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"The thought of ever becoming a prisoner of war had never previously entered my mind." (Diary)

   Aben S. Caplan
Image of Aben S. Caplan
War: World War II, 1939-1946
Branch: Army
Unit: 3rd Infantry Division, 15th Infantry, 3rd Battalion, Company I
Service Location: Italy; France; Germany
Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
POW: Yes
Place of Birth: Chicago, IL
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When infantryman Aben Caplan was taken prisoner on the German side of the Rhine in January 1945, he was lucky in that he spoke German and could communicate with his captors. What he didn't want to tell them, however, was that he was Jewish. Caplan found other Jews among the prisoner population, and in one of the many camps in which they lived, they were even able to hold religious services. His stories are vividly told in a series of letters he wrote to his wife and son in the last two months of the war, many of the details culled from a coded diary he kept.

 Memoirs
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 Personal Correspondence
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 Other Materials
»View List (7 items)
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»POWs in Germany
»Jewish Veterans of WW II
 Memoirs (3 items)
Manuscript diary. Typed copy of original POW diary in letter form. Maison Rouge.
  
 Personal Correspondence (2 items)
Postcard from POW camp to "Most Gorgeous Twosome" [April 8, 1945]. Telegram to Mrs. Sophie Caplan [May 12, 1945] 
  
 Other Materials (7 items)
List of telegrams, letters, P.O.W. items Telegram to Mrs. Sophie G. Caplan [Dec 1, 1944]. Telegram to Mrs. Sophie Caplan [February 16, 1945]
To Mrs. Sophie Caplan [February 18, 1945] Telegram to Mrs. Sophie Caplan [March 20, 1945]. Telegram to Mrs. Sophie Caplan [May 7(?), 1945].
Artifact, POW tag.  
  
 
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  May 29, 2007
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