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Dr. Leslie Caplan is the hero of thousands of US airmen whose lives he saved on a death march across Germany in the winter of 1945. He has recently been nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor by Senator Mark Dayton. Dr. Caplan was a very unusual human being. As the Flight Surgeon for the 449th Bomb Group during World War II, he flew on an extremely dangerous mission to Vienna as a medical observer. Their plane was shot down and all aboard were taken prisoner. Upon capture, Capt. Caplan ripped out his dogtags, which had an H for Hebrew on them, and told his Nazi captors of his pride in being Jewish. He convinced the Germans that he was not a spy sent in by President �Rosenfeld�, and told them he would accompany the enlisted men to Stalag Luft IV. When he got to this notorious camp, he wasn�t afraid to take on the ruthless command who were routinely stealing his medical supplies and the men�s Red Cross parcels. He saved many a life at Stalag Luft IV practicing his unique style of medicine, but the worst was yet to come. When the Russian front was approaching the camp, the men were forced to evacuate on foot in a few hours notice. Dr. Leslie Caplan could have accompanied the sick and wounded by train to Stalag Luft I. He chose instead to march with 2600 American airmen as their only doctor and guiding spirit. This death march went on for 86 days under conditions that most of us can�t even imagine. He called it a domain of heroes in a kingdom of illness. Against incredible odds, he saved the lives of thousands of men. He did it with little or no medicines or supplies. He made his own medicines on the spot. He walked extra miles up and down the columns and brought courage, leadership, sanity and even humor to an otherwise insane situation, thereby giving the men under his charge the will to go on. In this domain, he was their hero. |
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Dr. Leslie Caplan�s daughter, Laura Caplan, has now released her new book "Domain of Heroes, The Medical Journal, Writings and Story of Dr. Leslie Caplan". This new book contains the complete Medical Journal written by Dr. Leslie Caplan while on the march from Stalag Luft IV, as transcribed by former POW John H. Anderson who has also written a moving Forward to the book. Dr. Caplan�s journal is the only known medical history recorded by a POW while treating his fellow POWs. It establishes with absolute scientific clarity, the pain, suffering and death endured by POWs in Germany due to disease and starvation. The names and medical conditions of 366 men treated by Dr. Caplan are listed and described in his Journal. There are many others who were not named in the journal but were aided by or assistants to Dr. Caplan. This book contains their history in a way that has never been told before in print. The book also contains Dr. Caplan�s own letters and writings, as well as first hand accounts told by men whose lives he saved. Over 30 veterans of Stalag Luft IV have made contributions to this book by sharing their personal stories. Many of these men have never shared their stories with anyone before, but they have done so now so that the story of Dr. Caplan�s courageous efforts on their behalf can be memorialized forever. For more information about the book, email to [email protected]. |
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