Don't Know Much About

POW Camps in the Great Plains

One of the more fascinating stories of our region is hiding in plain sight: Almost half a million Axis prisoners of war were housed in camps in America. And some were here in Sioux City.

POW camps existed in the Midwest, and close to half a million captured Axis soldiers would call America home for one to three years in this improbable turn of events. The camps existed throughout the Great Plains and deep into rural areas of America. The prisoners found it all almost beyond comprehension as they traveled for days on trains to reach their new lodgings.

Why haul them all the way to America? What did the camps look like? What was life like for the people in those camps?

Join me as we look back on this overlooked or perhaps ignored history of WWII coming into the heartland of America. We will see the maps of where the camps existed, hear the stories of the men as they remembered the camps, and what happened during their time in America. We'll discuss the work, the daily details, and the differences in the types of prisoners and their attitudes. And we will hear memories of those rural Americans and their memories of meeting these men.

Consider this - it is highly likely there are people in our class who met someone who was in one of these camps.

If you did - I hope you will share those memories with the people who attend. I know one person who will do so. Join me to see a completely different view of WWII - and how it changed the views of those who were involved in this aspect of the war.