Melvin Voltz

Prepared by the Witnesses of War team

Melvin Glenn Voltz was born on 13 January 1925 in Aitkin, Minnesota, one of eight children of Andrew and Margaret Voltz. He grew up helping his mother run the family farm and graduated from Aitkin High School in 1943. With four siblings already serving in the armed forces, his entry into the Army was deferred so he could help bring in the crops. He entered service on 10 August 1944 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.

After basic training, Voltz arrived in Europe in early 1945 and joined Company G, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, the “Indian Head” division. Serving as a rifleman, he took part in the final Allied advance through Germany. His company was commanded by Captain Charles B. MacDonald, who later became a distinguished military historian and author of Company Commander.

Voltz participated in the fighting around Mechernich and the battle for Leipzig in April 1945. His presence at Mechernich was captured in original wartime film footage. In the closing days of the war, his regiment entered western Czechoslovakia, encountering resistance in the Tachov region. Voltz reached Pilsen on 7 May 1945, later remembering the warmth of the Czech civilians who welcomed the Americans.

Returning to Minnesota, he studied accounting at Minneapolis Business College and married Beverly Jean Church in 1952. They raised three sons—Ronald, Robert and Steven—in Bloomington. Away from work, he devoted thirteen years to serving as Scoutmaster of Troop 394, guiding young people on camping and canoeing trips.

Even at one hundred, Voltz retained his connection to Czechoslovakia, sending a recorded greeting recalling his service and the people of Pilsen. He died on 5 May 2026, aged 101, leaving behind his family and his testimony as a witness to the liberation of Europe.