pow camps in missouri

Some classes were taught by the POWs themselves, others were conducted as correspondence courses. 4 0 obj Four years later, the government offered the buildings at auction to relieve the post-war shortage of housing. Indeed, in correspondence, one POW described his camp as a "goldener Kafig," or golden cage, while another wrote home to say imprisonment was like a "rest-cure. There are military artifacts from the Civil War onward, including uniforms, armament, letters, medals, and memorabilia of all types. Weingarten was the location of a large prisoner of war camp during WWII. POWs who were a part of the ISU received better housing, uniforms and pay. Jean remained unaware of his secret until impending retirement required she obtain his birth certificate. New Hampshire's only POW camp. Prisoners worked on local farms. There is even a replica of a WWII barracks, complete with bunk, uniforms, and picture of pinup girlHedy Lamarron the wall above. Large German pow camp 2 miles outside of Thomasville. Many of the camps where they were held have faded into distant memory as little evidence remains of their existence; however, one local resident has a relic from a former POW camp that provides an enduring connection to the service of a departed relative. June 16, 1945 The day German POWs escaped their camp near St. Louis. Formerly located on the south-east corner of East 120th St. and South Walnut Ave. 2.5 miles east of Grant. Consequently, the POWs had little concern about getting caught. In "Icons of Insult: German and Italian Prisoners of War in African American Letters During World War II," author Matthias Reiss recounts numerous instances of racist encounters involving white Americans and POWs. These camps housed more than 142,000 Germans, 15,000 Italians, and 500 Japanese. "Life as a POW in the thirty camps scattered across Missouri was a surprisingly pleasant experience. The level of instruction was so high that some German universities offered full credit to returning POWs. Camp Weingarten, Missouri 2: Camp Weingarten Italian POW Rosters in US: POWs in the US: POW Death Index in US: WWII: UT POW CD: POW Photos in US: POW and ISU Camps and Hospitals in US: Genealogical Research: ISU Units and Installations in US: . In his written account (via The Fallen Foe), POW Fritz Ensslin, for example, claimed that many transferred POWs died in France performing "forced labor. This book concentrates on the Missouri camps - main camps and satellite work camps - and their German and Italian captives. From 1942 to 1945, more than 400,000 Axis prisoners were shipped to the United States and detained in camps across the nation. at aheuer@stlpr.org. Last chance! The Bushwhacker military exhibit honors those Vernon County citizens who have served in armed conflicts, and especially those who have given their lives in service to their country. <> It was an enormous and complex task, but over the next three years, the War Department succeeded in housing more than 400,000 POWs in some 500 camps. J^q+q5(aP96\A8k=r2e+WokGrS7[FlDabO*P7K_3zpzvr~Q 0BjSvkVI-|u"FhBd/jaer+]Az5uj#rM9@m_G\wVifS9RFYX]mZaPxJi!8/qUFIfT? WMi{C/&pQToGp0|xT{;tXUWyaU=:7ju'r9!3? endobj They were even compensated at the same rate of a private, at 10 cents per hour, which could be saved for their release or spent at camp stores. The POWs were required to watch the film during an assembly in June 1945, one month after Germany surrendered. Often, descendants of those POWs come for a visit to see where their relatives spent the war. Jean Shepherd featured many stories of his time at Camp Crowder in various monologues. American commanders said it couldn't happen. <> Genevieve and Farmington, Missouri, (Camp Weingarten) had no pre-war existence, wrote Fiedler. <> According to American Reeducation of German POWs, 1943-1946, in 1944, as Allied victory appeared imminent, U.S. officials began to plan for a post-war Germany. Im baffled., Suspect charged in fatal shooting in downtown St. Louis, Former Sweetie Pies TV star Tim Norman gets two life sentences in nephews death, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol slams ump C.B. In Kansas, for example, some farmers invited their POW workers for meals and allowed them to go hunting or pony riding unattended. They decorated their barracks with their work. 200 German POWs were interned at the Tri-City Airport (now known as South Wood County Airport) from July to November 1945. About 15,000 German and Italian prisoners of war were confined in Missouri, and a few tried to escape. endobj 330 German POWs lived in a tent city around the Louis Glunz dance hall and worked on farms and in area canneries during the 1945 harvest. "His hometown really wasn't all that far from Camp Weingarten.". About 2,600 German POWs were held there during World War II.. The Missouri