Joe Liebgott

[Northern_Union]

In the series BOB the part of Joe Liebgott was played by Ross McCall. Liebgott was the one charactor in the series with the possible exception of Cobb that i didn't find an affinity for. My question is this: Is his portrail in the series an accurate one or was he used as charactor foil for the rest of the charactors in the BOB?

[Linda]

There were some inaccuracies in the series and the question if he was really Jewish stays unanswered...here's some info on the real Joe Liebgott

Joseph Liebgott
Joseph "Joe" Liebgott (1915-1992) fought in World War II as part of Company E ("Easy Company") of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, U.S. 101st Airborne Division. He was portrayed in the television miniseries Band of Brothers by actor Ross McCall.

Before the War
Before Liebgott enrolled as a Paratrooper, he worked as Barber in Oakland, California. However, he was never a San Francisco resident as stated in the miniseries Band of Brothers.

During the War
Liebgott participated in all the major battles conducted by Easy Company. His most notable role was as a translator as he could speak fluent German. When Easy Company discovered the Landsberg concentration camp, he acted as translator for Major Dick Winters. He then had to perform the a heartbreaking task of informing the prisoners to return to the camp so they could be medically evaluated.
In the German version of the miniseries, his translation is changed. As it would not make sense to have an interpreter stand by when everyone speaks German, he makes side remarks on the information given by the freed prisoners.
In a later scene, he is incorrectly portrayed as he observes a dismissal speech of a German commander to his troops in the German version. Instead of translating the speech, he is issuing comments about his opponents that in the context do not reflect his views as portrayed in the original language version.

After the War
Liebgott survived the war and returned to Oakland to and resumed his job as a barber. It is inaccurately stated in the Band of Brothers miniseries that he lived in San Francisco and started a career as a cab driver. Liebgott never attended any of the Easy Company reunions and it is rumoured the War caused him to suffer from a mental breakdown. He died in 1992.

While Liebgott is said to be Jewish in both the book and the mini-series, there has been much confusion over this point now that his family has been found and contacted. They were raised Catholic, were told their father had been, and his dogtags were stamped Catholic (though apparently many Jewish soldiers had their religion falsified on their dog tags). However, all the men he served with are certain he was Jewish. There has been some speculation about whether he converted, though Joe's children say both of his parents were Catholic as well. The question remains as to why he seemingly told everyone he served with he was Jewish when family fact seems to show that he was not, though a fan's investigation into his ancestry reveals that his mother's maiden name was Zimmerman, which is often a Jewish name. It may be that his mother was born Jewish but that Joe was raised Catholic. This is still an issue that needs more investigation.

No one seems to be entirely sure of what went on for him post-war, as he disappeared until 1948. His parents apparently did not even know that he had returned safely from the war, as they apparently wrote in a letter to a fellow soldier who had written asking after him in 1946 or 1947. It seems likely that he suffered from PTSD.

Joe went on to have eight children after he resurfaced and has one granddaughter serving in the U.S. Navy.

http://militarypower.wikidot.com/joseph-liebgott

[Northern_Union]

Thanks for that, it was very informative!

[Dr. David]

Greetings,
I came across the following link with a posting by a relative of Joe Liebgott who offers some pertinent and touching information:
http://boards.history.com/thread.jspa?t ... =300128461
This is what the family member wrote:

"Joseph Liebgott was my great uncle. He never spoke of the war after retuning home. My family did not know what a hero he was until the directors of BOB started calling and asking questions. My side of the family called him uncle Sunny. Even my grandmother (one of his sisters) called him uncle sunny. I never asked why because I thought Sunny was his name. After the war he told my mother he wanted to buy a big house and fill it with children and that is what he did. I have never met any of them but he had eight children. They moved to Los Angelas, California where many of his children are still today. He was very close to his parents,siblings and family. My grandmother would always tell me great stories of there child hood and my mother talks about what a fun uncle he was. My mother also tells me if I want to know what he looked like or what he was like to watch BOB. When she watches that movie she can't belive how much the actor looks ,acts and talks just like him. No one in the family not even his own children never knew what he did in the war untill after his death. As his family we are very proud of him and can not imagine what his eyes have seen. We respect his choice never to speak of it and to move on in his life."

"My great uncle did drive a cab in Oakland California for a short time after the war. It was only a side job. His main job before and after the war was a barber. His kids most likely did not know about it because it was before most of them were born and he only was a cab driver for a short time. I know this because my grandmother (his sister) would tell stories of (uncle Sunny) Joseph picking her up in his cab and taking her to stores. After questioning my mother further I found out his nick name "Sunny" was actually "Sonny" because he was the first born and a son. My mother being 4-5 years old when Joe returned from war remembers he gave her and her brother pins,trinkets and possibly some metals. At that time no one new the importance of them. My mother and her brother would play with them but being so young have no idea what happened to them. My mother wore one of the pins to school one day and her teacher told her it she was not allowed to bring it to school. My great grand father moved the family from Germany to the United States and sent all his kids including Joe Liebgott to Catholic school to cover up his jewish history. It is also believed my great grandfather changed the family's last name before coming to America. This however is only a family rumor. My great grand father (Joe's father) was afraid of his future generation being prosecuted for being Jewish. After moving to the United States my great grandfather would always denied the family being jewish. However his parents(Joe's grandparents) moved to the states as well and would tell the kids there history. They were also the ones that taught Joe a lot of his German language. Joseph Liebgott has sisters living in the bay area to this day."

