Oral History Project World War II Years, 1941-1946 - Ray Winter

Ray Winter was born 15 March 1918 in Watkins, Minnesota, one of six children. He attended country school, and then Maple Lake High School. In 1941 Ray was drafted into the US Army, and by 1944 he was serving in eastern Belgium with the 106th Infantry Division, as a scout. The Germans launched a large scale attack on this area on 16 December 1944. Three days later, on 19 December, Ray was among the thousands of US troops captured by the advancing Germans. As a POW, Ray spent a short time at Camp IV-B, Muhlberg, then was sent on a work detail to the city of Leipzig, where he remained until liberated. Conditions were poor. Following liberation in April 1945, Ray was flown to England by American forces, then transported by ship back to the United States. He was discharged later in 1945 with the rank of corporal. Again a civilian, Ray returned to Maple Lake, got married in 1946 (wife Catherine), and worked as an ice cream driver until his retirement in 1980