WWII GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR CAMPS IN THE US, EMPHASIZING THOSE IN ALABAMA

OLLI of Greater Birmingham presents WWII German Prisoners of War Camps in the US, Emphasizing Those in Alabama with Joanne Bruer, retired history instructor, Jacksonville State University.

Some 435,000 POWs came to the U.S. to be interned during World War II. The presentation will give an in-depth look into the daily lives of the POWs, the American guards, and the local people. The prisoners ranged from staunch Nazis and battle- hardened veterans to draftees conscripted from the ranks of school-aged boys and civilians. Some were not even Germans, but men from countries allied with or annexed to Germany. They were individuals with varied hopes, dreams, and beliefs.