National Guard retained 4,358 acres of Camp Crowder for use as a training site. This document is not available online. As that took place, about 2,000 acres (8.1km2) of the post was turned over to the U.S. Air Force as a buffer zone around Air Force Plant 65, a government owned-contractor operated liquid propelled rocket engine manufacturing facility operated by the Rocketdyne division of North American Aviation. That was four days afterthe surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which killed 2,403 Americans, and three days after the U.S. declared war on the Empire of Japan in retaliation. In Missouri alone there were 4 main base camps. Other POWs were transported to work on farms and canneries in neighboring communities. The photo was taken in March 1945, shortly after radio commentator Walter Winchell told his national audience that POWs from Gumbo could sneak across the river and blow up the munitions plant at Weldon Spring. In March 1945, national radio commentator Walter Winchell claimed that Germans on Hellwig farm could sneak across the Missouri River into the explosives plant at Weldon Spring and blow the place up. Groundwater and soil contamination has been identified in various areas of the base's original property boundaries. As of July 1, 1944, there were 353 camps in 39 states with 18 more camps under construction. Prisoners of War were not confined solely to the upkeep of their own numbers: many were put to work in the service of U.S. military operations at the camps themselves. Now a fraction of its WWII size, the camp currently has a full-time staff of 11 employees a sharp . The most elaborate escape attempt occurred in 1944, at one of the more spartan camps in Texas. The rules werent too lax in that regard, actually. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The main camps supported a number of branch camps, which were used to put POWs where their labor could be best utilized. For 16 years, starting in 1957, rocket engines for missiles such as the Atlas, Thor and Saturn were assembled and tested at Air Force Plant 65. Complementing that were screenings of carefully selected movies, including horrifying footage showing the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. Two escaped. However, I want to ensure it is recognized for the treasure that it is and it is not simply thrown away, said McDowell. And it was the Germans, Nazi and non-Nazi, who defined camp life more than any other group of captives. Taylor and his fellow soldiers, most of whom were assigned to military police companies, maintained a busy schedule of guarding the prisoners held in the camp, but also received opportunities to take leave from their duties and visit their loved ones back home. Prisoner-of-war camps in the United States during World War II. The Factory also created Der Ruf, a German-language newsletter, "written by German POWs for German POWs." You may come to the Missouri Valley Room to view it or request a photocopy from the Library's Document Delivery service. Photo by Jack Gould of the Post-Dispatch, Two Italian POWs hang out their laundry at Camp Weingarten in June 1943. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. <> See. In Southern POW camps, some facilities were segregated by race, and Black servicemen were given the worst jobs. 6 & 7, Chesterfield, MO 63017. Located 14 miles (23km) SE of Roswell. And so, to have that presence in the camps was a difficulty for many reasons including intimidation, threats and physical violence against fellow soldiers whom they considered too compliant in the U.S.. Little remains of the once sprawling POW camp located approximately 90 miles south of St. Louis, with the exception of a stone fireplace that was part of the Officers Club. About 500 American soldiers were assigned to guard 3,600 Italians at the camp. endobj Post-Dispatch file photo, Some of the German POWs who were housed in a prison compound at Fort Leonard Wood in central Missouri watch an Army Signal Corps film of scenes from a Nazi concentration camp in Europe. endobj (POW) camp in 1943. McDowell noted the cigarette case is not only a beautiful piece that serves as a link to the past, but represents a story to be shared of the state's rich military legacy. Four years later, the government offered the buildings at auction to relieve the post-war shortage of housing. The base's movie theatre was disassembled and reassembled on the campus of what is today the University of Missouri Kansas City where it was the University of Kansas City Playhouse until being torn down for a new theatre. As noted in American Reeducation of German POWs, 1943-1946, in discussions with their guards, prisoners would sometimes use America's discriminatory practices as a "what about" counter argument. stream WACs in mess hall at Camp Crowder. A few Italian