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Nazi Prisoners of War in America
THE CAPTIVE ENEMY
Never before has the full story been told of how we kept nearly a half a million Nazi prisoners in 511 POW camps across the country, as well as in hastily converted CCC camps, high school gyms, and local fairgrounds. Even Santa Anita race track was used as a holding area for thousands of incoming Africa Korps captives.
It was America's first experience handling so many foreign prisoners of war, and there were virtually no precedents upon which to form policy. The War Department simply hammered out decisions as problems arose—and there were difficulties aplenty. There were public relations problems, escapes, Nazism in the camps kangaroo courts, and political murders among the prisoners. Some American camp administrators, in fact, sometimes seemed to favor Nazis over anti-Nazi German prisoners because the former were more "orderly."
There was a secret Government "re-education plan" and even a top secret proposal at the highest military level, to allow the enlistment in the U.S. Army of a POW "German Volunteer Corps" to fight the Japanese. More important, hundreds of thousands of Germans were utilized by labor-starved American farmers and businessmen to alleviate the drain of able-bodied workers fighting overseas. German POWs were engaged on projects from lumber production, roadwork, and harvesting crops, to their ironic appearance as contract workers at a kosher meatpacking firm in New Jersey.
There are stories of a Nazi-loving American POW guard (a former Harvard ROTC cadet) who, together with several of his charges, escaped briefly to Mexico—of another camp guard who machine-gunned to death eight Nazis after he'd watched an atrocity film—of an American camp commander who insisted that be be saluted with "Heil Hitler"—and of a massive Hitler's birthday demonstration at the Fort Lewis stockade, a Nazi banner atop the flagpole. One escaped German prisoner received a tax rebate from the IRS and opened a bookstore in Chicago. Georg Gaertner, another Nazi POW, remains at large today.
Illustrated with more than 70 rare photos, many of them never published before, this is the definitive history of one of the most incredible and least-known facets of America's participation in the Second World War.
Never before has the full story been told of how we kept nearly a half a million Nazi prisoners in 511 POW camps across the country, as well as in hastily converted CCC camps, high school gyms, and local fairgrounds. Even Santa Anita race track was used as a holding area for thousands of incoming Africa Korps captives.
It was America's first experience handling so many foreign prisoners of war, and there were virtually no precedents upon which to form policy. The War Department simply hammered out decisions as problems arose—and there were difficulties aplenty. There were public relations problems, escapes, Nazism in the camps kangaroo courts, and political murders among the prisoners. Some American camp administrators, in fact, sometimes seemed to favor Nazis over anti-Nazi German prisoners because the former were more "orderly."
There was a secret Government "re-education plan" and even a top secret proposal at the highest military level, to allow the enlistment in the U.S. Army of a POW "German Volunteer Corps" to fight the Japanese. More important, hundreds of thousands of Germans were utilized by labor-starved American farmers and businessmen to alleviate the drain of able-bodied workers fighting overseas. German POWs were engaged on projects from lumber production, roadwork, and harvesting crops, to their ironic appearance as contract workers at a kosher meatpacking firm in New Jersey.
There are stories of a Nazi-loving American POW guard (a former Harvard ROTC cadet) who, together with several of his charges, escaped briefly to Mexico—of another camp guard who machine-gunned to death eight Nazis after he'd watched an atrocity film—of an American camp commander who insisted that be be saluted with "Heil Hitler"—and of a massive Hitler's birthday demonstration at the Fort Lewis stockade, a Nazi banner atop the flagpole. One escaped German prisoner received a tax rebate from the IRS and opened a bookstore in Chicago. Georg Gaertner, another Nazi POW, remains at large today.
Illustrated with more than 70 rare photos, many of them never published before, this is the definitive history of one of the most incredible and least-known facets of America's participation in the Second World War.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published July 3, 1979
3 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Arnold Krammer
12 books4 followersArnold Krammer was an American scholar of German and United States history and a professor at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He attended the University of Vienna, and held a Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 8, 2018
When I was a kid, adults told of Axis POW's held in our region (Upstate NY), of the curiosity and kindness of local residents toward those who had fought against our fathers, uncles and other loved ones on the battlefields of Europe and the reciprocated feelings by these ex-combatants. What especially piqued my interest was that one of those enemy POW's was a blood relation.
