Booth, Robert T.

2nd Lieutenant Robert T. Booth served in the United States (U.S.) Army during World War II (WW II). He received his commission on 3 June 1944 at the Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill. Booth was assigned to B Battery, 912th Field Artillery Battalion, 87th Infantry Division as a forward observer. He arrived in France in December 1944, and fought in the Saar Valley with the 347th Infantry Regiment, before the Battle of the Bulge. On 6 January 1945 he and a forward observation team were sent to provide artillery support for C Company, 345th Infantry Regiment in Bonnerue, Belgium. They held their position through two days of German attacks, earning Booth the Silver Star Medal for his actions. On 8 January 1945, he and his unit surrendered. Booth was transported to Stalag XIIA at Limburg, Germany, then to Stalag XIIIC at Hammelburg on 20 March 1945. On 27 March 1945 a 4th Armored Division task force attempted to liberate the Hammelburg Prisoner of War (POW) camp. Booth chose to escape the camp on foot during the confusion. He was recaptured and eventually marched to Stalag VIIA at Moosburg. On 29 April 1945, the camp was liberated. After Germany surrendered, he was flown to U.S. Army camps in France. On 31 May 1945 he boarded a ship to the U.S.