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Georgia POW Camps in World War II
Explore the daily lives and the history of German and Italian POWs in WWII in camps in Georgia and their impact on the Peach State.
During World War II, many Georgians witnessed the enemy in their backyards. More than twelve thousand German and Italian prisoners captured in far-off battlefields were sent to POW camps in Georgia. With large base camps located from Camp Wheeler in Macon and Camp Stewart in Savannah to smaller camps throughout the state, prisoner re-education and work programs evoked different reactions to the enemy. There was even a POW work detail of forty German soldiers at Augusta National Golf Course, which was changed from a temporary cow pasture to the splendid golf course we know today. Join author and historian Dr. Kathryn Roe Coker and coauthor Jason Wetzel as they explore the daily lives of POWs in Georgia and the lasting impact they had on the Peach State.
During World War II, many Georgians witnessed the enemy in their backyards. More than twelve thousand German and Italian prisoners captured in far-off battlefields were sent to POW camps in Georgia. With large base camps located from Camp Wheeler in Macon and Camp Stewart in Savannah to smaller camps throughout the state, prisoner re-education and work programs evoked different reactions to the enemy. There was even a POW work detail of forty German soldiers at Augusta National Golf Course, which was changed from a temporary cow pasture to the splendid golf course we know today. Join author and historian Dr. Kathryn Roe Coker and coauthor Jason Wetzel as they explore the daily lives of POWs in Georgia and the lasting impact they had on the Peach State.
288 pages, Paperback
Published July 29, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 9, 2023
This book by Karin Roe Coker & Jason Wetzel, is a powerful and intriguing account about (mostly) German POWs who you never knew were held in the Peach State of Georgia, USA. In fact, there were many POW camps in America, but little is written about them...until this book. Keeping in mind the rules of the Geneva Convention the authors have used firsthand accounts and records to tell a selection of stories. Many of these portray an almost blissful scene of captured Nazis' desiring to remain POWs under the humane treatment they received in most USA camps - better than if they went home! It is a somewhat different story to that of my father and the conditions and treatment he endured in the Far East (Changi Jail, Singapore). Coker & Wetzel's different perspective is well worth the read and provides answers as to why German POWs wanted to stay in the USA under American indoctrination after the war. A great addition to my research library.
December 29, 2021
Wonderful images. Interesting stories and pictures of hidden Georgia History...gift from my son and really appreciated the research.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews