Camp Ruston

Camp Ruston
Company type	Military facility
Industry	Prisoner-of-war camp
Founded	1942
Headquarters	Ruston, United States
Area served	United States (Louisiana)
Products	POW detention and labor camp

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Camp Ruston, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 2025

Camp Ruston ranked among the largest prisoner-of-war camps in the United States throughout World War II, accommodating up to 4,315 detainees at its highest count in October 1943. It operated as the central "base camp" overseeing eight smaller satellite work camps. The installation featured three expansive POW compounds, a state-of-the-art hospital compound, and a segregated area for American staff. One compound located in the northwest sector was designated exclusively for POW officers; its barracks were designed to house fewer inmates, offering enhanced privacy. Barracks for enlisted prisoners held as many as 50 men, with latrines positioned at each compound’s perimeter.

Construction and WAC use

Built in 1942 by the T.L. James Company under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Camp Ruston encompassed , situated roughly west of Ruston, Louisiana. The land acquisition cost amounted to $24,200, while construction expenditures reached $2.5 million. Originally planned as an "Enemy Alien Internment Camp" intended for individuals of Japanese descent, the scope briefly extended to include German and Italian internees but was later revised due to changing priorities. The camp’s mission evolved in response to the growing number of European POWs.

Prior to its function as a POW facility, Camp Ruston served as a training site for the Women's Army Corps. In April 1943, 500 recruits formed the 42nd Women's Army Auxiliary Corps Regiment; over three and a half months, approximately 2,000 WAC members received training there. By July 1943, the training operations relocated to free space for incoming POWs from European and North African combat zones.

POW camp

The initial group of 300 prisoners arrived in August 1943, mainly composed of soldiers from Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s renowned Afrika Korps. By October of that year, prisoner numbers peaked at 4,315, including 181 officers. After filling three compounds, construction commenced on a fourth compound exclusively for officers. The inmate population represented a broad ethnic mix: Germans, French, Austrians, Italians, Czechs, Poles, Yugoslavs, Romanians, and more than 100 Russians—among them Muslim Chechens who required specialized diets.

Significantly, some Russian detainees volunteered to fight alongside U.S. forces against Japan; however, their offer was declined. Following Stalin’s directive at Yalta, these POWs were sent back to Russia through Camp Dix in New Jersey; many resisted repatriation fiercely due to fears of reprisals.

A distinct group consisted of captured crew members from , who were isolated in a restricted zone to prevent disclosure of secret German naval codes. Declassified records concerning these U-boat prisoners are preserved at Louisiana Tech University.

Among unique cases was Ludwig Staudinger Jr., a German-born American who fought for Germany and was interned at Camp Ruston.

Compared with conditions faced by POWs in Europe, detainees here experienced relatively humane treatment: sufficient nourishment (often prepared by skilled cooks), medical attention, recreational outlets such as an orchestra and theater performances, and access to a canteen. Enlisted prisoners contributed labor on local farms and industries coping with wartime shortages—tasks included cotton harvesting and timber cutting—and received scrip redeemable at the camp canteen. Officers were exempt from compulsory labor but could volunteer; some assisted with administrative duties.

In 1944, educational initiatives introduced academic subjects and democratic principles through resources like Louisiana Polytechnic Institute’s library. Many prisoners engaged in correspondence courses offered by American universities, which influenced postwar democratic developments in Germany.

Contrary to some accounts, POWs wore surplus U.S. khaki uniforms marked "PW" rather than their original military attire while interned.

Only 34 prisoners managed temporary escapes; just one remained at large for an extended period. The most prominent escapee was Charly King, who fled to Mexico before eventually returning to Germany.

At least nine detainees died within Camp Ruston due to wounds or illness; one fatality resulted from prisoner-on-prisoner violence. A small cemetery existed until remains were repatriated abroad. During one German POW funeral, a Nazi flag sewn by an American civilian employee was used due to an absence of official flags.

Camp Ruston ceased operations in June 1946 after repatriating its final prisoners on February 3 that year. Many POWs remained overseas for up to two years before returning home; only a minority settled permanently in the United States.

One notable permanent resident was Ensign Karl Ernst Pfaff of U-234. After surrendering with advanced military technology aboard—including uranium oxide—Pfaff cooperated with American authorities and later obtained U.S. citizenship and business success.

Following the war, the site served various roles including a tuberculosis sanatorium (1947–1958) and later the Ruston Developmental Center (from 1959). Much of the former camp now forms part of Louisiana Tech University’s campus; by 2007 only two deteriorated buildings remained.

Positive relationships forged during internment led many former POWs to return as immigrants. Reunion gatherings held in 1984 and 1995 demonstrated lasting connections between ex-prisoners and local residents.

Camp Ruston documentation initiative

During the 1990s, Louisiana amplified its commitment to safeguarding the history of Camp Ruston under the leadership of Vincent Spione, who established and served as president of the non-profit Camp Ruston Foundation. On December 13, 1991, the remaining camp structures were officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places, despite initially not fulfilling the 50-year age criterion. Spione successfully obtained a waiver, ensuring protection of the site from demolition.

