Maurice Miller

American, 1920–2004

Birth placeSan Francisco, California, United States

ActiveHouston, Texas, United States

Death placeAustin, Texas, United States

BiographySunday, January 23, 2005

As 1944 came to a close, the German army was on the ropes. The Allies were steadily advancing toward the German border unhindered by air attacks because the once-feared Luftwaffe had been defanged. It was all over but the shouting -- or so it seemed.

Adolf Hitler had one last-gasp scheme: Elite Panzer units, reinforced by infantry, would mount a surprise winter counteroffensive, catch the Allies off guard and drive them toward the Belgian port of Antwerp.

It was a bold bet but a losing one. Hitler had neither the fuel nor sufficient troop reserves to overcome the spirited resistance that the Germans encountered. What became known as the Battle of the Bulge lasted from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 28, 1945. More than 1 million soldiers fought in the battle, 600,000 of them Germans, 500,000 Americans and 55,000 British. When the Battle of the Bulge was over, victory in Europe was only four months away.

In the middle of this battle was Maurice Miller, a 24-year-old photographer with the Army's 84th Infantry Division. His principal weapon was a camera, and he used it to capture images of Hitler's last, desperate gamble and then went on to capture enduring images of the end of the war.

Miller began his photographic career in high school, his daughter Marsha recounted. After the war, he worked for the Houston Post for eight years, five as the newspaper's chief photographer. His work also appeared in Time, Life, the Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, Business Week, Architectural Forum, Architecture and Parade magazines.

Marsha Miller, a photographer for the University of Texas, recalled that her father never boasted about his role in the war, although combat photography is as dangerous a military occupation as there is. To capture images of a battle, the photographer has to be in the middle of it, shooting pictures instead of bullets.

"He had his role in perspective," Marsha Miller recalled. "He had a friend crippled, and he talked about him and others who had done so much more."

Maurice Miller lived in Austin for the last seven years of his life. He died last month but left behind these riveting images from the Battle of the Bulge through the occupation of postwar Germany.

They are more than just history; they are Maurice Miller's legacy, one we feel fortunate to share.

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