Burns man recalls time as POW
Staff writer/photographer
Flag waving is a tradition for Gene Obee of Burns. Obee understands freedom. During World War II, he was taken by the Germans and became a prisoner of war. Obee's patriotism runs deep and so does his love for his country.
Obee graduated from Burns High School in 1943. At that time, the war was underway in Europe. The U.S. government issued 200,000 tests to young men wanting to go into Army or Navy specialized programs. Obee, 17, and fresh out of high school, wanted to see the world so he enlisted in the Army.
After four months of intensive schooling at the University of Kansas, the government programs were disbanded and all the men in those programs, including Obee, were put into basic infantry training. On completion, they were shipped overseas.
The troops had a short stay in England before crossing the English Channel. Once in Europe, they made their way overland by truck to the fighting in the dense forests of Belgium.
Before heading to the front, Obee was able to see his brother, Fred, who was already in Europe. "My brother had been drafted and hadn't seen anyone from back home in a long time," he said. "Somehow he got permission to come and see me. It was quite a reunion. I'll never forget it."
Obee was a part of Company D, 393rd Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division. His division was well trained but inexperienced. Once they moved to the front, their job was to replace a division of seasoned soldiers.
On the morning on Dec. 16, 1944, the 99th Division were holding its position deep in the forests of Belgium. The Germans were making one last effort to overrun the U.S. troops. A dense layer of fog rolled in and soon it was impossible for the ground troops to receive air support in the battle.
The Germans knew that without air support they could spread the U.S. troops, making an attack easier and more successful.
At 5:30 a.m. Dec. 18, the Germans launched a fierce artillery attack throughout the region. The U.S. troops were ordered to hold their positions.
"It was cold, snowy, and muddy. Throughout the night before we were captured, the Germans were so close we could hear them giving orders, just waiting for the sun to come up. I was captured with a few of the men from my company," said Obee. "We were in absolute shock for two or three days. It wasn't supposed to happen that way. We were trained to be soldiers. We weren't supposed to get captured. Mr. Hitler threw a big monkey wrench into the American plans."
After being taken prisoner, Obee remembers a train ride that crossed the Rhine river. Then the marching started. Prisoners were marched all day long for days on end in the snow and cold. They were forced to give up their overshoes, overcoats, and warm caps.
"I had the same pair of socks on my feet for four months," Obee said.
The march soon took its toll on Obee and many of the POWs. He suffered first from frost bite, and then a frozen foot.
The march was interrupted once by a five-day stint in a box car only half the size of an American box car. Obee remembers being given a tin of cheese and half a loaf of dark bread which was to last him for the whole trip.
The POWs were given 30 minutes a day to get out of the box car, stretch, move around, and get a drink of water.
At night the box cars were parked in a freight yard. Also on the train were anti-aircraft machine guns.
"The reason the Germans parked us in the freight yards is they wanted the American fighter planes to shoot at the anti-aircraft guns and kill their fellow Americans in the process," said Obee. "We were lucky. We were only strafed once. One night a German soldier heckled a fighter plane enough that it shot back, hitting the car next to mine."
Obee recalls doing lots of marching and never staying in one place for very long. When the POWs were marched through villages, the local people stood outside of the shops and homes to watch the prisoners go by.
"We learned to take care of ourselves," he said. "We formed relationships like a buddy system."
"We never thought about next week. We only considered the next day. The conditions were so harsh and the food was horrible. We had basic fare of turnip soup. At Christmas time we got a small potato in our soup. That was really special," he recalled.
Obee worked on a railroad detail for a short time, but became too weak to load ties, so he was removed from that job.
Stalag 4B was Obee's next stop. During his stay he was allowed to send two post cards home. He sent one to his parents and one to a girl he was seeing before he left Burns. Obee found out later both of his cards reached home, and his family knew he was alive.
While many of the guards were decent to the prisoners, Obee remembers one that was referred to as "little Hitler."
"He was fanatical right down to his Hitler-like monocle," he said.
The guards played mind games with the prisoners. The combination of too little food, horrible weather and living conditions, and the mental abuse took their toll on Obee and other prisoners.
"I was luckier than most. I was small so I didn't require as much food. I didn't smoke and I was blessed with the ability to sleep. Finally though, my foot got so bad, I just didn't care anymore. We didn't have any bandages, so they wrapped my foot in crepe paper."
Obee acquired a bad case of dysentery, probably from chewing on a turnip peel he took from the garbage. But that case of dysentery likely saved his life. He was taken to an aid station and vaguely remembers a passenger train ride deep in eastern Germany.
He ended up at a work camp where conditions were much better. The weather was improving and he was able to get stronger. It was from this camp that he was liberated.
A German guard told them one night that the American troops were coming. He locked the door and disappeared into the forest.
"Somebody broke the lock on the door the next morning," Obee said. "We were scared to go out into the street, but we finally did. American soldiers, not knowing who we were, detained us. But soon we realized it was true — we were liberated! It was April 15, 1945.
Obee was sent to a field hospital where he learned his foot was only days away from developing gangrene. He was sent to several field hospitals and then shipped to the states. The voyage home was on a big ship that Obee remembers as having beautiful state rooms and white linen tablecloths on the table.
Obee arrived in Charleston, S.C., and it was there that he got terrible news.
"I got the worst shock of my life," he said. "My younger brother, Hugh, who had only been in action for about two weeks, had been killed. The news really hit me hard."
"I'm not bitter toward the Germans, but the Japanese are a whole other story. Their attack [on Pearl Harbor] drew this country into the war," he said.
"I love Harry Truman for dropping the bomb. I'm not a Democrat, but he's my guy. He saved plenty of lives on all sides. The bomb was terrible, but it needed to be done."
Obee has been reunited with some veterans from his division at reunions. He thinks its a good way to help deal with the past.
Obee now lives a semi-quiet life in Burns. He misses his wife Marie, who died in 1990. He spends time with his family. His daughter Cheryl Smith and her husband Stan live at Emporia, and his son Don at Cottonwood Falls.
He spends time with the exercise group in Burns and helps friends by driving them to appointments and activities. He also loves spending time with his grandchildren.
Obee is proud of his part of the war effort. "I wouldn't want to go through it again. I sure wouldn't want my kids or my grandkids to go through it, but I wouldn't take a million dollars for my experiences, if that makes any sense."
