Adam Thadious Klosowski
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Air Force
Adam Thadious Klosowski of Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota enlisted in the Army Air Corps on June 29, 1943.
He served as a Technical Sergeant and a waist gunner on B-17 bombers with the 486th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, stationed in England.
On October 5, 1944, on his crew's 15th mission the plane was shot down by anti-aircraft fire on a bombing run to Muster, German, and he was captured by German forces.
He was held in several POW camps, before escaping on April 13, 1945, with one other man during a forced march. After evading capture for 12 days, they encountered British troops and were safe shortly before the war in Europe ended. He was honorable discharged on November 2, 1945.
Of his experience as a POW, Klosowski says, "The barracks were built on posts three feet high so prisoners couldn’t escape and guard dogs could go under them. At night there were roving guards with dogs to catch anyone that tried to escape. Nobody escaped." "Each morning we got warm water to make coffee – Nescafe. Sometimes we got coffee ‘brew’ made from toasted rye or barley. About noon we got our daily ration. It varied daily. On some days we got two medium-sized boiled potatoes, sometimes with salt added, or cooked soybeans (they were very wormy) and a trace of ox meat. At first I’d throw the worms out. Then I thought, ‘Wait a minute, why should I throw them out?’ They were cooked in those beans. Might as well eat them, too. There’s a lot of protein in a worm." "We weren’t physically mistreated or beaten, but we didn’t get enough food. The depression was horrible. Some of the guys were in there for more than two years."
The following is from Mr. Klosowski's obituary:
March 1, 2013 marked the end of 92 years and a great life for Adam Thadious Klosowski. Adam was a child of the Great Depression and a member of the Greatest Generation that went to war in 1941.
He attended Cherry Grove Elementary and completed eight years of schooling by passing his 8th grade state examinations upon completing seventh grade. He worked on his family farm and supported himself by trapping, hunting, and fishing. Adam later moved to Chicago where he drove taxi cab.
He enlisted in the US Army after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Following training in the States, Adam was accepted into the Army Air Corps. While stationed in Sudbury, England with the Eighth Air Force, 486th Bomber Group, he flew as a waist gunner on 16 missions before his B-17 bomber was shot down over Munster, Germany.
He was taken prisoner by the Germans and held as a POW in Stalag Luft IV for four months. Later he was forced to march toward the Western Front on the “Black Hunger March” in the midst of winter. He and a buddy escaped from the March and, after surviving two weeks of walking on their own and hiding, they finally ran into English troops on April 25, 1945.
Adam married his childhood sweetheart, Irene Magdziarz, on August 18, 1945. The two settled in Duluth where Adam worked for the DMI Railroad and US Steel. In 1947, he and Irene purchased a dairy farm in Sturgeon Lake where they would spend the rest of their lives. Adam subsidized their income by working road construction, as well as holding the position of township assessor; later he became Pine County Assessor.
Adam wrote B-17 Gunner a WWII Autobiography, and was active in speaking about his war experiences to civic groups and schools. He was fortunate to attend many reunions of the 486th and annual EX-POW conventions. In 2010, the St. Cloud Area Honor Flight Association selected Adam to visit Washington D.C. and the WWII Memorial.
Always curious, Adam loved traveling. He and Irene visited most of the U.S. as well as countries abroad. He delighted in and was proud of his family. A true naturalist, Adam enjoyed the outdoors; through his appreciation and knowledge of it, he taught others to do the same. His sense of humor was legendary and he was a superb story teller. Adam was the youngest of nine children born to Rozalia (Tozeweski) and Severin Klosowski, both Polish immigrants. He was born on November 4, 1920 at their home in Sturgeon Lake Township. He died at his home one-half mile from his birthplace.
He was preceded in death by all of his siblings, his son Kenneth, and his beloved wife of 62 years, Irene.
Adam will be sadly missed by his daughters, Mary Ann Novak (Gary), Carol LaPointe (Paul), Karen Hankes (Joe), and Jean Klosowski (Ken Swanson), 13 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and all those who enjoyed the blessings of knowing him. Special thanks to Mercy Home Health Care, Visionary Care, and Essentia Health St. Mary’s Hospice.
Visitation will be Sunday, March 10, from 3 to 5 PM with a Rosary Service at 5 PM in St. Isidore’s Catholic Church, Sturgeon Lake and will continue Monday, March 11 from 10 AM until the 11 AM Mass of Christian Burial at the church. Spring Interment will take place in St. Isidore’s Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to St. Isidore’s or St. Mary’s Catholic Church or St. Cloud Honor Flight. To sign the guestbook online, go to: www.hhkfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are with Hamlin-Hansen-Kosloski Funeral Home, Moose Lake
