Baum was given the task of penetrating 50 miles (80 km) behind German lines and liberating the POWs in camp Oflag XIII-B, near Hammelburg.

The result of the mission was a complete failure; of the roughly 300 men of the task force, 32 were killed in action during the raid and only 35 made it back to Allied-controlled territory, with the remainder being taken prisoner.

Most of the American portion of the camp was hastily upgraded in January 1945 after an influx of POWs from the Battle of the Bulge, which began 16 December of the previous year.

As Soviets continued a westward advance toward Germany in the winter of 1944, the POW camp Oflag 64 in Schubin, Poland was emptied of its prisoners on 21 January 1945.

One small room was to house 40 prisoners on bunk beds, while coal was rationed out to heat the furnaces at a rate of just 48 briquettes per stove every 3 days.

This was cut even more as supplies ran low and the camp population increased, until an estimated 1,070 calories (4,480 kJ) were distributed daily.

Many men in the camp suffered dramatic weight loss of more than 50 pounds (23 kilograms) and atrophy of muscles because of the lack of food and subsequent immobility.

On the evening of 26 March, the task force reached Aschaffenburg, encountering heavy fire that disabled several vehicles, including one of the Sherman tanks.

Furthermore, a German spotter plane shadowed the column as it neared the camp, which would help coordinate resistance to the task force.

The Serbian section of the camp received the brunt of American fire as it approached—likely due to the gray uniforms they wore, making them appear as Germans to the advancing columns.

General Gunther von Goeckel, the camp commandant, called for Colonel John K. Waters to try to arrange a truce.

Greeted by thousands of cheering prisoners, Baum quickly realized the camp contained far more than the 300 officers they were originally planning to liberate.

The remnants of the task force regrouped again after pulling back to a quiet area near Hill 427 in the early morning hours.

Colonel Goode, knowing most of the men would be unable to travel across the line on their own, advised that most of the walking wounded should head back to the Oflag.

As the Soviets were encroaching from the east, the Americans began advancing into Germany days after the task force, with Germans moving POWs farther away from combat zones.

Ironically, the failure of the task force did help set Waters free sooner: had he not been shot he would have been marched off to a camp farther into Germany with the rest of the POWs.

As a Medal of Honor warrants an investigation into the events behind the awarding of it, which Patton would not have wanted, Baum received a Distinguished Service Cross.

While Patton admitted the failure of the mission, he defended his actions due to fear that retreating Germans might kill the prisoners in the camp.

The Malmedy massacre during the Battle of the Bulge and the Stalag Luft III murders showed that the Germans were more than capable of the intentional killing of POWs.