James Roberts Fonda was born in Troy, New York, on December 20, 1915. After college he moved to Houston and worked for Burroughs Corporation, beginning a business career that would later resume after a very different wartime experience.
He entered the Army in 1941 and became an officer in field artillery. In the fall of 1944 he was serving as a battery commander with the 106th Infantry Division near St. Vith, Belgium, just as the German Ardennes offensive opened.
December 1944
Official prisoner-of-war records date his capture to December 21, 1944. The records identify him as a first lieutenant in field artillery associated with a truck-drawn 105 mm howitzer unit. He was held by Germany at Oflag XIII-B at Hammelburg, Bavaria.
Family and obituary material adds the human context: Fonda remained a prisoner until the closing phase of the war, surviving the chaotic period in which American forces were trying to reach and liberate camps inside Germany.
After returning to military control, Fonda came home with the Purple Heart, the European Theater ribbon with three campaign stars, and the American Defense ribbon. A Troy newspaper reported his discharge and his plans to return to civilian life with his wife, Mary Jane.
He resumed work for Burroughs, later living in Michigan, Ohio, and California. The long postwar business career matters, but the central historical episode remains the sudden transition from artillery officer to prisoner during one of the most famous battles of World War II.
Sources and references
- Fonda-Genealogy.pdf: Current genealogy report, Updated July 2026; biographical notes and cited source extracts.