In 1994, Spione partnered with Louisiana Tech University and the Ruston Developmental Center to initiate the Camp Ruston Documentation Project, financially supported by both the Camp Ruston Foundation and Mercedes Benz. He conducted comprehensive interviews with former prisoners of war across Germany, Italy, and Yugoslavia, collecting artifacts and oral histories that are now preserved at Louisiana Tech for academic study. From the late 1970s until 2000, Spione oversaw artifact collection at the Developmental Center, which included a substantial donation of National Archives materials from Mark Scalia. In 2000, all collected items were transferred to Louisiana Tech’s archival repository.

Between 1994 and 1995, efforts such as an archaeological survey conducted by graduate student Mark Scalia revealed significant artifacts including a stone castle constructed by German POWs, along with detailed mappings of original guard towers and water towers. Public interest was fostered through symposiums, historical presentations, media features, and exhibitions—one notable example being a segment on LPB-TV’s “Louisiana: The State We’re In.” Documentaries produced by CBS News and international broadcasters from Germany and Austria featured visits by former POWs. Additionally, Spione’s interviews in former Yugoslavia received coverage in Slovenian press outlets, further enriching the archival collections.

LPB produced a follow-up feature on Camp Ruston in 2007.

In 1998, Spione examined declassified records from the National Archives that clarified the fate of the captured crew of the U-505. Contrary to previous accounts, these men were held incommunicado at Camp Ruston following a short internment in Bermuda. This corrected information was shared with Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, leading to updates in their exhibit to accurately reflect the crew’s true place of confinement.

By September 2000, all remaining documents and artifacts were consolidated at Louisiana Tech archives for preservation and scholarly access. While some original hospital buildings and a warehouse remain state-owned, preservation efforts have been limited and their conditions have declined. The original POW barracks and compound structures were demolished shortly after the camp ceased operations.

Noteworthy former POWs

Many individuals detained at Camp Ruston had professional backgrounds prior to their capture, including physicians, engineers, academics, artists, and authors. Several notable figures who achieved recognition after the war include:

Heinz Lettau – Former Luftwaffe major who emigrated to America and became a distinguished meteorologist as well as physics professor at the University of Wisconsin.
Alfred Andersch – Soldier in the army who defected to U.S. forces in Italy; later emerged as a prominent German modern novelist. He authored "In Memory of Captain Fleisher," which recounts his friendship with a Jewish POW doctor at Ruston.
Hans Goebeler – Crew member of U-505, who emigrated to the United States and participated in U-boat commemorative events; he documented his experiences in Steel Boats, Iron Hearts: A U-boat Crewman's Life Aboard U-505. His oral histories are maintained in Louisiana Tech’s archives.
Karl Pfaff – German naval ensign aboard U-234, captured after Germany’s surrender while en route with secret weapons destined for Japan. Pfaff cooperated with American authorities to locate concealed Uranium Oxide and was permitted to remain in the U.S. after hostilities ended.
Hans Stollenwerk – Afrika Corps tank lieutenant captured in North Africa; he later established a prosperous manufacturing company in Cologne. During captivity he produced numerous automobile sketches that were rediscovered decades later by historian Vincent Spione.
Cesare Puelli – Italian officer taken prisoner in North Africa; an art professor and intellectual who attended Camp Ruston reunions and donated memorabilia now held at Louisiana Tech archives.
Earnst Paul – Among several German POWs who died while interned at Camp Ruston; his remains were repatriated to Germany following the war.
Horst Blumberg – German Navy sailor from U-664 captured after an Allied assault; due to his cooperation he was interned separately at Camp Ruston but is noted for multiple escape attempts. After the war he emigrated to America and contributed artifacts along with oral histories to Louisiana Tech’s collection.

Movies and books

Playing with the Enemy, released by Savas Beatie, narrates the journey of Gene Moore, a talented baseball player drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers whose professional path is halted due to World War II. During his service, Moore joins a U.S. Navy baseball team that performs for troops stationed in North Africa, and subsequently plays a role in instructing baseball to the crew of the U-505 submarine held captive at Camp Ruston. A feature film sharing the same title was planned for release in the autumn of 2009.

In conjunction with the film’s debut, Savas Beatie intends to publish a volume focusing on the internment experience of the U-505 crew at Camp Ruston.

For a brief overview of Camp Ruston’s history, refer to Wesley Harris’s work, Fish Out of Water: Nazi Submariners as Prisoners of War in North Louisiana During World War II.

References

Notes

Bibliography

Camp Ruston Collection. Special Collections Department, Prescott Memorial Library, Louisiana Tech University.
Harris, Wesley (2006). Fish Out of Water: Nazi Submariners as Prisoners of War in North Louisiana During WWII. RoughEdge Publications.
Moore, Gary (2006). Playing with the Enemy. Savas Beatie.
Otts, Daniel Oscar (1971). A Historical Study of the Ruston Prisoner of War Camp. Thesis. Monroe, LA: Northeast Louisiana University.
Schott, Matthew J. (1981). Bayou stalags: German prisoners of war in Louisiana. Lafayette, LA: University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Spione, Vincent. Conducted comprehensive research at the National Archives and interviewed former POWs and personnel from Camp Ruston. Founder and President of the Camp Ruston Foundation.

External links