This The U.S. Army built six major base camps and two dozen branch camps in Oklahoma. Oklahoma. POW camps eventually were set up in at least 26 counties and at times an estimated 22,000 POWs were held in Oklahoma. Two of the Initially most of the captives came from North Africa followingthe surrender of the Africa Korps. This to hold American soldiers. It opened in October 1944, and last appeared in the PMG reports on May 16, 1945. McAlester Alien Internment CampThis camp was located north of Electric Street and west of 15th Street on the north side of McAlester in what wouldlater become the McAlester PW Camp. Some 73 POWs and two enemy aliens, who died in the U.S., are buried in the old Post Cemetery at Fort Reno. It first appeared in the PMG reports on November 8, 1944, and last appeared on March 8, 1945. Fearing a Japanese invasion, the military leaders, under authority of an executive order, defined (Mar., 1942) an area on the West Coast from which all persons of Japanese ancestry were to be excluded. Borden General Hospital, Chickasha, (a branch of the Fort Reno camp) April 1945 to May 1945; 100. Virginia Prisoner of War Camps. camp was located north of the railroad tracks between 2nd and 3rd streets on the southeast side of Tipton on a Gruber, composer of "The Caisson Song." 11, 1943, but the closing date is unknown. Camp Gruber PW CampThis camp was located one mile north of Braggs on the west side of highway 10 and across the road from Camp Gruber.The first PWs were reported on May 29, 1943. September 1, 1944. The first PWs arrived on July 31, 1943, and it was closed on November 15, 1945. They were then Most of the POWs shipped to Maine, meanwhile, had already worked as cotton pickers in Louisiana the year before. A base camp, it had a capacity In November 15, 1987 Article in the Daily Oklahoman It shows a map of Oklahoma with the location of some POW and Interment Camp Headquarters dotted across the state of Oklahoma during World War II. Most of the land was returned to private ownership or publicuse. In 1973 and1982 2,560 acres and 6,952 acres, respectively, were added, for a total of 33,027 acres. The POW Camps in Oklahoma during World War II included: Alva (Camp), Woods County, OK (base camp) Bordon General Hospital, Chickasha, Grady County, OK (base camp) Glennan (James D.) General Hospital (PWC), Okmulgee, Okmulgee County, OK (base camp) (see POW General Hospital #1) Gruber (Camp), near Muskogee, Muskogee County, OK (base camp) The PWs cleared trees and brush from thebed of Lake Texoma which was just being completed. Built with haste beginning in late 1942, the 160-acre camp officially opened Jan. 18, 1943 - exactly 80 years ago. About 130 PWs were confined there. Prison Types: 1) Existing jail/prison; 2) Coastal fortification; 3) Old buildings converted into prisons; 4) Barracks enclosed by high fences; 5) Cluster of tents enclosed by high fences; 6) Barren stockades; 7) Barren ground. Branch camps and internments in Oklahoma included Waynoka, Tonkawa, Chickasha, Hobart, Tipton, Pauls Valley, Hickory,Stringtown, Tishomingo, Ardmore, Powell, Caddo, Konawa, Wewoka, Seminole, Wetumka, Okemah, Morris, Bixby, Porter,Haskell, Stilwell, Sallisaw, and Eufaula. During the train rides, given their files to carry with them wherever they went. As many as 20,000 German POWs were brought to Oklahoma during World War Two and held at eight main camps and about two dozen branch camps chosen for their remoteness from urban areas for security reasons. It was a branch camp of the Ft. Sill PW Camp and held 276 PWs. POWs received the same rations as U.S. troops, and the enlisted men's quarters inside and outside the compounds varied little in quality. About 200 PWs were confined LXIV, No. There were two escapes, probably the reason for the closing of the camp. Tipton (a branch camp of Fort Sill for die-hard Nazis) October 1944 to November 1945; 276. at the camp and one of them is still buried at Ft. Sill. The non-commissioned Germans did not have to work if they chose not to - which most of them didnt because they It held primarilyGerman aliens, but some Italian and Japanese aliens also were confined there. Thirteen PWs were confined there, and one man escaped. The presentation was sponsored in part by the Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum, which is currently hosting thetraveling Schindlers exhibit (until March 4), the Oklahoma Humanities Council and the National Endowment for theHumanities. Korps in Tunisia, North Africa. were the greatest risk out of all the prisoners. relocation center, in U.S. history, camp in which Japanese and Japanese-Americans were interned during World War II. There were three internment camps in Oklahoma a temporary camp at Fort Sill and permanent camps at McAlester and Stringtown. from this victory. Some PWs from the Chickasha Three separate internment camps were built at Ft. Sill. permanent camps were put under construction or remodeling at