Does anyone have any information about WWII POW camps in Texas?

Question

I chose WWII POW Camps in Texas for meh History Fair Project and I don't have that many resources, or much correct information. The theme for this year is "Conflict and Compromise," how can my topic relate to that?

I know there are some POW Camps in Texas but websites keep giving me information about German and Japanese camps, or veterans. Does anyone have any information on POW Camps in Texas?

Answer 1

The main POW camp for Germans in Texas was at Camp Hearne. It housed about 4800 German soldiers, most of them captured from Rommel's Afrika Corps in North Africa (the campaign from the first part of the movie PATTON). The camp was nicknamed "The Fritz Ritz" (Fritz is a common nickname in Germany and the Ritz is a luxury hotel).

From the book N A Z I P R I S O N E R S O F W A R I N A M E R I C A by Arnold Krammer (which you should get from your local library- if they don't have it, ask them to order it through Interlibrary Loan- it's free of charge and they'll know what you're talking about):

"At Camp Hearne, Texas, the Germans painstakingly constructed concrete replicas of old German castles - waist high - down to the detailed turrets and moats, and a curious visitor to the old camp site can still examine a medieval little schloss rising just above the weed tops in a corner of the empty landscape where the camp used to be." (Chapter 2, p. 39).

There are other excerpts on that page.

Answer 2

SEE THE ATTACHED LINK FOR A MORE COMPLETE LISTING.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_POW_camps_in_the_United_States