Arnold Krammer has done a commendable job of meticulously documenting the program that organized the transportation, holding and putting to work of some 420,000 captured enemy combatants. After initial stumbles, the government succeeded in spreading the burden to virtually all states, from Minnesota to Georgia, Maine to New Mexico. In strict conformance to the Geneva Conventions governing treatment of POW's, the U.S. treated its captives with respect and decency, even providing better rations than were available to nearby civilian populations. There was a very practical motive for doing so, that being to ensure that our soldiers in enemy hands would likewise be treated humanely. (This policy was reciprocated unevenly by the Germans and Italians.) But there were other, unexpected benefits. Escape attempts by the POW's were few and largely driven by boredom or as a lark. Their paid employment by local farms and industry helped fill a dire labor shortage and contribute to our war effort. And their positive impressions of the U.S.A. and what they learned about democracy contributed to Germany's post-war democratic development.
I had met a number of former U.S.-held POW's as an exchange student in Austria in the '70s. To a man, they spoke glowingly of their experiences, having been well fed, decently treated and made American friends. Some had gone back to the U.S. for reunions with former guards and townsfolk. I remember a couple of ex-Wehrmacht soldiers who displayed missing fingers and damaged ears due to frostbite on the eastern front. Captured on the western front, they were sent to the American south where the hot weather was most welcome. "It was the time of my life!" these men told me. Thousands of these ex-POW's eventually emigrated to the U.S. to start new lives. My cousin was one of them. After his three years of confinement here as a young man, he was dead set on returning. He married an American girl, raised a family and became a successful businessman in NY.
The one fault I find with Krammer's book is his lack of writing up interviews with some of these ex-POW's, almost all deceased now. When he was researching for the book in the '80s and '90s, plenty of these men were still around. Citing some of their experiences would have lent a more human dimension to a scholarly work.
The camps, the mementoes, the guards and the ex-prisoners are almost all gone from the scene today, along with the institutional memory of a part of our history of which we have reason to be proud. We can thank Arnold Krammer for memorializing that history. "Nazi POW's in America" is well worth a read for those interested in a little written-about piece of WWII history.
Arnold Krammer has done a commendable job of meticulously documenting the program that organized the transportation, holding and putting to work of some 420,000 captured enemy combatants. After initial stumbles, the government succeeded in spreading the burden to virtually all states, from Minnesota to Georgia, Maine to New Mexico. In strict conformance to the Geneva Conventions governing treatment of POW's, the U.S. treated its captives with respect and decency, even providing better rations than were available to nearby civilian populations. There was a very practical motive for doing so, that being to ensure that our soldiers in enemy hands would likewise be treated humanely. (This policy was reciprocated unevenly by the Germans and Italians.) But there were other, unexpected benefits. Escape attempts by the POW's were few and largely driven by boredom or as a lark. Their paid employment by local farms and industry helped fill a dire labor shortage and contribute to our war effort. And their positive impressions of the U.S.A. and what they learned about democracy contributed to Germany's post-war democratic development.
I had met a number of former U.S.-held POW's as an exchange student in Austria in the '70s. To a man, they spoke glowingly of their experiences, having been well fed, decently treated and made American friends. Some had gone back to the U.S. for reunions with former guards and townsfolk. I remember a couple of ex-Wehrmacht soldiers who displayed missing fingers and damaged ears due to frostbite on the eastern front. Captured on the western front, they were sent to the American south where the hot weather was most welcome. "It was the time of my life!" these men told me. Thousands of these ex-POW's eventually emigrated to the U.S. to start new lives. My cousin was one of them. After his three years of confinement here as a young man, he was dead set on returning. He married an American girl, raised a family and became a successful businessman in NY.
The one fault I find with Krammer's book is his lack of writing up interviews with some of these ex-POW's, almost all deceased now. When he was researching for the book in the '80s and '90s, plenty of these men were still around. Citing some of their experiences would have lent a more human dimension to a scholarly work.
The camps, the mementoes, the guards and the ex-prisoners are almost all gone from the scene today, along with the institutional memory of a part of our history of which we have reason to be proud. We can thank Arnold Krammer for memorializing that history. "Nazi POW's in America" is well worth a read for those interested in a little written-about piece of WWII history.
July 31, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I can definitely recommend it as a "must read" for anyone who likes reading about World War II or American History, and a "give it a try" read to those who generally wouldn't pick up a book about WWII.
