German prisoners of war in the United States

German POW camps in the United States

Company type	Detention facilities
Industry	Military detention
Founded	World War I and World War II periods
Headquarters	United States
Area served	United States (46 out of 48 states)
Products	Detention and labor of German prisoners of war

German soldiers captured during World War I and World War II were detained as prisoners of war within the United States. During the Second World War alone, around 425,000 German POWs were accommodated in approximately 700 facilities scattered across the country.

World War I

The conclusion of hostilities occurred roughly six months after the United States became heavily involved in combat during World War I, resulting in a relatively small number of German POWs being transported to the U.S. A significant portion of these prisoners were German naval personnel seized far from European theaters. The earliest German captives were sailors from the SMS Cormoran, a German merchant raider stationed in Apra Harbor, Guam, at the time war was declared.

The United States Department of War established three main POW camps: Fort McPherson, Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia, and Fort Douglas in Utah. Due to shared facilities with German-American internees, precise counts are uncertain; however, records indicate 406 prisoners at Fort Douglas and 1,373 at Fort McPherson. The detainees contributed labor by crafting furniture and assisting with local infrastructure projects such as road construction. Those who passed away were interred at Fort Douglas, Chattanooga National Cemetery, and Fort Lyon in Colorado.

Background

Following the United States’ entry into World War II in 1941, the British government requested American support to house prisoners of war because of overcrowded facilities in the United Kingdom. They asked the U.S. to accept 175,000 POWs. Although initially hesitant due to limited experience managing such populations and logistical challenges involving provisions like food, clothing, and shelter, the U.S. agreed. At that time, most German-speaking American men of military age were deployed overseas, prompting concerns over security and public apprehension about having native Germans on American soil.

Despite circulating rumors regarding how Allied forces treated captives, some German soldiers preferred surrendering to British or American forces rather than Soviet ones, where over a million German POWs perished. Prisoners typically arrived monthly aboard Liberty Ships docking at New York or Virginia ports before being transported by Pullman railcars to their respective camps—an experience that often exposed them to the vastness, affluence, and relative comfort of America.

The camps

Oversight of approximately 425,000 German prisoners confined within around 700 camps fell under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Provost Marshal General (OPMG). These camps were strategically situated away from urban centers and industrial sites for security reasons. They were frequently located in regions with mild climates to minimize construction expenses and where POW labor could alleviate agricultural workforce shortages. Nearly all states—46 out of 48—hosted such facilities, predominantly in the southern and southwestern United States. Certain camps, including Camp Ruston in Louisiana, were purpose-built for prisoner confinement.

Beyond barbed wire fences and guard towers, camp layouts resembled standard military training installations used by either U.S. or German forces. Prisoners were categorized according to military branch and rank. Under the stipulations of the 1929 Geneva Convention, living accommodations had to be comparable to those provided for American troops—offering 40 square feet per enlisted man and 120 square feet per officer. When prisoners temporarily lodged in tents during camp construction phases, guards did likewise. Senior officers among the detainees—including three admirals and forty generals—were quartered at Camp Clinton and Camp Shelby in Mississippi, where they enjoyed private bungalows complete with gardens.

Work

In accordance with the Geneva Convention's principle of equal treatment, prisoners received wages equivalent to those of American military personnel. They were permitted to engage in agricultural or other low-risk labor only if compensated; officers were not subjected to compulsory work. Due to a shortage of labor as millions of U.S. troops were deployed overseas, German POWs were employed in canneries, mills, farms, and various non-combat-related positions.

An example daily schedule for a German POW at Garden Grove, California: Prisoners who failed to meet production quotas were subject to confinement with bread and water rations.

A portion of the wages was allocated toward maintaining the POW program, while the remainder was used by prisoners at camp canteens to purchase snacks, reading materials, playing cards, and tobacco products. POWs utilized scrip since all cash was confiscated during processing and held for return after the war in compliance with Geneva rules aimed at preventing escape attempts. In 1944, the government generated $22 million from prisoner wages and estimated savings of $80 million by employing POW labor at military facilities.

Public awareness of POW camps remained limited during the conflict to adhere to Geneva stipulations and prevent alarm over enemy presence. While most local residents accepted POWs, hundreds of letters expressed opposition to their humane treatment—some even calling for execution—fueled by reports of casualties. Authorities faced difficulties convincing the public that treating prisoners humanely increased the chances of reciprocal treatment for American captives. Labor unions opposed utilizing prisoner workers due to recruitment policies favoring union membership. Nevertheless, wartime shortages—particularly in agriculture—prompted politicians as late as February 1945 to request an additional 100,000 POWs for farm labor.

