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James D. Gilles was born on June 2, 1924, and raised in Bangor, Wisconsin. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 1943 at the age of 18. By December 1944, he was serving as a Battery Clerk with the 590th Field Artillery Battalion of the 106th Infantry Division along the Siegfried Line in Belgium. When the Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, his unit was swiftly overrun by German forces.
Wounded by shrapnel in his back and ankle, Jim attempted to evade capture and reach American lines. He managed to rejoin the remnants of his unit near Saint Vith; however, with no ammunition left, the group was eventually forced to surrender. As a prisoner of war, Jim was taken to a German field hospital where a surgeon operated on his ankle, successfully avoiding amputation.
The months that followed were marked by extreme hardship. Jim was moved through four POW camps: Limburg, Hammelburg, Nuremberg, and Moosburg, and endured forced marches of hundreds of kilometers in brutal winter conditions. He suffered from malnutrition, illness, and a painful ankle wound that never fully healed during captivity. At times, transported in overcrowded, unmarked boxcars, he lived with the constant fear of being strafed by Allied aircraft or executed by retreating enemy forces.
On April 29, 1945, Jim was liberated at Moosburg, weighing just 98 pounds. He returned to the U.S. in June and later married Elaine Kleist in 1947.Together, they raised three children and enjoyed 73 years of marriage until Elaine’s passing in 2021. For most of his life, Jim rarely spoke of his wartime experiences. It was only in later years that his family began to understand the full scope of his sacrifice and survival.
His courage and endurance as a POW left a lasting impact—not only on his own life but also on those around him. Jim’s quiet strength, faith, and compassion have long contrasted with the cruelty he endured during the war. His devotion to family, generosity toward others, and deep appreciation for life’s simple joys continue to inspire everyone who knows him.