Alva, McAlester, Stringtown, Prisoners had friendly interaction with local civilians and sometimes were allowed outside the camps without guards on the honor system (Black American guards noted that German prisoners could visit restaurants that they could not because of Jim Crow laws. Reports ofnine escapes have been found. Eight base camps used for the duration of the war emerged at various locations. the Santa Fe Railroad's ice plant at Waynoka, cut underbrush and timber in the basin of Lake Texoma, served as 1, Spring 1986], Five Nazis Sentenced to Death For Killing Companion in State, Source: Daily Oklahoman Feb. 1, 1945 Page 1. There were two escapes, probably the reason for the closing of the camp. All POWs returned to Europe except those confined to military prisons or hospitals. included camps all over the United States.) Except at Pryor, German noncommissioned officers directed the internal activities of each compound. The devout Nazis among them were screened on arrival and sent to a higher security camp in Oklahoma. This camp was located at the fairgrounds on the south side of highway 62 east of Chickasha. Two PWs escaped. It hada capacity of about 6,000, but never held more than 4,850. It was closed because of its proximity to an explosives plant. The first two rules state '1. or at alfalfa dryers. Emil Minotti who was shot to death in an escape attempt. One was the alien internmentcamp that was closed after the aliens were transferred to a camp in another state; another was the one alreadymentioned; the third was built to hold PW officers, but was never used for that purpose and ended up as a stockadeto hold American soldiers. Originallya branch of the Alva PW Camp, it later became a branch of the Camp Gruber PW Camp. Eight PWs escaped, and two died at the camp, one being Johannes Kunze whowas killed by fellow PWs. These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. At the end of thetwentieth century Camp Gruber still served OKARNG as a training base for summer field exercises and for weekendtraining. A branch of the Camp Gruber PWs Camp,it held as many as 401 PWs at one time. Most of the Japanese prisoners were housed in the state's main POW camp at Camp McCoy - now Fort McCoy - near Tomah. [written by Richard S. Warner - The Chronicles of Oklahoma,Vol. The Army kept the prisoners contained and started educational programsto teach the Germans about democracy, civil liberties and other beliefs that our country was based upon. "The magazine continues: "Held from Jan. 17 to 18, 1944, the trial leaned over backward to be fair to the fivenon-commissioned officers accused: Walther Beyer, Berthold Seidel, Hans Demme, Willi Schols and Hans Schomer.The Geneva convention entitled them only to court appointed counsel, but in addition they were permitted a Germanlawyer, selected from among their fellow prisoners." A base camp for a number of branch camps, it had a capacity of 5,750, but the greatest number of PWsconfined there was 4,702 on October 3, 1945. The magazine adds Gunther also had been In addition, leaders in communities Copyright to all of these materials is protected under United States and International law. They were slums luxury ranging from the cities to the country. to death by court-martial for killing a fellow prisoner at Camp Tonkawa, Okla., Nov. 5, 1943, and are awaiting This leaders anticipated World War II, they developed plans for control of more than 100,000 enemy aliens living in Prisoners were routinely beaten, starved and abused and forced to work in mines and war-related factories in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions. PWs died in the camp, from natural causes and one from suicide. Okemah PW Camp Thiscamp, a branch of the Camp Gruber PW Camp, was located in the National Guard Armory on the northwest corner of6th and West Columbia streets on the north side of Okemah. Thiscamp was located five miles south of Pryor on the east side of highway 69 in what is now the Mid American IndustrialDistrict. They were thengiven their files to carry with them wherever they went. We are committed to publishing high quality poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction by established and emerging writers. Reportsof three escapes have been located. At each camp, companies of U.S. Armymilitary police patrolled perimeters, manned guard towers, escorted work detachments, and periodically searchedbarracks. Sadistic punishments were handed out for the most minor breach of camp rules. There were six major base camps in Oklahoma and an additional two dozen branch camps. were not to be treated as criminals, but as POWs - and these requirements distinguished the differences between About 300 PWs were confined at 2009 Williams Avenue in Woodward. After the war many buildings were sold and removed from the camp sites and some of these are , Did American soldiers shoot German prisoners? The camp was previously a sub-prison, established in 1933, to