Robert "Bob" J. Piller World War II Interview

Robert "Bob" J. Piller World War II Interview

World War, 1939-1945 -- United States.

United States -- History, Military.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Veterans -- Interviews.

United States. Army.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Belgium -- Bastogne.

Robert J. “Bob” Piller was drafted into the United States Army (395th Infantry Regiment) in 1943. He was discharged in 1945. Interviewed by Brian Grubbs on October 5, 2006, Piller talked about his experiences during the Second World War. Piller was born on November 19, 1924, in Great Bend, Kansas. Following high school graduation in 1942, he went to Notre Dame before transferring to the University of Kansas. Upon being drafted into the Army in 1943, he went to basic training at Camp Maxey in Paris, Texas. After basics, he went to Europe. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium and the German attack at the Danube River on April 27, 1945. Piller received two Bronze Stars for his service. After the war, Piller went back to KU to complete his degree. He passed away on October 7, 2010.

Piller, Robert J. “Bob”

Kansas Veterans of World War II Oral History Project / Lawrence Remembers: The World War II Years Project

Lawrence Public Library (Lawrence, Kan.)

2006-10-05

Grubbs, Brian

Kansas State Historical Society

The original copy of this video is available through the Lawrence Public Library. The Watkins Museum of History and the Kansas State Historical Society also have interviews associated with this project, which was funded through a grant program passed by the Kansas State Legislature in 2005. Researchers are responsible for obtaining any necessary permissions for uses other than educational or scholarly research. Contact the Watkins Museum of History for additional information: https://www.watkinsmuseum.org/

To access the video recording of this oral history, go to: https://archive.org/details/piller-robert-wwii-interview

Obituary: https://www2.ljworld.com/life-events/obituaries/2010/nov/15/robert-piller/

The Watkins Museum of History also holds items related to this collection.

Transcripts for this project are available through the Kansas Memory Digital Collection: https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/211746

Other resources for interviews with World War II veterans are available through the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project: https://www.loc.gov/vets/vets-home.htm

MP4

eng

Oral History

Piller_Robert WWII Interview

Belgium

1943 - 1945

Grubbs, Brian

Piller, Robert J. “Bob”

Douglas County (Kan.)

VHS

1:46:35

127 kbit/s (audio)

1623 kbit/s (video)