prisoners even worked in the St. Louis Ordnance Depot on North Broadway, handling nonexplosive freight after their country switched sides in the war. Some were transferred to a special camp for Nazi incorrigibles in Oklahoma. From 1942 to 1945, more than 400,000 Axis prisoners were shipped to the United States and detained in camps across the nation. Detention records maintained by Sesenna show he departed Canada on December 3, 1942, and was with the first group of Italian POWs to arrive at Camp Clark near Nevada, Missouri, nine days later. ",#(7),01444'9=82. Camp Crowder was a military installation named in honor of Major General Enoch H. Crowder, provost marshal of the United States during World War I and author of the 1917 Selective Service Act. Most Americans regarded them as curiosities, but there was conflict. Incidents like Black soldiers being forced to dispose of the POWs' human waste and POWs refusing to follow instructions from Black work supervisors infuriated Black servicemen. Gaertner finally confessed, and Jean, determined he should turn himself in, began researching the POW camps. 3 0 obj JFIF C Prisoners of war did basic farm work such as harvesting corn or potatoes. Post-Dispatch file photo, Three Italian POWs paint and draw during free time at Camp Weingarten in June 1943. The POWs were required to watch the film during an assembly in June 1945, one month after Germany surrendered. mi. After completing his initial training, he was designated as infantry and became a clerk with the 201st Infantry Regiment. Camps in the St. Louis area included Gumbo Flats in the Chesterfield Valley, Jefferson Barracks, riverboats, and an Ordinance Depot in Baden. POW Photos in US. In Texas, according to Humanities Texas, some residents feared having Nazis nearby and, worried about escapes, locked their doors and cautioned their daughters. In Section B of Fort Custer National Cemetery, there are 26 German graves. by They slipped past the guards at night and fled through the vegetable fields they tended. They werent cooperative, they were defiant and intended to cause trouble any way they could, Fiedler said. Post-Dispatch file photo, A German POW on a boat camp in St. Louis relaxes and reads on his bunk. Little remains of the once sprawling POW camp located approximately 90 miles south of St. Louis, with the exception of a stone fireplace that was part of the Officer's Club. Although her uncle passed away in 1970, records accessed through the National Archives and Records Administration indicate he was drafted into the U.S. Army and entered service at Jefferson Barracks on November 10, 1942. "I will someday donate the cigarette case to a museum for preservation and display, and I believe my brother, Harold McDowell, would agree. American commanders said it couldn't happen. If there was no one around to work the potato fields or the corn was rotting and the local growers association could secure the labor of 100 POWs to pick them and the sheriff felt fine about it, it was not seen as a great concern. Camp Clark was established in 1908 and was used as an assembly point for troops serving in Central America, in the Mexican border war, and in World War I. Consequently, fanatical Nazis were thrown in with anti-Nazis. Early on, however, that wasnt always the case. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. As noted by the Library of Congress, among the many protections and guarantees provided to POWs were adequate food, housing, and medical care, "protection from violence, intimidation, insults, and public curiosity," prohibition against medical experimentation, and reciprocal military rights and status. The farmer did not want to respond by letter but his daughter did, which would eventually result in a marriage. {/[I:{ tBcn{ FG}{ You have permission to edit this article. There were also few wholesale escape attempts made by prisoners of war in Missouri. Some 500 POW facilities were built, mainly in. The following October, the former POW camp was closed and many of the buildings were dismantled, shipped and reassembled as housing for student veterans at colleges and universities throughout the United States. According to Smithsonian Magazine, in 1942, as Great Britain was running out of places to hold Axis prisoners, the U.S. began work on creating its own network of POW camps. