The worst massacre at a US POW camp happened as what could only be described as a spree shooting on July 8th, 1945. This is that story. InRange is entirely viewer supported, please consider it: / inrangetv
@@FranciscoPerez74 doesn't seem "clarified" enough to not have a complete model copy, and memorial Not to mention be buried with respect in our own cemeteries.
They werent soldiers anymore. They weren't fighting, hell they didnt even have any weapons to defend themselves! It was a despicable case of mass murder.
@@peterthepeter7523 Most german soldiers were normal people who had to fight in the war. My grandfather definitely was no mass murderer. What happened at Camp Salina was a tragedy.
@@peterthepeter7523 And how does your ideology differ from fascism? You would have swallowed that nazi propaganda with hook, line, and rod. If you were born to Germany in those days.
Dang Karl, that got pretty deep. You seemed emotionally moved by simply being there, reflecting on the past. Good show Sir. I always love the history lessons. Outstanding work, keep it up.
This reminds me of a story my father told me, of a POW incident even more obscure than this, as in, I can find no record of it at all. My father was for a time a POW camp guard in Luisiana, probably 1942 or 1943. I do not know which camp it was although he did describe it as being in a deeply rural area. He was probably assigned there due to his fluency in Italian (first generation American); it was a camp for Italian army officers who had been captured while serving in the Afrika Corps. It was apparently a practice to take the prisoners in groups outside the wire for walks or hikes on the local roads for exercise, in the company, of course, of a guard. One day my father was escorting such a group of around 15 POWs when, suddenly, they surrounded him at a lonely spot on some dirt road. They announced their intention to escape, saying they knew Dad had only 7 rounds in that 1911 he was carrying, and, "you can't shoot us all." He replied that in fact he wasn't going to shoot any of them. He pointed out the folly of their intended escape, and asked "why?." Being Italians, the reply was, of course, "we hate the food!" With that they ran off. My father returned to the camp and reported to his C.O. that his prisoners had bolted and that he had chosen to avoid bloodshed. The C.O. said "Sgt, you did the right thing. They'll be back". Sure enough, several days later the sheepish, hungry, chigger ridden and mosquito bitten POWs returned to the gate, after having lived on raw vegetables stolen from local fields. My Dad never mentioned any repercussions for him stemming from this. He was later selected for an Army advanced study program at Stanford University, a sweet gig cut short by the German Ardennes offensive. He found himself handed back his bazooka and sent to Europe as a replacement in the 97th Inf. Div., taking part in some fighting in the Ruhr and in southern Germany. When the European war ended he was in what later became Czechoslovakia, about 20 miles from Pilsen. Dad is gone although he made it to 92 years of age. We have some pictures that some of the Italian prisoners gave him when, presumably, he was reassigned. One picture is of two of them taking a break on the frontal armor of their tank, clearly in North Africa. There is one snapshot of a German officer; the prisoner wrote on the back "Gen. Rommel visits" if I remember correctly. Another is inscribed on the back, in Italian, "with warm regard, to my friend Joe". So much has been lost to history by the passage of time.
"He replied that in fact he wasn't going to shoot any of them. He pointed out the folly of their intended escape, and asked "why?." Being Italians, the reply was, of course, "we hate the food!" With that they ran off" I will share this story with everyone from now on
You'd think soldiers would carry at least a smg to accompany more than a dozen POW's. Also, did the italians take his stuff? If I wanted to escape from a POW camp like that, I'd like to have a few bucks and a 1911 if possible.
@Lord Admiral Spire If the soldier had nothing but a 1911, chances are he'd have it holstered. Especially with WW2 holsters, there's no way he'd get to the pistol fast enough to shoot. These POW camps often were quite far in the wilderness, so to get out of there a pistol to hunt or maybe force somebody to drive you would be very useful. Also, if you don't know anybody in that region, without money you're pretty much fucked.
Thank you for posting this. My Father was a Scots Guards senior NCO and fought in WW2. He told us he was once ordered to shoot one of his own lot because the guy had completely lost it and was armed and preventing them from getting to their ammo store. There was little or no attempt to "talk the guy down" as the situation was changing constantly. We didn't ask for anymore war stories after that.
Oh I'm subscribed and dig everything you do, just that the vignette episodes provided a history lesson I hadn't received before. Sorry if I came off as disrespectful :)
Here are a few books everyone should have read: Gustave Le Bon: Psychology of the Masses (1895) WALTER LIPPMANN: PUBLIC OPINION (1921) Theodore N. Kaufman: Germany must perish (1941) Earnest Hooton: Hooton Plan (1943) Louis Nizer: What to do with germany (1944) Dr. Michael F. Connors: Dealing in Hate. The Development of Anti-German Propaganda. (1966, 1979, 1996) Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military (Modern War Studies) (2002) Professor R. M. Douglas: "Orderly And Humane" (2013) The London Cage: The Secret History of Britain's World War II Interrogation Centre (2017) A nudge from the nuermberg trials and other trials like the malmedy trial (not to forget Katyn): International military tribunal charter Article 19 "the tribunal shall not be bound by technical rules of evidence..." Article 21 "The tribunal shall not require proof of facts of common knowledge but shall take judicial notice thereof" It is known by now that prisoners and defendents have been tortured to get confessions. How is it that you risk jail in european countries for things that israeli history prof Yehuda Bauer states since atleast 1992 ? A lot of hidden history out there. There is a lot more (e.g. the cooperation of the UK, US and sowjets, in Titos HQ when it was raided there were UK and US soldiers training partisans while the sowjets trained political commissars). If anyone want`s to learn more (especially in regards to the US "hidden" involvment) let me know.
