U.S. Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds of Tennessee was taken prisoner by Germany during the Battle of the Bulge. When Jewish POWs were told to line up for extermination, Edmonds ordered all his men to fallout. Though the German officer threatened him with a pistol, Edmonds declared, “We are all Jews. According to the Geneva Convention, we only have to give our name, rank, and serial number. If you shoot me, you will have to shoot all of us, and after the war you will be tried for war crimes.” The officer turned around and left. While the U.S. failed to end WW2 sooner or admit those fleeing Nazi persecution, history shows some courageous Americans spoke out and saved lives. Read about a German Jewish family who tries to escape to the U.S. in the novel One Person’s Loss. Learn more about the book in NOVELS.
Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds thwarted German efforts to exterminate Jewish POWS
Berlin, 1937. Jewish newlyweds flee Germany for Brooklyn before the Nazi slaughter begins
