Life

as a

Prisoner of War

by

Wilbur Roesch

(1914 - 1994)


Wilbur and Vivian Roesch

Wilber Roesch served in the army in World War II as a staff officer for an Armored Field Artillery Battalion. He was taken prisoner in Europe. He was injured when captured and again when the hospital he was in was bombed. He was hospitalized as a prisoner of war for seven and one-half months and for two years in army hospitals after liberation. Wilber twice received the Purple Heart for injuries. Wilber rose to the rank of Captain during the war.

Wilbur grew up in the area of the Kansas / Nebraska state line and Falls City, Nebraska. He graduated from Midland College, Fremont, Nebraska and was a school teacher before WWII. After WWII he additionally graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Nebraska. He was a school teacher most of his life in the Falls City School System.

I wish to thank Dr. Bob Roesch (son of Wilbur Roesch) for allowing me to place this book online.

You may consider enlarging or adjusting the text size for each page; This is how I am able to do it, by selecting the 3 parallel bars in the top right corner and selecting zoom then +. or -.

Go to end of this web page for a list of Museum display Items

Please click Under-Lined items to select:

Table of Contents

Chapter Page

I Capture and Interrogation 1

II First Internment 13

III Pesarve Lazarett at Limburg 28

IV StalagXII-A at Limburg (Part 1) 46

IV StalagXII-A at Limburg - (Part 2) 58

V En Route Again - This Time Freising (Part 1) 71

V En Route Again - This Time Freising (Part 2) 84

VI Joys of Liberation 97



Events

Capture 1

Interrogation 4

All clothing taken 7

Bomb blast destroys Wilbur's barrack (1st time) 43-45

Cigarettes used as the medium of exchange 54

Bomb blast destroys Wilbur's barrack (2nd time) and buries him alive 59

Broken jaw set 64

Argued with the doctors 67

Issued clothing which was a British uniform 83-84

Length of time of toe drainage (shot off at capture) 85-86

Watched Munich being bombed from Freising hospital window 86

April 17, 1945 finished reading the Bible 88

Bombing of Freising while in Freising German prison hospital 88, 92

Bomb blast blew in windows of Wilbur's barrack (3rd barrack bombing) 92

Saw 3000 political prisoners forced marched by German SS Troops 94

Day of Liberation by American Army 96



Please click Under-Lined items to select:

Stalag XIIA Information Searches

Do a google or/and Youtube search for: wwii stalag XII-A Limburg To find information areas were Wilbur Roeash was held prisoner. You try it. Examples Below - please click on them:

http://www.indianamilitary.org › History Now look at pictures of Stalag XII-A


Stalag XIIA - The Pegasus Archive

https://www.pegasusarchive.org › pow

This article talks about the December 23rd, 1944 air raid attack where Wilbur Roesch was buried alive and injured by a bomb blast, many Americans died that night at Stalag XIIA.

Other Information

Stories about Edgar Roesch - Son of Henry Roesch, Sr. Brother of Wilbur Roesch

Life of Lena Roesch daughter of Henry and Mary (Zimmermann) Roesch by Owen Picton

Museum Items

I wish to thank Glenda (Roesch) Nelson (daughter of Wilbur Roesch) for providing this museum information.

Richardson County Historical Museum, 1401 Chase St, Falls City, NE, 68355 USA Phone:402-245-4407. One should call for times when open.

Museum Display of Roesch Kitchen clock:

Go to Museum Military Room (have following):

    • Wilbur Roesch Military Uniform and Boots

    • Wilbur Roesch pictures

    • Wilbur Roesch manual typewriter used to type this book

    • Copy of the book: Prisoner of War by Wilbur Roesch

Nebraska History Museum, 131 Centennial Mall N, Lincoln, NE, 68508 USA Phone:402-471-4782

On museum webpage, go to Menu, go to Collections Search, then go select Objects; then enter Roesch and hit search. Six Roesch items are listed, with 5 World War II items used by Wilbur Roesch of Falls City, Nebraska while a German prisoner of war. Click on each item for more detail. May need to phone and ask how to do this.

Richardson County Courthouse, 1700 Stone Street # 205, Falls City, NE, 68355 USA Phone:402-245-2911

    • German paper money from Wilbur Roesch

    • Gun shells from Wilbur Roesch

    • May be additional things from his brother Edgar Roesch


I wished to have copied the pages better but this is the best that I could do and still have it the most readable.


Owen Picton

541 S 16th ST, #116

Blair, Nebraska 68008

USA

ospicton@yahoo.com

(402) 944-2456 / (402) 426-5876 / Cell: (402) 658-7808

E-Mail to Owen Picton

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Last Modified: July 2022

© 1945-2021 Dr. Bob Roesch

This site designed and maintained by Owen Picton.