see some really important sites. Spoiler alert - if you aren't through about 2/3 of the book, you may want to check back on this blog post later.

The day started out going to La Villa, the site of a very difficult battle for my dad and his men. I've narrated the following videos to give you a feel for the battle sequence and locations.

Next we went to St. Jacob's Church, where my dad was trapped by the Nazis in the bell tower. Unfortunately, the church on the inside is only opened once every few weeks, but the outter courtyard is accessable. Again, I'll let the video narration tell the story.

You'll have to read the book to see how this drama unfolded. I found a small piece of glass that was missing from a window (no, I didn't break it) and was able to get my camera in to video a portion of the inside.

The wall next to the entry to the courtyard has an area with a very old plaster patch and two holes that seem to be from bullets. It's impossible to say for sure, but they look identical to the bullet holes in the wall of my mother's farm house where the Nazis executed a couple of prisoners. The first picture is a close up, and the second shows the relationship to the door to the courthouse where the Nazis opened opened up on my dad.

Here is an overview of the church from an overlooking hill. The entry to the courtyard where my dad took fire is in the front.

The visit to St. Jacob's Church was very special for me. It is unfortunate I couldn't get to go in the bell tower, but the stairs have been condemned. However, I am very grateful to have seen the inside through the broken glass, and the open courtyard. Later we went into town to try and get the name of the priest who saved my dad's life. Unfortunately, they didn't have records to show who would have been stationed in the church at that specific time.

The next stop was to try and find his headquarters, which was nothing but an old, but well situated, barn. All I know is that there was an old farm house down close to the road. The barn was up a hillside and close to the woods to facilitate a quick exit. The mountains were in back and there was an open access to them. Now keep in mind that Uletta only has ten buildings in the entire town. Based on what I know and what seems to fit, I found the farm house and barn.

Well, that's it for a very big day. We are both beat. We'll see y'all tomorrow!