The Men Behind the Swastika: German POWs in Northwestern Pennsylvania
Open Access
- Author:
- Lassiter, Anabella
- Area of Honors:
- English
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Amy Carney, Thesis Supervisor
Craig Andrew Warren, Thesis Honors Advisor
Joseph Michael Beilein, Jr., Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- Pennsylvania
Prisoners of War
Camp Reynolds
World War II
German POWs
Nazi Prisoners - Abstract:
- While everyone knows specific events that occurred in World War II—like Pearl Harbor and the Battle of the Bulge—there is a lesser known story that occurred on America’s home front, and that is the story of the German prisoners of war (POWs). In late 1941, the United States entered into a war, and already in 1942, American forces began to capture Axis POWs from battles in North Africa. These POWs were sent overseas to America where they were kept in POW camps. One of these POW camps was located in western Pennsylvania and was attached to a personnel replacement depot called Camp Reynolds. Through its four years of activity, Camp Reynolds would process and train over one million soldiers for the war and oversee 1,868 German and Italian POWs. Not only were these POWs treated with respect and care, but they were offered a great deal of opportunities in terms of entertainment and education. Additionally, the German POWs were used to help with the labor shortage in western Pennsylvania. Ultimately, these German POWs proved to be of great importance as their contributions to the labor force in the camp as well as at lumber mills, factories, and farms allowed companies and families to survive through trying times. The work these German POWs did would also put them face to face with the American people, who would have mixed reactions to the German POWs’ presence, creating a new and unique history that has yet to be fully revealed.