Update to Veterans Day POW section

[Editor’s Note: After the Nov. 11, 2020 issue of the Times Plain Dealer, staff was contacted by the daughter of former POW Robert Lanz. He had written of his experiences, some of which are presented here.]

After graduating from Cresco High School, Robert Lanz moved to Minneapolis with about $20 in his pocket. He shared a room with a friend at $2.50 per week each. He found work making pipe fittings for $20 per week but had to give the employment agency $2.00 for finding him the job.

The government had a program labeled as “pre-induction training,” where Lanz went to the Dunwoody Institute for a two-year course in radio repair training crammed into one year. After graduation, he was called to serve. He entered the U.S. Army on April 13, 1943 at Camp Dodge, Johnston, Iowa.

He was then sent to Fort Knox, Ky. for basic training. After that, he went to radio school.

“While I was at Ft. Knox, on weekends when we would get a pass, we went into Louisville, Ky. to have a good time,” Lanz wrote in a journal of his life. He met Dorothy “Dot” Fritz, and they dated a few times before he was shipped out. She agreed to correspond while he was in the service.

He went to Camp Kilmar, N.J. and then shipped out on Aug. 20, 1944 on the Queen Mary and cruised to England. There were over 16,000 troops on board.

They eventually went to Belgium where the 2nd Armored Infantry battalion was on the front line.

The soldiers remained back in the reserves, in buildings occupied by civilians. “One of the things the Germans had done to their radios was cut the dial cords so the only station they could listen to was the one the Germans broadcast propaganda on. Knowing what the problem was, they asked me to put the dial cords back. After doing this, they asked me how much they owed me.” He told them nothing, they came back with a small stemmed glass with schnapps. “After fixing a few radios, I was feeling pretty good,” he wrote.

The 2nd Infantry Battalion was fresh from the states, and the men were not prepared for the fighting that ensued during the Battle of the Bulge. Lanz was taken prisoner on Dec. 22, 1944. He and other soldiers were taken behind enemy lines, loaded into box cars and taken to Stalag 2A.

Lanz’ mother was notified by telegram that he was a Prisoner of War, and she notified Dot.

Americans welcomed the new prisoners with some food, water and a cigarette. “I remember the cigarette was a Chesterfield, and after taking one drag, I became dizzy and fell on the ground. For breakfast we got a cup of boiled water, for dinner we got a slice of German sausage and a slice of dark bread. If we had a Red Cross package, which was divided among four men, we could make coffee.” It also contained a K ration, a C ration and a pack of cigarettes. They used the cigarettes to barter with.

The men were allowed to shower. “Warm water was turned on for a very short time to get us wet and to apply soap, then turned on again to rinse off. Before entering, all clothes were removed and put in a pile, and when we came out, we picked out other clothes to put on, hoping we picked something that came close to fitting.”

The Allied armies were advancing, so the prisoners went on a march toward the Russian border. They would sleep in barns at night. They ended up at Stalag 2B. By that time, Lanz’s weight was down to 130. His usual weight was 165.

“One morning, we woke up, and the guards had all left. The Germans had retreated as the British Army advanced. The rule of war was that a prison camp became a military object after 24 hours. The British were a little slow getting there and had to stop for tea, so before they got trucks in there to take us out of there, the Germans started to shell the camp.” They were rescued on April 28, 1945.

The prisoners were finally taken to an air strip and boarded C47 planes and landed in England to board a ship to the United States. It took 30 days for the convoy of ships to make it across the Atlantic. “The greatest sight I have ever seen was The Statue of Liberty.”

On his 30-day leave, he came back to Cresco to visit his mother. He then hitch-hiked to Louisville to see his girl, then hitch-hiked back to Cresco.

He met up with some buddies, Leo Ptacek and Bill Reed, who were also on leave. At that time, Lanz wrote, the sale of liquor was controlled by the state of Iowa, and a liquor card had to be shown to make a purchase. “During the war, there was a limit on how much liquor could be purchased on each card. Each serviceman would apply when home and leave it with Bill’s dad (Leonard) at the [George Halsted/Leonard Reed Barbershop] when they went back to continue their service. To accommodate the servicemen, they only checked to see if the card presented had previously purchased the limit on known brands.”

The club the friends frequented was the Frontier Club. They were able to bring bottles in and purchase soft drinks. “After 10 days of partying, it was time for me to report to Hot Springs, Ark.,” Lanz recalled. It was during his time there that he learned the Japanese had surrendered.

He was discharged on Dec. 6, 1945 and boarded a train for Louisville. He stopped at a jewelry store and picked up an engagement ring for $25. He found work at the B&B Novelty Company and later purchased a neighborhood tavern. 

He and Dot had two children. He passed away on April 16, 2013.