Description

VARIOUS AUTHORS.
Erinnerung an die Kriegsgefangenschaft. Aussprüche meiner Leidensgenossen in Amerika – U.S.
[Remembering the POW Camps. Notes from my Fellow Sufferers in America – U.S.]
Huntsville, Texas – Hartford, Michigan – Roswell, New Mexico – Axson, Georgia – Fort Bragg, North Carolina – Austria: June 3, 1943 – September 21, 1946.

 

During World War II, the United States established several POW camps for German soldiers to alleviate overcrowded facilities, mainly located in the UK.

This stunning memory book, entirely handmade by a POW of German or Austrian descent, contains entries recorded in various prison camps in the US.

The book is composed of thick paper and is bound by hand with linen strings. The hinges are reinforced with pieces of paper and linen, likely using medical tape. The binding is made from thin wooden boards covered with tan linen featuring a subtle texture, which may resemble fabric used for shirts. The covers are adorned with tasteful decorations in blue and bear the initials FB, identifying the owner as Franz B.

Following the title page, presented in German Gothic, the author depicts five POW camps in the United States where he was held between June 1943 and November 1945. His arrival at the camp in Huntsville, Texas, indicates that he likely participated in the North African Campaign, which occurred from June 10, 1940, to May 13, 1943, as the camp primarily housed prisoners following the surrender of the Afrika Korps. Additionally, at least one poem in the book references inmates who arrived in the U.S. from Africa.

The author presents and dates his staying in the US in following images:

1. Bergbrückstadt, Texas. Huntsville. June 3, 1943 – April 18, 1944.

With a view of the camp, hand-drawn in black ink and water colours, and an unstamped prison camp scrip attached to the bottom.

We could not find any references to the name Bergbrückstadt. It appears to be a name for the camp given by German speaking inmates.

 

2. Hartfort [i. e. Hartford], Michigan. May 1 – October 22, 1944.

With a view of the camp, hand-drawn in black ink and water colours, and an unstamped prison camp scrip attached to the bottom.

 

3. Roswell, New Mexico. October 28, 1944 – February 15, 1945.

With a view of the camp with Sierra Blanca Mountains in the background, hand-drawn in black ink and water colours, and an unstamped prison camp scrip attached to the lower bottom.

 

4. Axson, Georgia. March 30, 1945 – November 3, 1945.

With a view of the camp, hand-drawn in black ink and water colours, and an unstamped prison camp scrip attached to the upper part.

With a dedication by Willy Boxem in the lower margin, with adapted verses from Carmen.

 

5. Fort Bragg, North Carolina. February 18, 1945 – March- 28, 1945.

With a hand coloured printed mounted view of the camp, hand-drawn in black ink and water colours, and an unstamped prison camp scrip attached to the bottom.

 

The Entries

The entries, written by over 65 men mostly in verse form in German, primarily consist of quotations or variations of sayings and poems by well-known German authors, such as Goethe, Schiller, and Theodor Fontane, as well as excerpts from the opera “Carmen.”

The main themes focus on concepts like homeland (Vaterland), German identity, German pride, and friendship. Some of the texts contain variations on narratives that were utilized by extremist right-wing nationalism.

Each individual text is signed by the inmate who authored it and includes their name, surname, and home address, which can be used to locate the hometowns of the prisoners of war throughout Germany, Austria, and parts of Poland.

Some texts are accompanied by drawings, and four of them include black and white portrait photographs of the authors. The last dated text from the United States was written in Waycross, Georgia, on March 30, 1946. This text is followed by four inscriptions, which were likely made in Europe at an Allied Displaced Persons (DP) camp, where prisoners of war from various parts of the world were inscriptions were written by men who are already quoting their new address in the Czechoslovak Republic (ČSR).

The last dated entry was surprisingly written in Slovenian by a man named Slavko from Šoštanj pri Celju, Yugoslavia, now a part of Slovenia. After the invasion on Yugoslavia in 1941, this area became part of Germany, and many young men from that rural region were drafted into the German army without ever having learned to speak or write German properly.

This is the only preserved text that mentions the book owner’s name “Francl” (Franzl, Franz). The entry dated September 21, 1946, refers to returning home after three years and is the latest entry in the book. It was made in Austria, where local POWs were sent after the war. Due to delays in repatriating former German soldiers, it took up to 2-3 years to return the POWs from U.S. camps through the Allied-occupied zones to their countries after the war.

The fact that the owner of the book was sent to the army in 1943 and was already imprisoned by May of the same year indicates that he was drafted into the German army during the final stages of the North Africa Campaign.