January 27, 1945: Master Sergeant Roderick W. Edmonds, U.S. Army, a 25-year-old native of South Knoxville, Tennessee, having been captured by the Nazis in the Battle of the Bulge, was held at the prisoner-of-war camp at Ziegeghain, in Germany's Rhineland.
A German commander gathered all the American POWs at the camp. Then, he ordered all Jewish soldiers among them to step forward. "Roddie" Edmonds, the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer at the camp, ordered all 1,000 U.S. soldiers to step forward, regardless of their religion.
The German commander demanded that Edmonds identify the Jewish soldiers. Edmonds replied, "We are all Jews here." The commander threatened to shoot him if he did not comply. Edmonds refused, saying, "If you shoot, you'll have to shoot us all."
It was a reverse of the scene in the 1960 film Spartacus, where the Roman commander Crassus, having surrounded Spartacus' army, offers a pardon if the men will identify Spartacus, living or dead. But this would mean a return to slavery, and they would rather die. So every surviving man responds by shouting "I'm Spartacus!"
None of the Jewish soldiers stepped forward -- and none of the Gentile soldiers stepped back in betrayal. All followed Edmonds' order.
The commander backed down.
Edmonds survived the war. He never told his family of the event at the POW camp. He was again recruited to service during the Korean War. After returning from Korea, he worked variously for The Knoxville Journal, and in sales related to mobile homes and cable television. He died in 1985, never having received any official recognition, citation or medal for his defense of the Jewish POWs.
His actions are credited with saving the lives of 200 Jewish soldiers. In 2015, he was posthumously given the title "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem. He was the first American soldier to receive the honor.
Edmonds' story is a reminder of the courage and compassion of those who stood up to the Nazis during World War II. He is a true hero, and his legacy should never be forgotten.
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January 27, 1945 was a Saturday. This was also the day that the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated -- or, rather, "liberated." I have a separate entry for that event.
Baseball and football were out of season. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. The NHL's entire "Original Six" were in action:
* The New York Rangers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
* The Montreal Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins, 11-3 at the Montreal Forum. Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, on his way to the NHL's 1st 50-goal season, scored his 34th, and had 2 assists. Dutch Hiller had 2 goals and an assist. Ray Getliffe had 2 goals. Elmer Lach had a goal and 4 assists.
* And the Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 5-1 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit.
And while England's Football Association had shut Football League and FA Cup competition down for the duration of the war, there was Football League South play. Arsenal beat Fulham, 8-3 at White Hart Lane in Middlesex. Stan Mortensen, on loan to Arsenal during the war, scored 4 goals.
Yes, The Arsenal used the ground of their arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, because their home, Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury, in North London was appropriated by the government for defense purposes. The London Government Act 1963 redrew the boundaries of the city of London (not to be confused with "The City of London") so that White Hart Lane was inside the city for the first time.
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