relieve overcrowding at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. The guards arrested the five men that had the most blood on them, according to Corbett, and the prisonerswere sent to Levinworth, where they were later hung. Guidelines mandated placing the compounds away from urban, industrial areas for security purposes, in regions with mild climate to minimize construction costs, and at sites where POWs could alleviate an anticipated farm labor shortage. The base camps were located in Alva, Fort Reno, Fort Sill, the Madill Provisional Internment Camp headquarters, McAlester and Camp Gruber. POW camps in Oklahoma were not uncommon during World War II. Konawa (a work camp from the McAlester camp) October 1943 to the fall of 1945; 80. for Allied soldiers, but ultimately all negotiations failed. Sources used: [written by Richard S. Warner - The Chronicles of Oklahoma, They were Walter Beyer, Berthold Seidel, Hans Demme, Hans Schomer, and Willi Scholz. The United States then were left with 275,000 German POWs The PWs cleared trees and brush from thebed of Lake Texoma which was just being completed. Reports seemto indicate that it opened in early July 1943, existing only for about one month. Authorities announced that the remains of a Durant native who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II have been identified.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.A news release says U.S. Army Air Forces Cpl. began a crash building program. deaths were reported - twenty-two PWs died from natural cause and six died as the result of battle wounds. The magazine adds Gunther also had beendenounced as a traitor. Reports of three escapes and This camp was located northwest of the intersection of Ft. Sill Boulevard and Ringgold Road on the Ft. Sill Military For more information about this and other programs and exhibits, contact the museum at 256-6136, or visit them In June 1942, Operation Torch - the invasion of Africa - began and in November of that same year, troops landedin Morocco and Algeria. Branch camps and internments in Oklahoma included Waynoka, Tonkawa, Chickasha, Hobart, Tipton, Pauls Valley, Hickory, The other POWs were able to go outside of camp was located at what is now Will Rogers World Airport at Oklahoma City. Civilian employees from the vicinity performed much of the clerical work. They picked such things as cotton and spinach and cleared trees and brush from the bed of what was to become Lake Texhoma. Thiscamp, located northwest of the intersection of North Oak and East Redwood streets on the north side of Sallisaw,did not appear in the PMG reports. The Oklahoma National Guard's Camp Gruber Maneuver Training Center is located 14 miles southeast of Muskogee, Oklahoma, on Oklahoma Route 10 in the Cookson Hills. Few landmarks remain. The men were foundguilty and sentenced to death. Reports seemto indicate that it opened in early July 1943, existing only for about one month. A branch of the Alva PW Camp, ithosed about 100 PWs. This The road is in an area called the POW Camp Recreation Area in the De Soto National Forest. be treated with the same respect in Europe. It was a branch camp of the Camp Gruber PW camp, and three PWs escapedonly to be recaptured at Talihini. It last appeared in the PMG reports on august 1, 1944. 26, 2006, Local residents, as well as visitors from both Kansas and Texas, took a step back Yodack is a website that writes about many topics of interest to you, a blog that shares knowledge and insights useful to everyone in many fields. The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program. Road on the east side of Okmulgee. It first appeared in the PMG reports on August 30, 1943, and last appeared on September 1, 1945.It started as a base camp, but ended as a branch of the Alva PW Camp. Manhattan Construction Company of Muskogee was awarded the building contract, and a work force of 12,000 men began construction in February 1942. a capacity of 500 and was generally kept full. It opened priorto August 30, 1944, and last appeared in the PMG reports on September 1, 1945. Camp Perry - Site renovated; once used as a POW camp to house German and Italian prisoners of WWII. , How did Camp Gruber in Oklahoma support the war effort? Clothed in surplus military fatigues conspicuously It first appeared in the PMG reports on November 1,1944, and last appeared on November 16, 1945. Subscribe Now. Desiring to stay in the US after the war, he began passing notes of information on German activitiesto the American doctor when he attended sick call. In the later months of its operation,it held convalescing patients from the Glennan General Hospital PW Camp. Article from the "Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture"from the OK Historical Society website. The POW camps were all constructed with the same lay-out and design. Eight PWs escaped from this camp, and four men died and are now buriedin the National Cemetery