GERMAN-BORN HERO
DEEDS IN NEW GUINEA
SYDNEY, December 14
The heroism of a German-born American sergeant who established a salient between Buna mission and Buna village for a small party who held the area for more than a wecl? has now been revealed.
Sergeant Herman Bottcher, who was born at Landsberg, near Berlin, 30 years ago, led his men through coconut groves and swamps to a beach.
In desperate fighting, he was wounded several times. The Japanese made three attempts to smash the American party, but each time were repulsed with heavy losses.
Bottcher made a number of solo expeditions, silencing Japanese machineguns and destroying defensive works. He has been recommended for. a decoration and a commission.
From 1927 to 1929, Bottcher lived in Australia. Then he went to the United States and, at the outbreak of the Spanish war, joined the International Brigade as a private. He rose to the rank of captam. Enlistment in the International Brigade entailed the loss of his American citizenship rights, but Bottcher was able to return to San Francisco after the war. He still speaks with a German accent.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 144, 15 December 1942, Page 5
Word Count
186GERMAN-BORN HERO Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 144, 15 December 1942, Page 5
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