@@asillycryptid7235 I don’t see what he could have misconstrued as disrespectful. I like and support the channel too, but goddamn if people skills aren’t lacking at times. I know it’s unreasonable to always expect politeness and friendliness, but often he’s just straight up rude.
Never heard about that spree shooting. Absolutely terrible. That cemetary is a great reminder that no matter who you are, what flag you're under, and no matter who you hate...we're all humans, bound for the same dirt. Thanks, Karl.
Tyler Beecher sadly hate for other seems to be accepted..apparently forgeten or unaware that founders of this country escsped or were kicked out of every existing country that existed at that time..case in point trump ..grand father frederic trump was deported from baveria germany
@Stale Bagelz Why is the death sentence wrong? Every other type of person from presidents to babies has paid the ultimate price for crimmals and you mean to tell me a murderer shouldn't? I think that produces an unfair advantage.
@Thirsty Sexpert You Sir just disqualified yourself, by not knowing even the most basic articles of war. Laws and Customs of War on Land (Hague IV); October 18, 1907 Convention IV Chapter II Article 7 & 8: Art. 7. The Government into whose hands prisoners of war have fallen is charged with their maintenance. In the absence of a special agreement between the belligerents, prisoners of war shall be treated as regards board, lodging, and clothing on the same footing as the troops of the Government who captured them. Art. 8. Prisoners of war shall be subject to the laws, regulations, and orders in force in the army of the State in whose power they are. Any act of insubordination justifies the adoption towards them of such measures of severity as may be considered necessary. Escaped prisoners who are retaken before being able to rejoin their own army or before leaving the territory occupied by the army which captured them are liable to disciplinary punishment. Prisoners who, after succeeding in escaping, are again taken prisoners, are not liable to any punishment on account of the previous flight. --- If you don't know what you're talking about, how about asking?
Not once have I ever heard about this incident. Thank you for having the courage to bring up this kind of topic. And thank you for showing the victims the respect they deserve.
A 'soldier' gets into a guard tower, open fire at sleeping pow's with a belt fed machine gun, months AFTER the war ends, and they have to ask if he is insane? Really?
As an American, this sickens me. That was Murder, pure & simple. He should have been hanged. Bragging about it beforehand says it all. My Grandfather was a cook in the C.C.C. Because he knew how to cook for large group's of men, he would serve as a cook in WW2, even in his mid thirty's. December 1944, on the North Shoulder of "the Bulge", they had to abandon their vehicle's, & walk out to escape encirclement by German Force's. After feeding his company all they eat, & giving them all the food they could carry, he destroyed his field kitchen, picked up a Garand rifle, & spent the next 6 week's on the frontline. He was 36 at that time. Only after the Battle of the Bulge ended, & they pulled back to refit, did he return to being a cook. The Army had listed him as "missing & presumed dead or captured" during that time. The truth was, in the confusion of it all, the Company Commander had failed to put him on the Company Roster. The mistake was only discovered when the Battalion Major was inspecting the troops a week after pulling out of the line. "No wonder I haven't had a good meal since mid December!" he quipped, "Fallout, you're with me, Sergeant." (Grandpa was an E6 "Staff Sergeant". But was promoted after this. He came home a "First Sergeant" E7) He arrived State-side three day's after his 37th birthday on 2 September of 1945. Interestingly, that was the day Japan Surrendered. "Best Birthday present I ever got!" Grandpa always said.
@Howard Pringnitz Ex-Army here. Three bars and three rockers is Master Seargent E-8 but three bars with three rockers with a diamond in the middle is a First Seargent also E-8. A First Seargent is the highest enlisted in the unit and basically controls the unit (as the officer of the unit tells him, which the officer is the Captain).
@M Detlef ; Never said it was! I had a great-uncle there; aboard the USS SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38). He spent the whole war on that ship. He went through two major surface fleet battles at Guadalcanal. But he never spoke of it. May I suggest the book "Neptune's Inferno" for an excellent account of these battles. I had another great-uncle that fought in the Mediterranean Campaign. And another in the Battle of the Atlantic escorting convoys to the UK. I never discounted ANYONE'S service. But what happened here, with the war OVER was a disgrace. This was a crime.
