Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Army WWII POW Battle Of The Bulge

By Carol Bennett


When it comes to World War Two, most people have read or studied Hitler and the Holocaust in Germany. What many are unaware of is that there were over 350 active GIs taken hostage and held prisoner over the course of the war. One of the most well known of these is an Army WWII POW Battle Of The Bulge.

During the battle for the Belgian city of Bastogone, Bob would endure combat, captivity and slave labor before being liberated from the POW camp at the end of the war. The young GI, while sustaining minimal injuries compared to a number of other soldiers, came home fifty pounds lighter than when first joining the armed forces. At which time, Bob began a public speaking career about experiences including time as a POW which occurred during the war, inspiring future soldiers yet unborn.

Bob Max's story began in 1922 on the East Coast in the seaport state of New Jersey. Born in Newark and raised in Newark and South Orange, Bob won several medals for sprinting. In addition, as a teenager, Bob played in different teenage football leagues, often against local high school teams.

When World War II came to America, Bob enlisted in the Army. On October 26, 1942, the young soldier was placed in what has become known as the Super Sixth Armored Division under Major General Robert Grow. While under the command of Grow, the division fought under General Patton's command while in Lorraine, Brittany and Normandy.

Upon the launch of the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, Bob's division was removed from an attack in Saar and directed 90 degrees north to fight in Bastogone. While the fourth armored division had liberated most of the city, there remained a great deal of fighting before the city could be secured. As a result, the 6th and 9th or Super Sixth divisions moved in to take over the fighting at the beginning of 1945.

Bob did not realize the fate of becoming a POW at the hands of German soldiers until several months later. The story of Bob's capture is a rather long one but one the elder Bob Max will most likely never forget. For, with attempting to hide with other Americans in a nearby shack only to be rejected, a near escape from black hooded German soldiers with assault rifles, and flaming tanks, how could anyone really ever forget such an experience.

Like so many others, Bob attempted to talk with the German soldiers. When the German asked, why the Americans were fighting in the war, Bob explained it had become an American war. Then, the German soldier reached into his pants for what Bob thought was a gun, only to pull out a wallet and share family pictures. After which, the German told Bob that the family would be living in New York City the following year.

Amazed at the confidence displayed by the German solider that Hitler would succeed in winning not only the war but the world, Bob began to sense an attitude change in the German. At which time, the German instructed that Bob would be housed at a local POW camp rather than face artillery fire. Bob was still anxious through elated to know that there would be a chance to return home to America at the end of the war.




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