Leonard Gaj: An American POW in Teplice
Among the lesser-known stories of World War II are those of American soldiers captured after the D-Day landings in Normandy. In June 1944, hundreds of American paratroopers who had jumped behind enemy lines on D-Day, ended up in German captivity. Surprisingly, many of them would later have unexpected connections to Czechoslovakia.
American POWs were sometimes forced into labor, including in the brown coal mines of the Sokolov, Most, and Teplice regions. It’s in this northern Bohemian area that one particular story stands out: the appearance of American prisoner Leonard Gaj in May 1945, near the end of the war.
Leonard Gaj currently lives in New York State and recently celebrated his 100th birthday. During World War II, he served in the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. On June 6, 1944, he took part in the historic D-Day invasion of Normandy.
Unfortunately, he sprained his ankle during the parachute landing and, along with several other injured soldiers, had to remain behind so as not to slow the group down. Three days after the invasion began, they were discovered by German troops and forced to surrender. From June 1944 until the war’s end, Gaj was held in several POW camps across France and Germany.
Throughout the fighting in Normandy and during his time as a prisoner, Leonard Gaj kept a diary—published here for the first time. His notes offer a unique look at daily life in captivity and include memories of his imprisonment and eventual liberation in Czechoslovakia. The entries are most detailed during the early days of combat and capture; toward the war’s end, they grow shorter due to lack of space. After the war, Gaj guarded the diary closely, finally donating it to a museum in 2023.
June 14
Spent most of the day washing clothes in cold water plus myself. Also took my first shave since I was captured. (someone had a razor blade I borrowed.) Felt wonderful to get clean again. Met some of my buddies and had quite a talk about our experiences. Found out that the beachhead was coming along fine thru rumors.
June 16
Stayed in camp today and loafed around. Wondered how worried Mom was about me. Wish I could word to Mom that I was alright.
June 21
Witnessed air battle and saw 4 German planes shot down. No allied planes were shot down. Saw our Bombers flying towards their mission, maybe Berlin.
June 27
American prisoners arrived here today. They said they walked 60 miles. Boy! They look beat up. Also heard they were strafed. 23 Americans killed and two Jerry guards.
July 6
Spent a very uncomfortable nite in the trucks. Arrived in Chartres, France this morning. Living conditions in this camp were filthy. Feel hungry.
July 9
Still locked up. Wish I could go outside for a few minutes. Men are getting sick and weak. Boy! The Nazis are heartless.
July 15
Talked most of the day with my buddies about the food we’re going to eat when we get home. Made our mouths water when we spoke about it. Yes sir, I really found what it means to be hungry and how important a piece of bread is.
August 10
Arrived in Limberg, Germany this morning. I feel very weak and dirty. Took a cold shower in camp and had all my clothes deloused. Was fed some stale bread and went to sleep tired and worn out.
August 26
Arrived in our new camp this morning. Stalag IVB near Mulberg, Germany. Took a shower in cold water and had clothes deloused. Camp looks very good in comparison to the other places I was held.
September 10
Several cases of diphtheria discovered in our barracks today. Means days of “Quarantine” Holy Smokes. What next.
December 25
Christmas day, feeling lonely and homesick. Talked with Bruce Hyland from Derby, NY about home and the things we would do. Ate some crackers I saved, as my Christmas dinner along with a cup of turnip soup.
February 13
We had a terrific bombing today. All of Dresden is in ruins. These people certainly took an awful beating. The windows in our barracks are all broken. Worked in town picking up dead bodies and putting them on carts. It was a terrible sight and the smell of death is hard to describe. Walking thru a park there were dead bodies hanging from trees blown there by the concussion of bombs. Was hit by the butt of a rifle by a German Officer.
February 15
Ran out of space in Diary. Couldn’t find anymore writing material. Will finish when and if I get home.
Leonard Gaj
Leonard Gaj shared with us the events that unfolded in the final months of the war during our interview. For a time, he was stationed in Dresden, where he and other POWs were sent to search for bodies in the aftermath of the devastating air raids.
“I remember finding entire families dead, some still sitting upright. I didn’t know if they’d burned alive or what exactly had happened to them,” he recalled. “Many people died in basements where the oxygen ran out because of the bombing.” Reportedly, those basements remained hot for a full week after the city’s destruction.
From the end of February until early May 1945, not much changed. The prisoners waited, knowing from newly arrived captives that the war’s end was near. Eventually, they began to hear distant artillery fire. Then, the German guards ordered them on a long march toward the Czechoslovak border. After several gruelling days on foot, they crossed the Ore Mountains and passed through Cínovec into the Teplice region.
“Suddenly, Soviet forces opened fire on us. When we looked around, we realized our guards had vanished. Two of us noticed a house on the other side of the road and we ran for it, afraid the Russians might start shelling the area. They shot at us while we crossed the road, but thankfully missed,” Gaj recounted. Inside the house, they found a young, terrified German soldier in full combat gear. “I told him if he wanted to survive the Russians, he’d better take off his uniform. He was just a scared kid—maybe twelve or thirteen.” Eventually, Soviet troops arrived at the house.
Thanks to his Polish heritage, Gaj spoke fluent Polish. “They asked me to go out and greet the Soviets,” he said. “I explained we were American POWs. They treated us well—gave us canned meat and told us they had to keep moving, but we could stay there.” They remained in the village—whose name the now 100-year-old veteran no longer remembers—for several days, recovering from the march and tending to their blistered, aching feet.
“One day, an American military truck arrived with a lieutenant and some soldiers. They had been sent out specifically to search for missing American prisoners in the small villages.” Gaj and several others were taken across the demarcation line into the American zone. From there, they were transported to the nearest airfield, where C-47 transport planes—nicknamed Dakotas—were waiting to fly them to France.
“After receiving medical care in France, they sent me home,” Gaj said. “When I arrived, my mother was waiting for me—with a chocolate cake.” He had spent nearly a year in Nazi prison camps.
After the war, Leonard Gaj settled in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, where I found and visited him in September 2023. To this day, he still suffers from post-traumatic stress—haunted by nightmares and recurring memories of his wartime experience.
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