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The, This camp had a guard fire on and kill several German prisoners. Housed diverse groups of POWs ranging from Afrika Corp troops, Italian, Yugoslavian, Chechen, Russian conscripts and others. In a memorable encounter, a little girl would leave her bicycle in a certain place every night only to find it moved in the morning. To request a transcript for St. Louis on the Air, ", "August 1943 description of the Camp Maxey", "World War II Camp Had Impact on CIty" by Michael Hawfield, The News-Sentinel 15 December 1990, Camp Thomas A. Scott - Fort Wayne, Indiana - WWII Prisoner of War Camps on Waymarking.com, https://web.archive.org/web/20220720230229/https://www.unionleader.com/nh/travel/historical_markers/roadside-history-camp-stark-nhs-wwii-german-pow-camp-housed-about-250-soldiers/article_9dd52830-ef9f-57d6-9ef3-ce2472704b70.html, "Waterloo Township officials say rundown prison camp is a hazard and should be razed", "Uboat.net - the Men - Prisoners of War - German POWs in North America", "Fomer [sic] Site of the Caven Point Army Depot - Jersey City, New Jersey", The German POW camps of Michigan during WWII, Map of WWII POW Camps in the US with links, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_World_War_II_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_the_United_States&oldid=1129515906, Originally an Army Airfield flight training facility. Camp Crowder, outside of Neosho, Missouri, Click here for a state map showing camp locations, Columbia fraternity houses on the MU campus, Hannibal housed in tents in Clemens Field, Riverside housed in the former Jockey Club racetrack facility. Union leaders protested the use of POWs at a quarry near Pevely. Once outside, they hopped trains or stole cars. See the World War II POW camps near St. Louis. He then took it back to camp with him and thats when he gave it to one of the Italian POWs.. Not only did POWs dine well, they took college courses, set up libraries, and formed orchestras and soccer leagues. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of News Tribune Publishing. However, I want to ensure it is recognized for the treasure that it is and it is not simply thrown away," McDowell said. Genevieve Camp Crowder, outside of Neosho, Missouri Camp Clark, outside of Nevada, Missouri Click here for a state map showing camp locations <> Located where the present day Cleburne Conference center is located in the 1500 block of West Henderson(business HWY 67), Housed German POWs from the Afrika Korps after their defeat in North Africa. The camp was named for General Harvey C Clark, Missouris adjutant general and commander of Missouris National Guard. Army Col. H.H. According to theSociety for Military History, because the Geneva Convention limited how differently one POW could be treated from another, camp authorities initially made "no distinction between ideologically hardened prisoners and those who are 're-educated.'" Where are they going to escape to?. Her research led her to Arnold Krammer, who ended up writing a tell-all book with Gaertner. You have permission to edit this collection. The Enemy Among Us: POWs in Missouri During World War II. Trichloroethylene contamination in soils and groundwater has been documented at the site and may include off-site contamination in a number of private wells. According to the Coloradoan, Gaertner had decided to escape because he knew that upon his release, he would be repatriated to eastern Germany, where his family lived. 9 0 obj Similar scenes played out across rural America, but over time, as noted in The Washington Post, many of these small communities adjusted to the POW presence. My mothers brother, Dwight Hafford Taylor, was raised in the community of Alton in southern Missouri, said McDowell. No one was happy to be a prisoner of war, but many were glad to bide time to count the days until they got back home, Fiedler said. These branch camps held 50 to 250 prisoners and were placed in communities in which the prisoners could be of use to community businesses such as bakeries, farms, maintenance jobs, dock workers for the railroad and riverboats, and factories. The Italian and one German POW who committed suicide rather than be repatriated are buried just outside the post cemetery boundaries. As the NKPA retreated farther north, they were forced to evacuate their prisoners with them. Camp Ritchie also served as a U.S. Army Training Camp from WWII until it was closed under BRAC during the 1990s to the early 2000s. Opened in 1943, a segregation camp from 1944. Letters to newspapers complained of coddling prisoners with such things as swimming-pool time at Jefferson Barracks, where 400 Germans were housed. ", The Untold Truth Of America's WWII German POW Camps, History of Prisoner of War Utilization by the United States Army 1776 to 1945, American Reeducation of German POWs, 1943-1946, Icons of Insult: German and Italian Prisoners of War in African American Letters During World War II, Returning to America: German Prisoners of War and American Experience. About 100 POWs lived there and worked on area farms, replacing Americans who had gone to war. All enlisted men were required to work, and they were paid 80 cents a day, the same rate American privates received. There's a small museum north of Concordia near the