Nungesser, Fred

Fred Nungesser was born September 5, 1925 in Union City, N.J. He was the only child in his family; Fred’s father had served with the US Army Engineers in the First World War, and he went on to be a bus driver in north New Jersey, while Fred’s mother was a homemaker and embroiderer. Fred grew up there, doing all the normal things for a boy in north Jersey – attending Catholic school, playing stickball, and going to the movies and the Jersey shore. Fred also learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor in those years – the defining event for his generation. He was able to graduate from high school, and not long after the local draft board came calling; in short order Fred was off to Fort Dix, N.J., and then to Macon, Georgia, where boot camp took place at Camp Wheeler. Fort Meade, Maryland came next, and then it was on to Boston to board a victory ship for the journey to LeHavre, France. They arrived right at the start of 1945, while the Battle of the Bulge was ongoing. Fred was assigned to the 84th Infantry Division (334th Regiment, M Company), and he saw fighting with them as the Battle of the Bulge reached its conclusion.  He went on to advance with them into Germany, seeing action notably in the attack on Linnich and in the crossing of the Roer River.  They took one town after another as they advanced into Germany, until they came to the Rhine River, where they had to wait for engineers to construct bridges. The advance continued after that, and Fred remembers vividly so much of what he saw and experienced.  That includes coming upon the Elbe River, where Fred met the Russians and witnessed the chaos of German refugees escaping the advancing Red Army. He also saw one the concentration camps shortly after it had been liberated, making him a witness to the reality that had transpired. With the end of the war, Fred joined the occupation forces, where he was assigned to the 68th Constabulary Regiment and promoted to the rank of sergeant. He ended up being in Germany in that capacity until 1947. Back home, Fred put the war away for many years, working well into his 90s.  He saw someone at the VA at that time, and only then did he apply for and receive some of the benefits that he was due. Fred has gotten involved in veterans’ events late in life, travelling to Europe and Washington – and allowing himself to be recognized as one of the “Greatest Generation”. Fred Nugesser was interviewed by Scott Masters at his home in Brick, N.J in July 2026.