Even though they were enemies of the United States, POWs were
treated comfortably by the United States government. One labor camp built for
housing captured Germans, Opelika camp, in Alabama, was an extremely luxurious
compound. The captured German soldiers, all enlisted troops, were paid for their
labor. "The American military provided this payment in the form of scrip useable
only in the camp canteen. The Camp Opelika canteen proved a remarkably
profitable enterprise, enjoying a profit margin of 30 percent and in a single
month taking in $25,000 worth of prisoner scrip. Prisoners could also save their
pay and, at the end of the war, convert their savings into real currency"
(Hutchinson). With this pseudo-money earned through their labor, the soldiers
could purchase commodities available to the everyday citizen. "The camp canteen
also offered food items to prisoners, such as sweets, chocolate, Coca-Cola, and
even beer. Canteens also sold various hygienic supplies like razors, toothpaste,
and combs, and "luxury" items such as tobacco products and the pipes, lighters,
and other paraphernalia required for the prisoners' widespread smoking habit"
(Hutchinson).
The POW camps in Iowa provided a storage place for POWs and a
way to farm the dying crops. The local citizens, at first fearful of the influx
of “feral” German warriors, gradually warmed up to them. “The Germans were
extremely hard workers, and it didn't take the farmers long to realize the
German boys looked a lot like their own. Many of the POWs became part of the
family, and one man was ticketed for bringing his POW to a public restaurant for
a meal” (William). A captured soldier would work for the country, filling the
large worker gap by terraforming for the United States government. "The American
military, like all other combatant nations during World War II, used POW labor
to ameliorate the manpower shortages caused by wartime mobilization.
Particularly in the South, the agriculture and lumber industries used prisoner
labor" (Hutchinson).
The POWs were even allowed contact with their old friends in
Germany, albeit screened for military secrets, and when Allied soldiers came to
accept surrenders, there was no shortage of applicants. “Many German soldiers
who corresponded with their POW friends heard about this treatment and weren't
reluctant to surrender when the time came”
(William).
German POWs were treated better in American camps than at home
in Germany. “"By and large, they were fed better than they would have been in
Germany, and they were treated better than they would have been in Germany,"
Timm said” (William). One prisoner wrote to his family; "Today we have 3 large,
fat pancakes and an omelet just as a side dish. Though food is not the most
important thing it gladdens me. To me it is very important as I live just as on
vacation" (Hutchinson). You could even say that the German POWs ate better than
the American troops on the front lines.
treated comfortably by the United States government. One labor camp built for
housing captured Germans, Opelika camp, in Alabama, was an extremely luxurious
compound. The captured German soldiers, all enlisted troops, were paid for their
labor. "The American military provided this payment in the form of scrip useable
only in the camp canteen. The Camp Opelika canteen proved a remarkably
profitable enterprise, enjoying a profit margin of 30 percent and in a single
month taking in $25,000 worth of prisoner scrip. Prisoners could also save their
pay and, at the end of the war, convert their savings into real currency"
(Hutchinson). With this pseudo-money earned through their labor, the soldiers
could purchase commodities available to the everyday citizen. "The camp canteen
also offered food items to prisoners, such as sweets, chocolate, Coca-Cola, and
even beer. Canteens also sold various hygienic supplies like razors, toothpaste,
and combs, and "luxury" items such as tobacco products and the pipes, lighters,
and other paraphernalia required for the prisoners' widespread smoking habit"
(Hutchinson).
The POW camps in Iowa provided a storage place for POWs and a
way to farm the dying crops. The local citizens, at first fearful of the influx
of “feral” German warriors, gradually warmed up to them. “The Germans were
extremely hard workers, and it didn't take the farmers long to realize the
German boys looked a lot like their own. Many of the POWs became part of the
family, and one man was ticketed for bringing his POW to a public restaurant for
a meal” (William). A captured soldier would work for the country, filling the
large worker gap by terraforming for the United States government. "The American
military, like all other combatant nations during World War II, used POW labor
to ameliorate the manpower shortages caused by wartime mobilization.
Particularly in the South, the agriculture and lumber industries used prisoner
labor" (Hutchinson).
The POWs were even allowed contact with their old friends in
Germany, albeit screened for military secrets, and when Allied soldiers came to
accept surrenders, there was no shortage of applicants. “Many German soldiers
who corresponded with their POW friends heard about this treatment and weren't
reluctant to surrender when the time came”
(William).
German POWs were treated better in American camps than at home
in Germany. “"By and large, they were fed better than they would have been in
Germany, and they were treated better than they would have been in Germany,"
Timm said” (William). One prisoner wrote to his family; "Today we have 3 large,
fat pancakes and an omelet just as a side dish. Though food is not the most
important thing it gladdens me. To me it is very important as I live just as on
vacation" (Hutchinson). You could even say that the German POWs ate better than
the American troops on the front lines.