Publisher description
Between 1943 and 1945 nearly fifty thousand German prisoners of war, mostly
from the German Afrika Korps, lived and worked at seventy POW camps across
Texas. Camp Hearne, located on the outskirts of rural Hearne, Texas, was one of
the first and largest POW camps in the United States. Now Michael R. Waters and
his research team tell the story of the five thousand German soldiers held as
POWs at that camp during World War II. Drawing on newspaper accounts and
official records from the time, an archaeological study of the site, and the
recollections of surviving POWs, guards, and local residents, Waters and his
team have constructed a detailed description of life in the camp: educational
opportunities, recreation, mail call, religious practices, work details, and
the food provided. Also revealed are the more serious issues that faced Americans inside the
POW compounds: illegal alcohol distillation, suicides, escapes, hidden secret
shortwave radios, and the subversion of postal services. Artifacts recovered
from the site and from the collections of local residents add concrete details.
Waters also discusses the national policies and motivations for the treatment
of prisoners that prescribed the particulars of camp life. The book reveals the
shadow world of Nazism that existed in the camp, adding darkness to a story
that is otherwise optimistic and in places even humorous. The murder of Cpl.
Hugo Krauss, a German-born, New York-raised volunteer in the German army, was
the most sinister and brutal example of Nazi activity. Captured in North Africa after service in Russia, Krauss was attacked seven
months later by six to ten fellow prisoners who beat him to death with clubs,
nail-studded boards, and a lead pipe. The dramatic recounting of the murder and
the ensuing investigation illustrate much about the underlying political
tensions of camp existence. Numerous photographs and drawings enrich Lone Star
Stalag's narrative, which will appeal to World War II historians and
archaeologists alike. Camp Hearne, Texas, was one of the first and largest POW camps in the
United States. Now Michael R. Waters and his research team tell the story of
the five thousand German soldiers held as POWs at that camp during World War
II..
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Lone Star Stalag: German Prisoners of War at Camp Hearne
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