|
|
Senior Crew
Posts: 217
| Subject: POW Camps
I listened to an excellent program today called Radio Lab, on NPR. The topic under consideration was POW camps in the U.S. during WWII. The main reporter, who was obviously quite young, described how surprised she was when she learned about the existence of those camps. That astonished me, as I previously had thought that everyone knew about them. I think it is a generational thing. Then, again, I have first hand knowledge about one such camp.
One of the main camps was located in my hometown of Clarinda, Iowa. Most of the prisoners were German and Italian, with a few Japanese sprinkled into the mix. Many of the prisoners were permitted to do farm labor for local farmers, for which they were paid a wage. I have heard that the local population bore very little animosity toward the prisoners. After the war, all the prisoners were repatriated, and the camp was turned into low-cost Veteran’s Housing. My father moved his young family into the housing when I was about 3, and we lived there for five years. |
|
| |
|
Senior Crew
Posts: 106
Location: Santa Fe, NM | Subject: RE: POW Camps
I'm living in a subdivision that previously was the site of a Japanese Internment Camp in Santa Fe, NM in WWII. |
|
| |
|
Plankowner
Posts: 9164
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: POW Camps
When I was a kid my barber was Italian. He had been taken prisoner in WW II and sent to the US. I don't remember where he said he where the camp was. He made a little money cutting hair in the camp and decided he liked it. He asked to stay after the war. His name was Tony! |
|
| |
|
Master and Commander
Posts: 1796
Location: Albany, GA. | Subject: RE: POW Camps
I think I remember the owner of Hymie's Ratskeller in Charleston was a German U-Boat POW who stayed after the war. |
|
| |
|
COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2672
Location: New Jersey | Subject: RE: POW Camps
There was a POW camp built during the war in a town I moved to in 1970. It housed German POW's. They had free run of the town after whatever work they performed during the day. The homes were later offered to the public for housing... |
|
| |
|
Master and Commander
Posts: 1890
Location: Patterson, New York | Subject: RE: POW Camps
My dad sailed in the Atlantic carrying troops, on a converted passenger liner, to North Africa and Europe.
On the return trip, they carried POWs, who in his opinion, seemed glad they were no longer being shot at by Americans.
|
|
| |
|
Master and Commander
Posts: 1602
| Subject: RE: POW Camps
I didn't know there were prison camps for Italians and Germans, I thought only Japanese mainly from California were held, mainly in our internment camps. Yet, if you were of Japanese descent and lived in Hawaii you weren't bothered.
Most of the Japanese kids I went to school with in the Los Angeles area had parents that had been held in these camps, and many got cheated out of land when they got to go home. I'm thinking the Germans and Italians were held were for crimes? After all, I don't remember Germans, or Italians being compensated for being in internment camps. Were the Germans and Italians locked up here found guilty of doing something other than being German, or Italian.
Edited by Gil 2019-04-14 9:04 AM
|
|
| |
|
Master and Commander
Posts: 1602
| Subject: RE: POW Camps
My dad got to sail on one of the Matson ships to or from the Philippine's during WWII - it was the only luxury cruise ship he ever got to go on.
|
|
| |
|
Senior Crew
Posts: 206
Location: Edina. MN | Subject: RE: POW Camps
The Japanese camps you are talking about were not for POW's, they were for US citizens who were of Japanese decent. They were ordered to leave their homes on the west coast and go to internment camps. They were not compensated for their lost property until approximately 1990. Many young men in the camps volunteered for the US army and served with honor in Italy and Europe. |
|
| |
|
Plankowner
Posts: 9164
Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: POW Camps
But we did have prisoner of war camps for Japanese troops who were captured or surrendered. I know one was in Hawaii. I can't really tell you where others were located but we had them. |
|
| |
|
Master and Commander
Posts: 1890
Location: Patterson, New York | Subject: RE: POW Camps
Look here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_prisoners_of_war_in_the_United_States
|
|
| |
|
Master and Commander
Posts: 2490
Location: East Coast of Wisconsin | Subject: RE: POW Camps
Right on Pete. Japanese people and those of Japanese descent were ordered to report to the Internment camps during WWII. Can't offer any reasoning for why they may have been more of a security threat than persons of German or Italian descent.
Just a guess but sentiment for the attack on Pearl was running high. I remember it well and the articles and cartoons in mags and papers helped fuel the sentiment, I'm sure.
Also seems people were a bit bummed about the Japanese invasion of China and all the people slaughtered ongoing essentially 3 years before Pearl. I believe that our government wanted to punish the Japanese for Pearl and the China thing.
A bit of history here:
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/WorldWar2/china.htm
Edited by Holland Club 2019-04-14 8:56 PM
|
|
| |
|
COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3667
Location: Kansas City Missouri | Subject: RE: POW Camps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_the_United_States
 (camp clark.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
 camp clark.jpg (157KB - 586 downloads)
|
|
| |
POW Camps