While there are some sections that are rather dry and statistical, there are also plenty of interesting facts and anecdotes. To be honest, until I picked up this book I knew absolutely nothing about prisoners of war being kept on American soil. And, as it turned out, 250 German POWs were kept just a few miles from where I currently live! They were often used to help with the grape harvest and other local agricultural work. Today nothing remains but the foundations of the camp. My father says his family (my grandparents) bought several of the buildings at auction at the end of the war. But, I digress.
The book is an even-handed assessment of the POW camps and the work program that was developed. We get a thorough explanation of camp life and the work program using lots of pros and cons for a balanced view. To ultimately count the program as a success is entirely fair. Many former Germans POWs, in fact, returned to the States after the war and applied for citizenship.
My favorite chapter has to be the one on escape attempts. Of approximately 400,000 German POWs there were a couple thousand escape attempts but all escapees were recaptured within days. Of the 25 who remained at large for more than two weeks -- and yes, that's only 25 -- all but 6 were recaptured before the end of the war, and of those 6, only one remains at large today! Aside from that amazing statistic, many of the escape stories are humorous and show how ingenious and daring the German POWs could be. Equally fascinating were the stories of American citizens who helped escaped POWs which was considered an act of treason punishable by hanging! You'll have to read the book to find out what happened to them. :)
While there are some sections that are rather dry and statistical, there are also plenty of interesting facts and anecdotes. To be honest, until I picked up this book I knew absolutely nothing about prisoners of war being kept on American soil. And, as it turned out, 250 German POWs were kept just a few miles from where I currently live! They were often used to help with the grape harvest and other local agricultural work. Today nothing remains but the foundations of the camp. My father says his family (my grandparents) bought several of the buildings at auction at the end of the war. But, I digress.
The book is an even-handed assessment of the POW camps and the work program that was developed. We get a thorough explanation of camp life and the work program using lots of pros and cons for a balanced view. To ultimately count the program as a success is entirely fair. Many former Germans POWs, in fact, returned to the States after the war and applied for citizenship.
My favorite chapter has to be the one on escape attempts. Of approximately 400,000 German POWs there were a couple thousand escape attempts but all escapees were recaptured within days. Of the 25 who remained at large for more than two weeks -- and yes, that's only 25 -- all but 6 were recaptured before the end of the war, and of those 6, only one remains at large today! Aside from that amazing statistic, many of the escape stories are humorous and show how ingenious and daring the German POWs could be. Equally fascinating were the stories of American citizens who helped escaped POWs which was considered an act of treason punishable by hanging! You'll have to read the book to find out what happened to them. :)
June 3, 2022
My father was one of the first German prisoners-of-war to be interned in the United States, after being captured during the first battle of El Alamein in Egypt in July of 1942. He ended up spending over four years in captivity, moving through a number of camps, including Camp Chaffee in Arkansas, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Lewis in Washington State and Camp Rupert in Idaho. I have documented many of his memories from his time in the States, including his three short-lived escapes, in my book "Through the Whirlpool," which tells the story of my parents from their childhood in Nazi Germany through the end of the war and their emigration to Canada in the early 1950s. My father is actually mentioned, though not be name, in Arnold Krammer’s book. In the chapter about prisoner escapes, Krammer cites a news item about the moment my father gave himself up in Rainier, Oregon after the last and longest of his escapes, this time from Camp Lewis in Washington State.
Even though I knew my dad had been imprisoned in the United States, I had no idea about the extent of the POW program in that country until I read Dr. Krammer's comprehensive and well-researched examination of this mostly forgotten chapter of American history. I found the stories of life in the camps particularly engaging, especially some of the high jinks the inmates got up to, such as making moonshine in jury-rigged stills, that reminded me of the anecdotes my father used to regale us with. Apart from these accounts of prisoner life and escapes, the book holds a wealth of information about all aspects of the POW program in the US, including the use of prisoners for labour in agriculture and other industries, the efforts at “denazification,” the reactions of the American public to the program and some of the logistical challenges involved.
While much of the statistical data might be of more interest to avid historians that the average reader (I admit that I skimmed through some of the chapters), I found most of this book to be very readable, informative and, often, quite fascinating. I'm thankful that Arnold Krammer has done the valuable work of documenting this unique moment in time, especially in light of my personal connection to it.
Even though I knew my dad had been imprisoned in the United States, I had no idea about the extent of the POW program in that country until I read Dr. Krammer's comprehensive and well-researched examination of this mostly forgotten chapter of American history. I found the stories of life in the camps particularly engaging, especially some of the high jinks the inmates got up to, such as making moonshine in jury-rigged stills, that reminded me of the anecdotes my father used to regale us with. Apart from these accounts of prisoner life and escapes, the book holds a wealth of information about all aspects of the POW program in the US, including the use of prisoners for labour in agriculture and other industries, the efforts at “denazification,” the reactions of the American public to the program and some of the logistical challenges involved.
