Eugene Roe
A Belgian nurse who volunteered to save Americans in Bastogne before dying on Christmas Eve 1944.
The provided source material focuses exclusively on Renée Lemaire, a Belgian nurse who served during the Siege of Bastogne. It mentions Eugene Roe only to note that historical accounts of Lemaire do not mention him. The text describes Lemaire's birth in 1914, her parents Gustave and Bertha, her sisters Gisèle and Marguerite, and her fiancé arrested by the Gestapo. It details her return to Bastogne on December 16, 1944, her volunteer work at the aid station for the American 20th Armored Infantry Battalion starting December 21, and her death on Christmas Eve while saving soldiers from a burning building.
- Role
- Company Medic / Officer
- Affiliation
- Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division
- Origin
- Wisconsin, USA
- Status
- Survived WWII
- Post-War Career
- Dentist
- First Appearance
- Episode One (Currahee)
Lore & Background
Renée Bernadette Émilie Lemaire was born on April 10, 1914, in Bastogne to parents who owned a hardware store. She had two sisters, Gisèle and Marguerite, and worked as a nurse in Brussels during the war. Before her death, she became engaged to a Jewish man arrested by the Gestapo earlier that year. In December 1944, Renée returned to Bastogne to visit her parents but was trapped when the Germans launched their Ardennes offensive on December 16. She joined Augusta Chiwy in volunteering at an aid station for the American 20th Armored Infantry Battalion on December 21. Battalion surgeon Jack T. Prior described her as cheerfully accepting a Herculean task without rest or food, changing dressings, feeding patients, and providing inspiration to those whose morale had declined.
In Their Own Story
On Christmas Eve 1944, around 20:30, German bombs demolished the basement aid station at the Sarma Store on rue de Neufchateau. Renée Lemaire managed to evacuate six soldiers from the burning structure but died while attempting to save a seventh wounded man. Her remains were recovered by Battalion surgeon Jack T. Prior, who wrapped them in a white parachute she had insisted on recovering that very morning. She had intended to use this specific parachute to make herself a wedding dress one day. The source explicitly states that historical accounts of Lemaire do not mention Eugene Roe.
Reader's Guide
This guide is based strictly on the events surrounding Renée Lemaire during the Siege of Bastogne in December 1944. She arrived in her hometown on December 16, trapped by the offensive, and began volunteering at an aid station for the 20th Armored Infantry Battalion on December 21. Surgeon Jack T. Prior documented her actions: changing dressings, feeding those unable to feed themselves, giving medications, and bathing patients. Her death occurred during a German air raid on December 24 at 20:30 in the Sarma Store basement. While the source notes her portrayal alongside a character named Eugene Roe in the Band of Brothers episode "Bastogne," it clarifies that historical records do not link Roe to Lemaire's actual service or death.
Did You Know?
- Renée Lemaire was born on April 10, 1914, in Bastogne to parents who owned a hardware store.
- She volunteered at an aid station for the American 20th Armored Infantry Battalion starting December 21, 1944.
- Lemaire died on Christmas Eve 1944 while attempting to save her seventh wounded soldier from a burning building.
- Battalion surgeon Jack T. Prior wrapped Lemaire's remains in a white parachute she had saved earlier that day to make into a wedding dress.
- Historical accounts of Renée Lemaire do not mention Eugene Roe, despite their joint portrayal in the Band of Brothers episode "Bastogne".