Wisconsin Farm Boy and Baseball Lover Joseph G Demler Survives Stalag XII-A Starvation at 19, Weighing Only 18 Pounds

No one believed he would survive!

January 2, 2026

This article was last updated by Alisha Shrestha on December 29, 2026

Joseph G. Demler, a young soldier from Wisconsin, survived extreme hardship as a prisoner of war during World War II.

Joseph Demler, aka “World War II Human Skeleton,” Survives the Tragic Incident That No One Thought He Would!

Joseph “Joe” Demler was a cheerful 18-year-old farm boy who loved baseball and family dinners.

In 1944, he joined the U.S. Army and shipped out to Europe, ready to fight in the war.

During the Battle of the Bulge, Hitler launched a desperate winter offensive through the Ardennes.

On December 19, 1944, Joe’s unit was captured by German forces near St. Vith, Belgium, and he became a prisoner of war at Stalag XII-A in Germany.

The journey to the camp was brutal. Joe and hundreds of other prisoners were forced to march through freezing forests, with those who fell behind often killed.

They were then packed into overcrowded cattle cars for three days without food, water, or sanitation. Many men did not survive the journey, but Joe kept going.

At Stalag XII-A, life was harsh. Prisoners slept in unheated barracks and received minimal food. Disease, cold, and starvation killed many around him.

Joe’s weight dropped from 160 pounds to just 80 pounds in a few months. Despite his suffering, he refused to give up.

He kept his spirits alive with laughter, jokes, and by memorizing letters from his girlfriend, Mary, imagining the life they would have together after the war.

In March 1945, American forces liberated the camp. Joe, barely alive at 19 years old, became an icon of survival when photographed sitting on a bunk, a skeleton-like figure with a heartbeat.

He was evacuated to a hospital and eventually returned to the United States, where he rebuilt his life.

Joe married Mary in 1946, built a farm, raised four children, and worked at the local post office for 40 years.

He rarely spoke about the horrors he endured, but always remembered the friends who did not survive.

Joe Demler passed away in 2026 at the age of 94.

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Nishan Dahal writes sports with a human touch, covering breaking news, athlete lives, and the stories that stats can't tell. Nishan believes every athlete has a story worth telling. With the goal of bringing those stories to life with honesty, heart, and a touch of curiosity, he shares his insights through PlayerBio.

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