POW Camps in the U.S. During World War II: Background information when reading All the Little Hopes

POW Camps in the U.S. During World War II

This article relates to All the Little Hopes

In Leah Weiss's All the Little Hopes, the Brown family's North Carolina farm receives an influx of laborers in the form of captured German soldiers sent from the nearby prisoner-of-war (POW) camp. Some readers may be surprised to learn that there were many such camps in the United States during World War II, and that it was not uncommon for these men to be put to work just as Weiss describes.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, more than 400,000 prisoners captured from the armies of the Axis powers (Germany, Japan and Italy) by the Americans and British came to the United States to be detained in POW camps from 1942-1945. There were 155 base camps and 511 smaller branch camps located in 46 of the 48 states, though most were established in the rural areas of the South and Southwest. Because so many American men were fighting in the war (or had been killed while fighting), there was a significant shortage of labor on farms and in factories. Thus it made sense to put the prisoners to work, even if there was undoubtedly tension, if not outright violence, as a result of Americans working side by side with the enemy. The first camps were established in Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana and Missouri. California had the most camps of any state at 106. North Carolina had two large base camps of POWs held within the military bases at Fort Bragg and Camp Butner.

Conditions in the American POW camps, which were monitored by the International Red Cross to ensure the upholding of Geneva Convention protocols, were reportedly not unpleasant. Prisoners were afforded the same rations as American soldiers and had access to sports equipment, movies, books and even beer. Educational courses were also offered. They earned 80 cents per day for their labor (often paid in canteen coupons), which corresponded to the wages earned by ordinary farmers and factory workers at the time. Since they worked outside of camp, the prisoners had freedom to move about, and it was not uncommon for romance to develop between an American woman and a POW. It's also worth noting that the prisoners were permitted to eat in diners in the South that refused to serve Black customers.

While many were initially displeased with the prospect of working alongside the prisoners, Smithsonian quotes several who, like the Browns in All the Little Hopes, came to view the prisoners as people, deserving of respect at the very least. "Having a chance to be shoulder-to-shoulder with [the prisoners], you got to know them," one recalls. "They were people like us." All the Little Hopes features a marbles tournament with German prisoners, and this is not far from the truth, as one former prisoner told the Washington Post about frequent games of soccer while living in a California POW camp. The locals enjoyed watching the games so much that they bought the prisoners uniforms. Many of these prisoners were not Nazis (many were not even Germans), and those who were outspoken supporters of Hitler's regime were held in facilities separate from the general population. However, this system of organizing prisoners did not occur until later, and it was not perfect. There were multiple instances of prisoners being assaulted or killed in the camps by zealous Nazis who viewed those willingly going to work for Americans as traitors.

Not everyone was pleased about the POWs. There was considerable public furor over the kindnesses and luxuries afforded to the prisoners of the camps who were, after all, the enemy. One angry citizen wrote a letter to the government recommending, "Put them in Death Valley, chuck in a side of beef and let them starve."

German POWs board a train in Boston during WWII. Source: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This article relates to All the Little Hopes. It first ran in the September 22, 2021 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.