at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. The first PWs arrived on July 31, 1943, and it was closed on November 15, 1945. The camps in Oklahoma varied in size: Fort Reno consisted of one compound, Camp Alva five. The treatment of American and allied prisoners by the Japanese is one of the abiding horrors of World War II. Madill Provisional Internment Camp Headquarters. Eight PWs escaped from this camp, and four men died and are now buried This camp was located adjacent to the town of Gene Autry, thirteen miles northeast of Ardmore. It first appeared in Oklahoma Historical Society800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 | 405-521-2491Site Index | Contact Us | Privacy | Press Room | Website Inquiries, Get Updates in Your Inbox Keep up to date with our weekly newsletter delivered straight to your inbox. as ranch hands. is near Braggs at the location of the Camp Gruber PW Camp. A few buildings at Okmulgee Tech were part of the Glennan GeneralHospital PW Camp. Each compound held about 1,000 prisoners, divided into companies of about 250-men each. at some of the branch camps still stand, but it is difficult to imagine them as being used as a PW camp. PMG reports on November 1, 1945. and at Camp Gruber concrete and stone sculptures made by POWs are displayed. This There are still seventy-five PWs or enemy aliens buried in Oklahoma. Hospital PW Camp. The camps were located all over the US, but were mostly in the South, due to the higher expense of heating the barracks in colder areas. These incidents, combined with war wounds, Stilwell PW CampThis It is possible and sometimes an officers' club as well as a theater completed the camp. A branch of the Alva PW Camp, ithosed about 100 PWs. There were both branch and base POW camps in Oklahoma. Thiscamp was located at the Stringtown Correctional Facility, the same location of the Stringtown Alien InternmentCamp. It first appeared inthe PMG reports on August 16, 1944, and last appeared on November 16, 1945. During World War II federal officials located enemy prisoner of war (POW) camps in Oklahoma. 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Tonkawa PW CampThis Ultimately, more than 44,868 troops either served at or trainedat the camp, which also employed four thousand civilian workers and incarcerated three thousand German prisonersof war. mentioned; the third was built to hold PW officers, but was never used for that purpose and ended up as a stockade They remembered how they had been treated and trustedthe United States after that. The German officers still commanded their soldiers and ran the camps internally - they cooked their own meals,assigned soldiers to specific tasks, etc. Throughout the war German soldiers comprisedthe vast majority of POWs confined in Oklahoma. Records indicate eightyescapes took place, but authorities recaptured all fugitives. It first appeared in the PMG reports on November 8, 1944, and last appeared on March 8, 1945. Thirteen escapes were reported, and fivePWs died in the camp, from natural causes and one from suicide. The present camp coverseighty-seven square miles. Camp. on August 17, 1944, and it last appeared in the PMG reports on November 16, 1945. The 160-acre site contained more than 180 wooden structures for 3,000 German P.O.W.s, as well as 500 U.S. Army guard troops, service personnel and civilian employees. camp was located four miles east of Hickory at the Horseshoe Ranch. Around midnight, someone a branch of the Alva PW Camp, it later became a branch of the Camp Gruber PW Camp. prisoners because they accused him of giving army intelligence to the Americans (which he in fact did). Thiscamp, a work camp from the McAlester PW Camp, was located in the Municipal Building at the northeast corner ofMain and Evans streets in Seminole. During the 1929 Geneva Convention, It opened on April 29, 1943, and last appeared in the PMG reports onSeptember 1, 1944. It first appeared in the PMG reports on July 19, 1943, and last appeared on January 1, 1944. troops, and the enlisted men's quarters inside and outside the compounds varied little in quality. The Greenleaf Lodge area is under National Guard authority and is not part of Greenleaf Lake State Park. It held primarily POW Camp Alva OK. April 01, 2020 WWII Prisoner of War Camp - - Taken from the Okie Legacy It was called Nazilager (Nazi Camp) -- "The First 100 Years of Alva, Oklahoma" states that the Prisoner of War (POW) camp during WWII was best known to POW's in other camps as, 'Devil's Island' or the 'Alcatraz' of prisoner of war systems in the United States. Bob Blackburn, director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, which produces "The Chronicles," said the term was used to define an architectural style rather than the nationality of the prisoners housed there. during World War II. "The Nazis appeared entirely satisfied." , Why did the Japanese treat POWs so badly? there pending deactivation at the end of the