It sounds as though this guy had issues from the beginning and that's why the military did not assign him to a combat role. They didn't hold men from combat too easily back then so it's apparent they knew he was a "bit off". Realizing this they should have just rejected him from any military service whatsoever. This was a very tragic event that many of us are only hearing about almost 75 years later. It's easy for us all to Monday morning quarterback the situation but it was a different time, with a different political and social climate and there were far more serious issues involving the US then there is today.
The guy would probably have lashed out some other way if he didn't get to stand guard at the camp. Skinwalker. Every death is a tragedy in it's own. Nothing honorable about shooting unamed POWs.
@Stian Myrdal Laursen take off the "American" and I'll agree with you, but only because there are bad people everywhere. I'd rather be captured by US forces than Daesh...
@Stian Myrdal Laursen *sigh* and your empirical evidence for this is? You clearly have no idea of the nature of war and people. Stop broadcasting your ignorance.
I've heard a number of stories of German POW's being sent to the midwest and used as farmhands. These prisoners ended up falling in love with the land and their job as it reminded them so much of home. When the war ended and it was time to go back to Germany many of them didn't want to leave and were just fine with staying and becoming an American.
@Katarina Love Allied POWs endured far worse in German and especially Japanese camps. Many POWs in the US were glad to be here, and were treated far more humanely.
You can find out more about that by researching the Camp Algona POW museum, there many of the POWs would work in farms and food processing in the local area. Legend goes that one of the POWs was told by the farmer he worked for that if he came back after the war and worked for the farmer He'd pass the farm to as his heir. He made it back to America after the war but settled in Louisiana and didn't make it back to Iowa to claim his inheritance. Camp Algona being more Northern had different conditions for the POWs as they lived in Barracks much like shown n this video. Other tales about Camp Algona is one German POW was able to meet a 1/2 brother he'd never seen before and a group of German POWs made a Life sized nativity set as a gift for the people of Algona, it is still displayed at Christmas to this day. This reinforces the Western concept of chivalry that sets the waring class apart from society with both privileges and responsibilities to the larger society.
I had wonderful friends and neighbors who stayed in Utah from both POW and Japanese Internment Camps. I learned quiet truths and real stories, that no one could either write or talk about openly. Little of it was anything that the public was ever told about. Little we've ever been told about has been the truth.
This is called "stochastic terrorism" and is a major thing in the US right now en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_wolf_(terrorism)#Stochastic_terrorism See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_no_one_rid_me_of_this_turbulent_priest%3F
my family is half German..... half native american idk..... i dont think a VAST majority of Americans hate ANY nationality.... shit that happened 70 years ago is long past my family fled germany during some time in ww2..... one of my great grandmothers cursed the US GIs marching down a street in new york city... in german which caused her sisters to tell to "shut the fuck up or you will get us killed" settled down on a homestead in montana..... idk.... germany is one of our allies..... we buy lot of cars/car parts form ya like.... the average person might not know it... but the US needs germany (and im sure we import cool stuff into germany) id love to see the world realize that we are are SO DAMN similar....... that hating another race/nationality is just stupid
hell..... so many germans settled in this area of montana...... we have a yearly "Schmeckfest"..... where everyone brings traditional food, and we all pig out
I recently went to the Baltic states, and saw the German and Russian graves on Saaremaa. That was emotional. There's a quiet little graveyard there, with neat rows of markers, and there are quite a lot of them but it's not a vast field of them stretching into the distance or anything. Then you get close enough to read the inscriptions. s300.photobucket.com/user/Sableagle/media/Baltics%202018/P8070354%20War%20grave_zpswpudrepl.jpg.html?sort=9&o=115 "Wilhelm Guhlke 11.07.23 - 15.10.44, Johann Krell 11.06.06 - 20.10.44, three unknown German soldiers." s300.photobucket.com/user/Sableagle/media/Baltics%202018/P8070358%20War%20grave_zpsntz9w2kk.jpg.html?sort=9&o=119 "Four unknown German soldiers." s300.photobucket.com/user/Sableagle/media/Baltics%202018/P8070359%20War%20graves_zpssp2w6pqt.jpg.html?sort=9&o=120 "Eight unknown German soldiers, Hermann Grüschow 21.06.10 - 09.10.44, Helmut Hackbusch 05.12.24 - 08.10.44, Gerhard Henke 10.12.24 - 08.10.44, Oskar Schaefer 23.12.05 - 09.10.44" One grave marker, 12 bodies, and eight mothers who never knew where their sons' bodies lay. *Then* you take another look at the field. Then you read the slabs standing in the centre of the field: the names of the soldiers whose bodies were never found. s300.photobucket.com/user/Sableagle/media/Baltics%202018/P8070359%20War%20graves_zpssp2w6pqt.jpg.html?sort=9&o=120 s300.photobucket.com/user/Sableagle/media/Baltics%202018/P8070361%20German%20war%20dead_zpsp3squew6.jpg.html?sort=9&o=122 The Russians did at least get to put all the names on the graves of their soldiers: s300.photobucket.com/user/Sableagle/media/Baltics%202018/P8070364%20Russian%20war%20graves_zpsh4oe7ehe.jpg.html?sort=9&o=125 ... "Oh, