Most students of American history know the story of the Bataan Death March during World War II, in the Philippines, but have probably never heard of the Shoe Leather Express, a forced march by American and British POWs in the European theater that took place in 1945. The march began on February 6 and lasted for 86 days and covered 600 miles. One of those POWs was Ackerman native, Joe Weaver. On Tuesday evening, September 10, Weaver’s daughter, Ellen Hartman, spoke to the American Legion Post 13, in Starkville, concerning her father’s experiences. Hartman is the owner of Hartman Public Relations, based in Atlanta, and she has over 30 years of experience in building strategic communications campaigns for some of the world’s most well-known brands.
More than 12M American soldiers served in World War II, and Weaver volunteered as did many thousands of others in an effort to preserve freedom for the entire world, not just the United States.
As a member of the Army Air Corp 9th Air Force, 386 Bomber Group and the 554 Bomb Squad, Weaver flew 50 combat missions over France, Belgium and Germany. Most of the crew members were only 10 to 20 years old, and the pilots were about 24 years old. Many of these crew members had never been near an airplane until they entered the military.
During his last mission, on August 6, 1944, enroute to Normandy, France, Weaver’s aircraft was struck by enemy fire from German fighter planes, and the pilot ordered all crew members to bail out; most had never had any training in how to properly use their parachutes, and one crew member died when his chute failed to open.
They were taken captive by the German forces and taken by train to Stalag Luft IV, in Poland near the Russian border. The train cars were standing room only and there were no provisions for food, water or hygiene. Stalag Luft IV was house 10K POWs under the command of the German Luftwaffe.
Life in the Stalag was very difficult, with 40 prisoners per barrack. There was little food, usually soup infested with maggots and black bread containing sawdust. Needless to say, the prisoners lost a great deal of weight.
At 5:00 a.m., on February 6, 1945, in -13 degree cold, the prisoners were forced to begin the march that would come to be known as the Shoe Leather Express. They were ill-clothed and used makeshift packs to carry the few belongings they had. There was no fresh water or food, and the prisoners often scrounged in the farm fields for the few
vegetables they could find. Sometimes there was shelter, but they often slept on the frozen ground.
Those who could not keep up and fell by the wayside were shot by the German guards. Along the way, Weaver slipped and broke his ankle and another prisoner saved his life by carrying him; at this point he only weighed 90 pounds. On May 2, 1945 the prisoners were liberated by British forces.
Weaver returned to Ackerman where he married Catherine Hill Weaver and raised a family. Like many veterans of war he suffered from symptoms of PTSD for a time, but those symptoms subsided. Hartman stated that her father became a man who hated to see anyone being mistreated.
In the end, Weaver is remembered as a hero, for his service to his country and mankind, and for the hardships he endured.