I hope it's OK to cut, paste and post the above. This is my first post on this website. Like many people who did not directly experience the War I have many relatives who did. Most of my family who remained in Europe were lost during the War; we know very little about them as a result. Major Winters is a very inspiring leader and person to me. When I listen to him speak on the Band of Brothers special features interviews, I find myself deeply moved by him. What an extraordinary human being! A Jewish word to describe Major Winters would be Mensch; that is, a true human being of the most admirable character. Major Winters, I don't know if you see these postings; whether you do or not, THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU. You are an inspiration to us all!

[Dara]

That was a very interesting read. I've always been curious about Joe Liebgott. Thanks for posting it.

[aamaya3]

About the the Jewish question, I am currently reading Guarnere's and Heffron's book and if I remember correctly, Bill stated that Joe Liebgott was Jewish. I believe that is what it said but I could always be wrong

[GySgtMJones]

Dr. David,

Thank you for that wonderful post!

[Linda]

I hope it's OK to cut, paste and post the above. This is my first post on this website.

Of course it's ok Dr. David, that's some very interesting information you just posted.
It all makes sense now, Liebgott's roots were indeed Jewish then.

Feel free to introduce yourself to the Band here at Camp Toccoa/Bootcamp and participate in our discussions!

[Connie]

Thanks Dr. David. I believe the more we know about these wonderful vets, from all the services and any allied country, the more we honor them and preserve their history for the generations to come.
Connie

[ambulnick]

Welcome to the forum Dr David, and many thanks for posting that. Fascinating stuff!

As Linda has already said, feel free to introduce yourself in Camp Toccoa - we're always interested in knowing where our members are from, etc.

[frisco-kid]

Thanks for a very informative post. It cleared up several questions.

[Dr. David]

Greetings to All and thank you for the kind feedback!

Here's some more about Joe Liebgott.
On Bill Guarnere's website (http://forums.wildbillguarnere.com/inde ... #entry1906) Bill's son (sonofwildbill) made the following post in April of 2002. "I spoke to my dad this weekend about Leibgott and here are his thoughts. He told me he was a great soldier and a very nice man. After the war was over my dad and many others tried to contact him to no avail. They simply did not know where he was. As the years passed I guess he faded away."

My impression from the above along with a number of other similar posts on BOB related websites is that Liebgott really cut himself off from his Airborne mates after the War. This was why he reputedly did not attend reunions or become available to the BOB series. Some have suggested that Liebgott had the classic signs of PTSD, which is certainly understandable. The 9th episode "Why We Fight" gives insight into what must have contributed to the profound inner turmoil of experiencing Landsberg (a satellite of Dachau) along with the other horrors of war. Having Jewish ancestry, such experiences would have taken an even greater toll on Technician 5th Grade Liebgott. Major Winters gives further insight in his book Beyond Band of Brothers. Major Winters wrote that Liebgott had earned the reputation of being one of Easy's best combat soldiers. Winters also added that, "we had all heard the stories that he was very rough on prisoners. Liebgott was one of Easy Companies 'killers'" (Winters 2006, p.143). Liebgott's sensitivity to how the Germans were treating the Jews must have been a contributing factor here. This all would have weighed heavily on someone who, according to Wild Bill Garnier was such "a great soldier and very nice man". You can tell from reading statements by relatives that concur the character of Joseph Liebgott as being a very happy and loving person by nature. All to say, it seems Joseph Liebgott did not want to have anything to do with the War or reminders of it once it was over. People, his family in particular, seem to have respected this.

I personally identify with Joseph Liebgott's struggle and have been deeply moved by his story. I would never deem to judge his actions. Indeed, I probably would behave very similarly under the same circumstances. It's odd though, that while I never knew him nor have I met any of Easy Company's men, I feel a great sense of loss around Liebgott's being cut-off from his Band of Brothers after the War.
Rest in Peace Joe Liebgott ~ a very special person and Hero!
God Bless

[GySgtMJones]

Sad that Mr. Liebgott cut himself off from his fellow soldiers of Easy Company, but understandable.

[kronos251]

Dr. David, it's great of you to post everything about Mr. Liebgott post war... Thank you, Doctor.

It's unfortunate that many Jewish people had to hide their own ancestry and convert to another religion for display purposes. I am Catholic, my whole family is Catholic by choice and tradition, so to hear and see such things... it is awfully terrible when someone converts to your religion, for fear of persecution by your own religion.. gosh, you know, the irony of it all... It just goes against the grain of everything that is taught, 'to love thy neighbor as thyself'. We're all brothers and sisters from the same loving Father, but I guess there are people who refuse to acknowledge that fact.

At least Joe's wish for a big family of his own came true. God bless him and his loved ones, may he rest in peace.

[Dr. David]

Dear Kris,
Thank you for your very thoughtful reflections.

Forced conversion and conversion for survival has a long history in Europe. My Father informs me that the adoption of a different religion by Jews who immigrated to the US from countries with much anti-Semitism was fairly common. No one knew them, so it was pretty easy to pass as Christians. The practice of falsifying dogtags by Jewish soldiers was also quite common. It’s easy to understand; getting captured by the Germans in WWII would mean certain death to a Jewish GI.

You mention that your family is Catholic by choice and tradition. I appreciate your sentiment of how awful it would feel to learn that people converted to your religion ~ something you deeply cherish ~ due to fear of persecution. Let us not forget the many Catholics and other Christians who because of their conviction risked their lives, and that of their loved ones, to protect Jews. My Great Uncle Leon was very highly placed in the Belgian Resistance. He was hidden in a convent posing as a gardener. Think of what those nuns risked every day hiding by a Jewish commander of the Resistance! Very few of my European relatives made it through the war, but Leon survived. So, I can thank you as a Catholic!

In brotherhood,
Dr. David