NEWS of the BOYS in the SERVICE.
Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Budde have received word that their son, Lieut. Rollo Budde, is now stationed in the Belfast area in Ireland.
Source: LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel, March 21, 1944
ROLLO BUDDE IS MISSING
Reported Lost In Action Over France During Invasion
First Lieutenant Rollo L. Budde, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Budde, of this city, has been reported missing in action over France, according to a telegram received by his parents Tuesday evening, from the war department.
According to information gathered by his parents and friends, he had just completed his 18th mission and was fighting in the aerial invasion of Europe.
Lieut. Budde is a bombardier in the army air corps and entered the service on November 14, 1942. His promotion as first lieutenant apparently came just recently, as since the invasion of Europe his parents received three letters from him and all carried a return address of “second lieutenant.” The telegram from the war department referred to him as “first lieutenant.”
A letter received about a week ago, dated June 7, sated that he had completed his 14th mission over France.
Another letter dated June 13, received Monday, stated he was okay and feeling fine. He was reported missing since June 14.
Mr. and Mrs. Budde received his air medal Sunday. They also learned that he was a bombardier in a lead bomber which carried two bombardiers with the crew. This lead ship locates the target and drops flares to light up the area to be bombed.
Source: LeMars Globe-Post, June 29, 1944 (photo included)
LIEUT. ROLLO BUDDE GERMAN WAR PRISONER HIS PARENTS ARE INFORMED
Was Shot Down Over France During Invasion Operation
Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Budde were notified Tuesday that their son, Lieut. Rollo Budde, reported three weeks earlier as missing in action over France, was a German war prisoner.
Ordinarily such information would not be counted good news but in this case it was joyfully received as his parents feared he might have been killed or seriously wounded when shot down in combat.
The telegram from the adjutant general’s office in Washington said:
“Report just received through International Red Cross states that your son, First Lieut. Rollo L. Budde, is a prisoner of war of the German government. Letter of information follows from provost marshal general.”
Lieut. Budde was inducted into the air corps Nov. 14, 1942, and received his commission and wings June 24, 1943. He trained on half a dozen different fields and left for Ireland, January 7, 1944, and from there transferred to an English base.
His bomber which participated in the D-day air operations was reported shot down June 14. A letter he wrote the day previous indicated he had been on 18 missions, three of them after the invasion of Normandy began.
Source: LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel, July 21, 1944
Our Neighbors in the Service.
LeMars - Lieut. Rollo Budde, son of Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Budde, is a German prisoner. He formerly was reported missing in action and his parents fearer he might have been killed or seriously wounded when shot down in combat. His bomber, which participated in the D-day air operations, was reported shot down June 14. He had previously written a letter which indicated he had been on 18 missions, three of them after the invasion of Normandy began.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, July 26, 1944
NEWS of the BOYS in the SERVICE.
R. L. Budde, of LeMars, received a letter Thursday from the War Department at Washington D.C., confirming the telegram he previously received saying is son, First Lieut. Rollo Budde, was a prisoner of war. The letter was signed by Col. Howard F. Breese, assistant director of the prisoner of war division and said no information as to the place of internment was available and it would probably be from one to three months time before the information could be obtained.
Source: LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel, Friday, July 28, 1944
NEWS REPORT ERRONEOUS ABOUT ROLLO L. BUDDE
An Associated Press release from Washington D.C., Wednesday morning stated that the War Department announced the names of 22 Iowans reported missing action, including 10 in the European area, 11 in the Mediterranean and one in the Southwest Pacific.
The report went on to state that two others, previously reported missing, now are listed as killed. They were First Lt. Rollo L. Budde, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Budde, of LeMars, and Pfc. Paul H. Fulk, of Clarinda.
Sometime ago Mr. and Mrs. Budde received a wire and later a confirmation that their son was a prisoner of Germany and up until this press release, no further word was received here.
After the story appeared in the daily papers, much concern was felt here about Lt. Budde. Mrs. O. D. Hart, Red Cross representative in LeMars, checked with the Des Moines Register. That paper checked with Washington and found out that the report was false. Pfc. Fulk is listed as killed, but Lieut. Budde is still a war prisoner in Germany.
Source: LeMars Globe-Post, August 10, 1944
RAY BUDDE’S HEAR FROM OFFICER WHO SAW SON IN GERMAN HOSPITAL
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Budde have received a post card from Lieut. Wallace Emmert, U.S. Army, now a patient in Torney General Hospital, Palm Springs, Fla., informing them that he saw their son, Lieut. Rollo Budde, in a German hospital, where he was undergoing treatment as a prisoner of war for a broken leg.
He wrote that the left Lt. Budde “in good spirits and in quite good health. His broken leg is nearly healed now, so he should be going to camp soon. Do not worry, because the Red Cross is doing a good job feeding and clothing the fellows over there.”
Lt. Emmert does not say how he got to an American Army hospital when a month ago he was in a German hospital. It can be guessed that he was one of the more severely wounded prisoners, unfit for further combat service, who are occasionally exchanged between warring countries.
Mr. and Mrs. Budde treasure the card they received from Lt. Emmert because it is the first direct word they have received from their son since the plane on which he was a bombardier was shot down over Germany.
Source: LeMars Globe-Post, October 12, 1944
Lt. Rollo Budde In United States
Has Been In German War Prison
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Budde received two messages Wednesday relative to their son, Lieut. Rollo Budde, who was released from a German prison camp after surrender in Germany. The first message was direct from Lieut. Budde and said, “Arrived safely, expect to see you soon. Don’t attempt to contact or write me. Love, Rollo.”
The second message from the War Department was signed by the adjutant general and said: “The chief of staff of the Army directs me to notify you your son, Lieut. Rollo Budde, has arrived in the United States.”
Source: LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel, June 1, 1945
NEWS of the Boys in the Service
Lt. Rollo Budde, who is enjoying a leave in LeMars with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Budde, after his recent release from a German prison camp, left Monday morning for Denver, Colo., where he will spend some time visiting friends.
Source: LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel, June 12, 1945
Lieut. Rollo Budde In Miami Beach For Reassignment
First Lt. Rollo L. Budde of LeMars has arrived at Army Air Forces Redistribution Station No. 2 in Miami Beach, Florida, for reassignment processing after completing a tour of duty outside the continental United States.
Medical examinations and classification interviews at this pioneer redistribution station, operated by the AFF Personnel Distribution Command for AAF officers and enlisted men, determine his new assignment.
In the words of Col. Ralph Rhudy, post commanding officer, “Putting the returnee in the right job, after we have once established his physical and mental readiness of reassignment, is the mission of this post.”
During his processing, he is housed in an oceanfront hotel and enjoys abundant facilities for rest and recreation in this year-round beneficial climate.
Lieutenant Budde was a bombardier in England. He is the son of R. L. Budde, 21 Seventh St., LeMars.
Source: LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel, August 14, 1945
***Further Research:
Rollo Leroy Budde was born Jan. 3, 1917 to Raymond L. and Clara C. Knaack Budde. He died Mar. 11, 2004 and is buried in Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland, OH.
Source: ancestry.com