guard tower. Also housed several hundred German POWs who worked in nearby agricultural farms. <> 8 0 obj <> Post-Dispatch file photo, Two German POWs watch the film of Nazi atrocities during a mandatory assembly at their camp at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Missouri figured into this equation, housing some 15,000 prisoners of war from Germany and Italy inside state lines. As noted in Humanities Texas, the first big batch of POWs arrived in the spring of 1943 following the surrender of Germany's Afrika Korps. People didnt get in the car and drive 75 miles: it was a locally-focused world. d3K/,diWAgCZ,7Y>&WqU(lt1iJ5cuy#}iv^L),ybY[Y="Ni' i~l + As noted by Humanities Texas,methods of escape were as varied as reasons for trying and were occasionally quite inventive. Returning to Germany would just be going from a Nazi dictatorship to a Russian dictatorship, Levin wrote in German. Between then and mid-1944, an average of 20,000 POWs arrived each month, then after the Normandy invasion, the average rose to 30,000. Short tried to have it designated a permanent home for the Army's military police training school. oW5( Fort Crowder was a U.S. Army post located in Newton and McDonald counties in southwest Missouri, constructed and used during World War II. "Established at Weingarten, a sleepy little town on State Highway 32 between Ste. Black soldiers experienced institutionalized discrimination both at home and overseas, and their prejudicial treatment occurred at the hands of not only white Americans but white POWs as well. The elder Hennes was captured by Americans in Europe in the fall of 1944. When returning to camp, one of the POWs with whom Taylor had established a friendship was given the pie pan and used it to demonstrate his abilities as an artist and a craftsman by fashioning it into a cigarette case. The prison camps were identical to housing areas that our own troops occupied.. Post-Dispatch photo, German POWs on a "boat camp" in the St. Louis area play chess and relax on the deck in 1945. POWs mounted theatrical productions and played concerts. Sited on the abandoned Civilian Conservation Corps camp about 1.6 miles east of the Stark Covered Bridge in Stark, Coos County. By 1943, Arkansas had received the first of 23,000 German and Italian prisoners of war, who would live and work at military installations and branch camps throughout the state. PublishedDecember 8, 2016 at 3:26 PM CST, Credit Kelly Moffitt | St. Louis Public Radio. Post-Dispatch file photo, Some of the German POWs who were housed in a prison compound at Fort Leonard Wood in central Missouri watch an Army Signal Corps film of scenes from a Nazi concentration camp in Europe. Camp Clark was established in 1908 and was used as an assembly point for troops serving in Central America, in the Mexican border war, and in World War I. 1 0 obj Copyright 2017 Vernon County Historical Society - All Rights Reserved. Eventually, in the wake of the Nazis' six-month reign of terror, the War Department acknowledged the problem and began to enact reforms. The Chicago Tribune reported on October 23, 1943, that the prisoners at Camp Weingarten soon put on weight by eating a daily menu superior to that of the average civilian.. One of the first three designated camps for anti-Nazis, along with. CHESTERFIELD Cpl. Straussberg fled into the woods, but he didnt get far. About 500 American soldiers were assigned to guard 3,600 Italians at the camp. The remainder of the land was given to various public and private entities which uses now include a municipal airport, industrial parks, industrial waste treatment facility operations, regional landfill, underground fuel storage, burn pits and lagoons. POW Death Index in US. About 100 POWs lived there and worked on area farms, replacing Americans who had gone to war. Beginning as a reception center for newly inducted draftees and enlistments who were issued the initial uniform clothing allowance and transferred to other army posts for initial testing and subsequent assignment to a basic training command. They stared "open-mouthed" as the POWs "jumped down from railroad cars and marched in orderly rows to the camp four miles west of town." They were much less formal, much less heavily guarded, and there were much more opportunities for social interaction.. Two German POWs watch the film of Nazi atrocities during a mandatory assembly at their camp at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Thats why I want to tell the story of its creation its history, so that its association to Camp Weingarten is never forgotten., Jeremy Amick is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE. xZOHa Post-Dispatch photo, German POWs on a "boat camp" in the St. Louis area play chess and relax on the deck in 1945. 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