war. The Geneva Convention of 1929, the international agreement prescribing treatment Opening on June 3, 1943, it closed in October or November, 1945.A base camp, it had a capacity of 4,920, but never held more than 3,000 PWs. On June 3, 1947, Camp Gruber was deactivated and soon became surplus property, with 63,920 acres placed The camp is but a memory, and the water tower is one of the . barracks. And, am I ever glad I did! camp, a work camp from the McAlester PW Camp, was located in the Municipal Building at the northeast corner of A few Kunze "a traitor to the Reich and to the fuehrer: because "some of them had seen a statement Kunze had German POW graves, Fort Reno Cemetery(photo by D. Everett, Oklahoma Historical Society Publications Division, OHS). Camp Ashby Highway Marker Dedication Watch on If you're curious to visit the site of the former POW camp, it's located at the Willis Furniture Store Complex. In a sense, this theory worked because although our troops were nottreated as good as we treated the German POWs, they were treated a lot better than the Russian and other POWsthat the Germans took as prisoners. During World War II federal officials located enemy prisoner of war (POW) camps inOklahoma. It first appeared in the PMG reports on June 16, 1944, and last appeared on July 8, 1944. Two Italian POWs hang out their laundry at Camp Weingarten in June 1943. May 23 1945, as a branch of Ft. Reno, confining 225 POWs and closed March 1, 1946. They wanted to catch the German Army in the middle, said Corbett. Japanese aliens whohad been picked up in midwestern and north central states, as well as in South and Central American, were confinedthere; it did not hold any of the Japanese-Americans who were relocated from the West Coast under Executive OrderN. The number of PWs confinedthere is unknown, but they lived in tents. 1943. During the 1929 Geneva Convention,specific guidelines were set concerning the humane conditions that were to be required for prisoners of war - theywere not to be treated as criminals, but as POWs - and these requirements distinguished the differences betweenthe two. 1, 1944, and last appeared on June 16, 1944, although it may have actually opened as early as May 1, 1944. The camp hada capacity of 500 and was generally kept full. houses. Pauls Valley (a mobile work camp from Camp Chaffee, Ark.) Submit a Correction Read in June 1964 No reports of any escapes have been 4 reviews of POW Camp Concordia Museum "A very quiet but important piece of Kansas' WW2 and agriculture history! The camp had a capacity of 600,but on May 1, 1944, there were only 301 PWs confined there. Oklahoma Genealogy Trails A Proud Member of the GenealogyTrails History GroupPrisioner of War Camps in OklahomaArticle from the "Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture"During World War II federal officials located enemy prisoner of war (POW) camps inOklahoma. The first PWs arrivedon August 17, 1944, and it last appeared in the PMG reports on November 16, 1945. at the military cemetery at Fort Reno. The cabin structure is the most visible and intact feature of this site. The camp was located on Highway 10, eighteen miles east of Muskogee, Oklahoma. of prisoners of war, permitted use of POWs as laborers. America's first POW in World War Two wasn't German, but Japanese. But Russian camps were among the most brutal, and some of their German POWs didn't return home until 1953. a base camp that housed only officer PWs with a few enlisted men and non-commissioned officers who served as their The Germanpropaganda had tried to convince them that the United States was on the verge of collapsing. 2. The Fort Sill camp was used for POWs for only a short time before being converted to a military stockade. American personnel guarding the compounds lived in similar quarters, but outside the fences. It hada capacity of about 6,000, but never held more than 4,850. the surrender of the Africa Korps. Richard S. Warner, indicate there were more than 30 active POW camps in Oklahoma from April 1943 to March 1946. one another about the war. in time Saturday afternoon while hearing a presentation by Dr. Bill Corbett, professor of history at Northeastern acres. A few concrete ammunition bunkers are the last remnants of the POW camp. This may have been the mobile work camp from the Camp Chaffee PW Camp Prisoner-of-war camps in the United States during World War II. by Kit and Morgan Benson). Prisoners who worked were paid 10-cents an hour. The Brits pushed the German troops out of Civilian employeesfrom the vicinity performed much of the clerical work. Because of this, PWs were in great demand as laborers. of the camp still stand, although not very many. OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA CITY -- This camp site is now Will Rogers World Airport. It opened on April 29, 1943, and last appeared in the PMG reports onSeptember 1, 1944.

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