Labor reports

POW camps submitted WD AGO Form 19-21 bi-monthly to the Office of the Provost Marshal General in Washington, D.C. These reports included details such as camp designation, prisoner nationalities, total prisoner counts categorized by rank (officers, non-commissioned officers, privates), and man-days worked by project within the reporting period. Occasionally, remarks noted operational updates; for instance, Dos Palos POW Branch Camp reported "1692 [German POWs] waiting for Repatriation CAMP CLOSED 12 February 1946."

Camp life

Because there were not enough American guards fluent in German, discipline within the camps was primarily upheld by German officers and non-commissioned officers. After a violent incident in Texas where an American guard killed prisoners, psychological screenings were introduced for guards to ensure proper behavior.

German detainees independently managed their daily schedules, including waking fellow prisoners, organizing meals, and preparing for work assignments, thereby maintaining a military-style order. They interacted amicably with nearby civilians and were occasionally allowed to leave the camp under an honor system. Remarkably, German POWs had access to leisure activities such as beer, wine, hobbies, and sports—amenities often denied to Black American soldiers due to segregation laws.

Alex Funke, serving as a military chaplain at Camp Algona, commended the United States for fostering positive relationships between prisoners and Americans. Nonetheless, unauthorized interactions between American women and German prisoners sometimes created difficulties. Social gatherings held at several camps led to some German POWs forming lifelong relationships with local women, illustrating the complex social dynamics during captivity.

Rations

Many prisoners considered their living conditions superior to those of civilians back in Germany. Under the Geneva Convention, all detainees received rations equivalent to those of American soldiers, including wine for officers and special meals on holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Skilled prisoner cooks occasionally enhanced the quality of meals beyond that served to their captors. At first, leftover food was destroyed out of concern that ration levels might be reduced. Prisoners combined their daily beer coupons to share beverages and were allotted daily portions of cigarettes and meat—items rationed for American civilians as well. Cigarettes were sold inexpensively in camp canteens and sometimes used as bribes for guards. One German prisoner gained 57 pounds over two years of captivity. Although some criticized the American white bread and coffee, prisoners generally acknowledged receiving better treatment in U.S. camps compared to other locations.

Entertainment and education

Prisoners were provided with materials such as writing supplies, art tools, woodworking equipment, and musical instruments, supporting a variety of creative pursuits. They maintained regular correspondence with family members and organized theatrical and musical performances attended by guards and Red Cross officials; local radio stations also broadcast their music. Private radios and frequent film screenings offered entertainment; when necessary, prisoners pooled resources to purchase projectors. Movies often served as reeducation tools featuring Hollywood anti-Nazi films and the Why We Fight series, predominantly focused on the Pacific theater. Later in captivity, approved German films were exchanged through the Red Cross.

Following the liberation of Nazi concentration camps, prisoners viewed footage documenting Holocaust atrocities under armed supervision—many reacted with shock and disbelief but accepted the evidence as truthful, leading some to symbolically burn their German uniforms. A number of prisoners called for Germany’s surrender, with a few volunteering to fight against Japan—a proposal ultimately declined by U.S. authorities.

Libraries were established in camps with books purchased by prisoners supplemented by YMCA donations; however, reading materials remained limited overall. These collections often included prohibited German works by anti-Nazi exiled authors such as Erich Maria Remarque and Thomas Mann as part of reeducation efforts. Camp newspapers produced by prisoners featured poetry, stories, puzzles, event announcements, and classifieds; these publications provided creative outlets while reflecting prisoner attitudes. Although some continued promoting Nazi ideology even near Germany’s defeat, others displayed a broad range of perspectives.

Numerous future German business leaders took advantage of educational programs offered within U.S. camps. Educated prisoners taught courses covering languages, business skills, and mathematics. These programs received official validation: in 1944 the German Ministry of Education agreed to accept credit earned in camp classes toward studies at German schools and universities after repatriation. Additionally, some detainees enrolled in correspondence courses through local American universities.

Prisoner resistance

The reliance on German internal discipline enabled dedicated Nazi prisoner factions to endure despite American attempts to isolate them. Early detainees from the Afrika Korps, who had experienced Germany's military zenith, orchestrated work stoppages, intimidated other inmates, and conducted covert kangaroo courts targeting disloyal prisoners. Those found guilty were frequently assaulted or killed through the so-called "Holy Ghost" process; numerous prisoner "suicides" were likely homicides. After the war, the U.S. military executed 14 German inmates for killing fellow prisoners, with an additional eight receiving prison sentences for further murders. It is probable that many more killings took place. A significant number of Nazis maintained their allegiance and anticipated German victory until the Allies crossed the Rhine in March 1945. This contrasted with prisoners captured later during Normandy, who held more pragmatic views of the war. Early prisoners often regarded these newcomers as "traitors" and "deserters." Due to fears of clandestine reprisals, some anti-Nazi detainees were transferred to Camp Ruston for protection, whereas violent or uncooperative prisoners were relocated to a facility in Oklahoma.

