When they were across the engine started like nothing happened.
Luckily they turned off the engine and extinguished the fire. Willy could only think, I can't swim and what a way to die. Within a few days they were crossing the Rhine on a raft for operation Nordwind and half way across the Panther caught fire. This all happened on his 19th birthday, January 18, 1945. He asked where his mother was and she had left Nuremberg as their house had no roof anymore and was staying with relatives just down the road. His father Oberst Joseph "Sepp" Wagner came out and saw Willy, calling him by his nickname :Bee Bee as he was the youngest of three sons. As they drove down the road it caused quite a stir in the Kampfgruppe as they did not expect any tanks in their area. They happened upon a sign "Kampfgruppe Wagner" and Willy asked if they could see if it was his father's unit. Willy had just finished repairing his Panther Tank and they took it on a test run.
John, Willy was in Alsace and told me two stories:
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