Waldo Belden Pierce and the Forgotten POW Camp
By Amy Melissa Kirby | New Britain Historical Society Director at November 13, 2023 | 6:00 pm | Print
At 530 East Street a very old home stands quietly and nearly forgotten by history. That is, except for a plaque that proclaims the year the house was built – 1746. Some people also know the family that lives there, or have read literature or property records that the house is owned by the Pierce family, descendants of the ancient Belden family. So one might wonder, or even expect, that the oldest home in New Britain to be owned by its original family would yield great stories among its many generations. One need only speak with the three sons of the last generation to live and die in this home to get this answer. They will with pride and a hint of sorrow speak of their father, veteran of World War II and survivor of one of the worst POW camps suffered by American troops.
Waldo Belden Pierce lived his entire life in New Britain, a native son who was descended from the original families that settled the area that became New Britain. Ezra Belden (also spelled “Belding” in some records) built his house in 1746 at what is now 530 East Street, on a 60-acre tract of land that stretched from East Street to Elm Street. Ezra and his family were hard-working farmers and carpenters, as well as upstanding members of the community. And generations of Belden’s continued to occupy the original home, joined eventually by the Pierce family. It was Waldo Belden Pierce, the son of Alvan Pierce and Alice Belden, who would join the Army in World War II and live through the most extraordinary and horrendous experiences in his family and perhaps most veterans of the Greatest Generation.
Waldo Belden Pierce enlisted in 1942 and the following year, married his sweetheart Doris Archer. Pierce served in the newly-formed 106th “Golden Lions” Infantry division in Europe. As the war drew close to Allied victory late in 1944, Pierce found himself in the Rhineland Campaign, the ground war against the last and most desperate bastions of the German Army. Between September and December, Pierce’s and other units were beginning to dwindle due to casualties, while their foe was bolstered by volunteers who believed they were defending their homeland.
As the battles of this campaign raged on into December, Pierce and his fellow soldiers one day noticed an unusual and ominous sight – two commanding generals in the field giving orders. Perhaps they knew something was being planned. And perhaps they were worried that the 106th division was spread thin, covering more than 25 miles of front instead of the regulation 5 miles. This did indeed signify a significant and unexpected turn – a massive German assault that began a month-long battle known as the Battle of the Bulge. Pierce’s 106th division had the unfortunate honor of taking the brunt of the offensive, and were surrounded by the Germans, forcing entire American regiments to surrender, including that of Waldo Belden Pierce. This was the single greatest military defeat in U.S. history, so
After a four-day march back to German territory, Pierce and his fellow captives were crowded into railroad cars on December 21st, where they stayed another four days en route to a POW camp. Pierce recalls an allied air attack on the train; he and his fellow men hear the planes overhead, bombs falling around them and bullets penetrating the cars. Through the loosely-fitted roof slats they could see that the planes had American markings, the pilots of which had no idea that the train was carrying American POWs!
On December 26th, the train stopped at what was the final stop for many men, at a camp called Stalag 9B, near the town of Bad Orb. Like other death and work camps, the Nazi’s ironically created this camp near a small picturesque town (“Bad” translates to “Spa Town”). Research shows this is universally believed to be the nastiest of the German prison camps, with many suffering and dying due to overcrowding, unsanitary living conditions, and hunger throughout the course of the war. From the start, the German guards demanded that all Jewish G.I.s step forward, or all in the group would be shot. These and any others needed to fill work quotas were marched off to a new nightmare known as Borga. This was a secret work-camp, a last-minute attempt to win the war by making underground factories to produce rockets, jet aircraft, and synthetic fuels. Steven Hoggard’s documentary, Hitler’s G.I. Death Camp, gives three men’s accounts of Borga, beginning with a survivor declaring with tears in his eyes, “well, after this is all over, I know I am going to heaven, because I have already been to hell.” At the end, the survivors of this were in the midst of a death march when American tanks came upon them. It was not known if Pierce was sent to Borga, but his account at liberation appears to be back at Stalag 9B.
Not that remaining at Stalag 9B for the remainder of the war could be considered fortunate. Food was scarce and disease and lice were rampant, and prisoners were left to wonder if they would die there or be sent to Borga. Waldo Belden Pierce was given prisoner I.D. 26314 and housed in barrack 43A. Each barrack was allowed to democratically elect its own “leaders.” These military men would stick to rules and chain of command followed in the service, even this extreme situation. In Waldo Belden Pierce’s a man by the name of Ellington (prisoner I.D. 26508) was elected barracks leader, while G. W. Burke (prisoner I.D. 26703) was elected assistant barracks leader, and B. J. Giancola (prisoner I.D. 26795) elected clerk. Most men found it difficult, but Pierce managed to relay some accounts of life at Stalag 9B to his family. One is about a serviceman who broke into the kitchen to steal food; when he was caught by the German cook, he beat the cook severely with a hatchet out of fear of death and desperation for food. The next morning the Germans held all at gunpoint without food or water until they caught the serviceman. It was hours before the barracks leaders had all of the men show their clothes and the individual caught because of blood on his clothing. Because the German chef didn’t die, the prisoner was allowed to live and sentenced to fourteen years in a regular German prison. According to Pierce, towards the end of the war, the German captors began treating the prisoners better and even played games with them. This could be that they knew the end was near and they hoped to gain favor for better treatment in return by what would soon be their captors. By the end of the war, the prisoners were so weak from malnourishment that they couldn’t even show any excitement toward their liberators. Pierce recalled that the rescuers were given strict instructions not to give any food to the starving servicemen. But when they looked into their desperate faces, some could not help but give them whatever they had. The rush of nourishment caused some POW’s to fall dead on the spot. Pierce’s sons remember some details such as the fact that he weighed 88 pounds when liberated by the Allies and had to be hospitalized for 4 months before he could be discharged. There is one last story about the existence of a dollar bill that is signed by POW’s from this camp and still survives today belonging to one of the men’s grandchildren.
Doris often recalled the story of learning of her husband’s capture on December 23rd. Not knowing what had become of Waldo for over 3 months, she stayed vigilant, even though his father told her that he may never return. Finally, one day, the camp administrators let the POW’s write one piece of correspondence each, so Pierce of course sent a message to his wife. The postman called her at 7:30 in the morning, eager to tell Doris that he had a telegram from her husband.
When Waldo Belden Pierce returned to New Britain, he just seemed to want to go on with life and not dwell on what he had witnessed or been through. Together they would have three sons, Douglas James Pierce of Higganum, Norman Archer Pierce of South Glastonbury, and Thomas Alvan Pierce of Plainville. Pierce’s entire career of thirty eight years was spent at Stanley Tool Company from where he retired in 1975. He was an active member of the American Legion, Eddy Glover Post 6 where he was awarded Life Member Status as the post service officer for the Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines Fund in 1960. Active in POW-MIA organizations in Connecticut, he also volunteered his time in the civilian population as well by becoming a volunteer driver for the American Red Cross. Despite an ordeal that would haunt him, Waldo Belden Pierce most definitely lived up to the spirit of his family name and his community as a father, a husband, serviceman, and a veteran.
