Cpl. Stanley Maletz Army record was lost in a fire in 1973.
Camp Pickett had a huge medical training unit so this is where he received his medic training.
He arrived in England on 9th of November 1943 for more training manoeuvres preparing for D Day. He landed in Normandy during the D-Day invasion on the 6th of June 1944 in the 9th wave on Omaha Beach.
In looking for what division he was with I asked the historian Stuart Robertson on the Battle Bus Tour in Normandy. Since dad was in Virginia and landed 9th wave in all probability he was with the end of the 116th Regiment, 29th division (from the Virginia, Maryland area) landing on dog red, white or green near Vierville, France. His later unit 634th Anti Artillery Aircraft division under General Omar Bradley did not land in Normandy until a few days afterwards. The 116th fought in the Battle of Normandy until November 1944.
During this time he must have been re-assigned to the 634th AAA Battalion under General Courtney Hodges. He was there for the liberation of Paris for he remembers celebrating under the Eiffel Tower.
Reading now from his diary, they fought through to St. Vith, Belgium. On 16th of December 1944, his 634th Battalion was about to be relieved for rest and relaxation (R&R) but they were assigned to assist the 106th Division near Bierolf, Belgium.
The 106th division was attacked by the Germans near Schonberg on the Schee Eiffel ridge. This was the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge. They fought on the 17th when the 422nd and 423th Battalions were surrounded and had to surrender. A group of 400 were reorganized by the 2nd Battalion ex officer Maj Albert A Quellette in the woods which had been the 2nd Battalion's assembly area.
This group attempted to move SW the following day, but were too surrounded. After destroying weapons and equipment Quellette's people surrendered on the morning of 21 December according to The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge by Hugh M Cole
Stanley was reported missing in action. The Germans marched the POWs east to Prum, Germany, then got on a train in a filthy boxcar. They walked again to Muttberg and got in another boxcar for 2 days. They arrived at Stalag 4B on New Years Eve.
He met some Polish prisoners since he could speak fluent Polish. These prisoners were captured during the revolt in the Warsaw ghetto. They treated him with food, cigarettes and Polish singing.
Since 4B was overcrowded, he was then on his way by boxcar again to Gorlitz on 13th of January 1945. He stayed in a POW camp Stalag 8A which was very close to Auschwitz concentration camp. In his diary he says "the stench from Auschwitz was foreboding".
He left on a forced march on 14th of February1945, west again through Germany for 2 months until they were liberated on 13th of April 1945 in Horsingen, Germany.
Upon release he was wearing a blanket, weighed 86 pounds and was sick with dysentery. He was in Camp Lucky Strike near Valery, France when he blacked out and woke up in a hospital.
He was diagnosed with malnutrition, gastro-enteritis, diarrhea and dysentery. In May he was ready to leave for the states when he had an attack of appendicitis and had it removed in the army hospital in Rouen. On 10th of June 1945 he went to La Harve and left for the USA on the SS Wakefield a hospital ship to Boston, arriving back in the US on 16th June 1945. He was discharged from the Army 18th of Nov 1945 weighing 145 pounds.
Stanley received the European, African, Middle Eastern Medal, Good Conduct Medal and the Victory Medal. In 2003 the POW Medal posthumously.