While much of the statistical data might be of more interest to avid historians that the average reader (I admit that I skimmed through some of the chapters), I found most of this book to be very readable, informative and, often, quite fascinating. I'm thankful that Arnold Krammer has done the valuable work of documenting this unique moment in time, especially in light of my personal connection to it.
September 26, 2018
A couple of years ago, I stumbled on the little-known fact that Nazi POW's were detained at Ft. Meade, MD -- a place I often visit -- during WWII. It had never occurred to me that these prisoners were brought back to America, where they served their war years providing cheap labor to help US farms and other industries at home.
Krammer's book, while dry at times, is filled with fascinating facts and stories about this rarely discussed chapter in US history. The book vividly describes every aspect of the POW experience, from transport and arrival to the US to the way they are segregated and delivered to the hundreds of camps throughout the country. The War Department went to great lengths to try to separate the most gung ho Nazis, which comprised a minority of the 400,000 prisoners, from the other soldiers who cared very little for Hitler and his political ambitions. Surprisingly, these soldiers grew to accept American democracy, were model prisoners, and, in some cases, even decided to immigrate back to the friendly confines of the USA after the war. Krammer also goes into detail describing their (rare) escape efforts, their compensation as day laborers, and the US concerns about how American POWs were being treated in Europe.
I would highly recommend this book to any WWII enthusiast. It's a story that will stick with you for a long time.
Krammer's book, while dry at times, is filled with fascinating facts and stories about this rarely discussed chapter in US history. The book vividly describes every aspect of the POW experience, from transport and arrival to the US to the way they are segregated and delivered to the hundreds of camps throughout the country. The War Department went to great lengths to try to separate the most gung ho Nazis, which comprised a minority of the 400,000 prisoners, from the other soldiers who cared very little for Hitler and his political ambitions. Surprisingly, these soldiers grew to accept American democracy, were model prisoners, and, in some cases, even decided to immigrate back to the friendly confines of the USA after the war. Krammer also goes into detail describing their (rare) escape efforts, their compensation as day laborers, and the US concerns about how American POWs were being treated in Europe.
I would highly recommend this book to any WWII enthusiast. It's a story that will stick with you for a long time.
April 18, 2023
The definitive work on the subject. Fascinating and very well written.
December 14, 2023
What a great book. A fascinating aspect of WWII I knew nothing about. Highly recommend.
February 17, 2024
The other reviewer's have already written good reviews about this title. It's is a very interesting book.
I would like to add one more thing.
When Arnold Krammer researched and wrote his book on the German POW's in the US, Reinhold Pabel and Georg Gaertner were both still fugitives in the US.
Georg Gaertner's unforgettable memoir was published in the mid 1980's and is called "Hitler's Last Soldier in America". It's out of print and unaffordable on amazon, but maybe you can request it from your public library via Inter Library Loan or through the Library of Congress.
Georg Gaertner was one of those 420.000 POW's and unfortunately he was supposed to be repatriated to a part of Germany which now belongs to Poland. He didn't want to live in a communist country, so he fled from his POW camp and lived for 40 years in the US under a false name and identity, he actually was on the Most Wanted Men list by J. Edgar Hoover for many years.
I have this book by Arnold Krammer in the German translation and was just curious if the entire text was translated or something was missing as is often the case with translations from English into German (German publishing houses don't believe in translating a book 100%...see my review on Nelson DeMille's "Charm School" aka "In den Waeldern von Borodino" or Judith Michael's "Deception" where one third of the book is missing in the German translation...this should be forbidden by law!).
I would like to add one more thing.
When Arnold Krammer researched and wrote his book on the German POW's in the US, Reinhold Pabel and Georg Gaertner were both still fugitives in the US.
Georg Gaertner's unforgettable memoir was published in the mid 1980's and is called "Hitler's Last Soldier in America". It's out of print and unaffordable on amazon, but maybe you can request it from your public library via Inter Library Loan or through the Library of Congress.
Georg Gaertner was one of those 420.000 POW's and unfortunately he was supposed to be repatriated to a part of Germany which now belongs to Poland. He didn't want to live in a communist country, so he fled from his POW camp and lived for 40 years in the US under a false name and identity, he actually was on the Most Wanted Men list by J. Edgar Hoover for many years.