Prisoners regularly provoked their captors by giving Sieg Heil salutes during flag ceremonies and secretly observing Nazi holidays forbidden by American authorities. Many harbored resentment toward Jewish American officers overseeing them. Although wartime expectations included escape attempts, fewer than 1% of POWs in the United States tried to flee—approximately half the rate of Italian prisoners and lower than civilian prison escape statistics—with most efforts proving unsuccessful. Those who escaped seldom rejoined German forces; boredom was the primary driver, often coupled with aspirations to reach Argentina. Prisoners who died during escape attempts were honored with military funerals featuring German flags supplied by the U.S.

On December 23, 1944, a group of 25 German POWs tunneled out of Camp Papago Park in Arizona. By January, they were recaptured partly because their planned river route was dry.

Special Projects Division

In autumn 1943, the OPMG initiated the Special Projects Division (SPD), an educational initiative aimed at reeducating German POWs under the guidance of university professors. SPD produced der Ruf, a prison newspaper edited by sympathetic prisoners, and circulated literature prohibited in Nazi Germany. The program remained confidential due to concerns about breaching Geneva Convention rules, potential retaliation from Germany, and prisoners’ probable rejection of overt reeducation efforts. Following V-E Day, SPD administered accelerated democracy courses to cooperative inmates; approximately 25,000 graduates returned directly to Germany rather than continuing labor assignments in Europe.

The SPD's impact was generally limited. Many OPMG personnel doubted that ideological transformation among adults was achievable and worried that success might drive prisoners toward Communism. The American professors lacked proficiency in German language and culture, and their intellectual materials—including der Ruf—failed to gain popularity. Surveys indicated no meaningful change in prisoner attitudes, consistent with the steady morale observed among German soldiers despite battlefield losses. Postwar abandonment of Nazism among Germans was influenced more by Germany’s defeat and subsequent division than by SPD-led reeducation efforts.

Postwar period

Although hostilities ceased in 1945, the majority of German POWs stayed in the United States performing labor until 1946—an arrangement that arguably conflicted with Geneva Convention mandates on repatriation—and subsequently worked as laborers in France and the United Kingdom for as long as three additional years. In May 1945, the Office of the Provost Marshal General (OPMG) reduced prisoner food rations and discontinued canteen sales following civilian grievances regarding meal quality; with Geneva Convention safeguards no longer fully enforced and revelations about concentration camp horrors emerging, the workload for prisoners intensified.

Prior to their return home, POWs were required to watch documentary footage depicting Nazi concentration camps. Historian Arnold Krammer observed that while most prisoners denied Nazi affiliations, they possessed some knowledge of the camps; however, awareness of atrocities on the Eastern Front was inconsistent. Chaplain Alex Funke, who had previously been labeled politically unreliable by the Gestapo, only comprehended the full scale of the Holocaust after liberation through media exposure.

Despite delays in repatriation, numerous POWs viewed their captivity in the U.S. favorably, acquiring English language skills and earning wages that contributed to Germany’s postwar recovery. A 1943 survey indicated that 74% of Americans held the German government responsible for the war rather than its citizens. Around 5,000 former POWs eventually emigrated to America, with many returning as visitors or diplomats such as Rüdiger von Wechmar. Funke noted that humane treatment helped instill democratic ideals among prisoners even without formal reeducation programs.

Today, U.S. POW camps are mostly forgotten, although some ex-prisoners attained prominence in postwar Germany. Approximately 860 German POWs are buried across 43 sites in the United States, often cared for by local German heritage organizations. Even towns that once hosted these camps frequently lack awareness of their historical presence. Reunions involving former inmates, American guards, and community members have attracted media attention as a distinctive element of the WWII American home front experience.

There is at least one verified instance of U.S. authorities employing torture against German POWs. These camps later influenced discussions surrounding detainee treatment policies at Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp.

A total of 2,222 German prisoners managed to escape from U.S. camps; most were swiftly recaptured. Seven remained missing at the time of repatriation. Among them was Georg Gaertner, who fled in 1945 to avoid Soviet control over Silesia and lived covertly until 1985 under the name Dennis Whiles. After residing quietly across multiple states, he disclosed his true identity and became a naturalized American citizen in 2009, publishing a memoir entitled Hitler's Last Soldier in America.

External links

• Stibbe, Matthew: Enemy Aliens and Internment, featured in the 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War.
• Camp Atterbury — Italian and German Prisoner of War Facility (Indiana)
• Camp Algona POW Museum (Iowa)
• Byu.edu: Summary of World War I Prisoner of War Experiences
• Article regarding World War I POW camp at Fort McPherson — from Munsey's Magazine (1918).