I have this book by Arnold Krammer in the German translation and was just curious if the entire text was translated or something was missing as is often the case with translations from English into German (German publishing houses don't believe in translating a book 100%...see my review on Nelson DeMille's "Charm School" aka "In den Waeldern von Borodino" or Judith Michael's "Deception" where one third of the book is missing in the German translation...this should be forbidden by law!).
September 16, 2014
A subject that I became interested in after visiting Fort Robinson Nebraska which housed German POWs. This book appears to be the source on the subject of POWs in the US, Canada and the UK and is exceptional but be warned, it is not historical fiction, but a true history with statistics, facts and a well done notes section. The author does a particularly good job explaining the US's complete lack of preparedness to transport and house over 450,000 German, Italian and Japanese prisoners and the processes developed "on the fly" to accommodate this number of prisoners while following the Geneva Convention due to the potential impact on US prisoners being held by the Germans. Additionally, a superb effort tracing the need for labor in the United States due to the requirement for abled bodied men to be overseas fighting the war and the development of processes which enabled the POWs to be used to fill this labor gap. Lastly the coverage of escapees was fascinating...one prisoner only turned himself in after reading this book (50+ years after escaping) and one prisoner who escaped actually filed taxes and received tax refunds for a couple of years before being caught. An absolutely superb read with numerous photographs depicting the conditions within the camps.
September 2, 2011
This is the fascinating story of German POWs in the USA. I've read a number of books about the experiences of American (and British) soldiers captured by the Axis powers; I've read about the Nazi death camps and the gulags in the USSR. Books like this one are relatively rare in comparison. It is almost as if the story was unimportant and was forgotten on purpose.
Some of the highlights are the tales of the escaped prisoners. Where could they go? Also interesting is how the US government treated the POW system as an enterprise. Prisoners were paid 80 cents per day, but farms and companies who contracted for prisoners had to pay the prevailing wage. The difference went to the federal government.
Recommended.
Some of the highlights are the tales of the escaped prisoners. Where could they go? Also interesting is how the US government treated the POW system as an enterprise. Prisoners were paid 80 cents per day, but farms and companies who contracted for prisoners had to pay the prevailing wage. The difference went to the federal government.
Recommended.
July 11, 2024
Good solid book on German POWs in the USA during WW II. About 300,000 to 400,000 Prisoners were transported to the USA and put in US Army POW camps. They did a variety of tasks, mostly agricultural. The book covers the "de-nazification" progam, and the various in-fighting among the Germans themselves. A few "traitors" were dispatched by the POWs.
After the war, with the USA no longer obligated to worry about the fate of US POWs in German hands, the USA cut back on German rations under the excuse that food was needed elsewhere. The POW's considered it revenge. Most Germans knew they were lucky to end up in the USA, but were glad to get back to Europe.
An interesting story, well told.
After the war, with the USA no longer obligated to worry about the fate of US POWs in German hands, the USA cut back on German rations under the excuse that food was needed elsewhere. The POW's considered it revenge. Most Germans knew they were lucky to end up in the USA, but were glad to get back to Europe.
An interesting story, well told.
August 30, 2015
This is a comprehensive account of how Nazi soldiers were captured, brought to the U.S., treated, instructed and eventually sent home again. I was looking for a book that gave more examples of behavior, first hand experiences of encounters, attempts of prisoners to flee the camp. But if you are looking for a book which gives you the general picture and also the discussion the POW camps caused with the pubic at large, this book is for you.
January 24, 2010
During WW II, the U.S. held close to 400,000 German POWs in camps around the country; interviews with prison camp officials and POWs who became American citizens shed light on a seldom-discussed aspect of this country's history. "Krammer's valuable book breaks ground and exposes a unique side of the drama of Nazi fanaticism vs. the easygoing American way,"
August 19, 2011
A good discussion of how POWs were treated in the United States during World War II and where they were interred.
March 25, 2015
Wonderfully detailed and nicely written. Makes this surprisingly obscure corner of American history come alive. The book is truly one of a kind.
June 6, 2015
A fantastic compilation of information about this little-known subject, it makes for a very interesting read.
April 30, 2017
A good read on the history of the Prisoner of War camps in America. This is still an overlooked part of the war history but it is starting to get more attention. It is dry in parts but interesting in other parts.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews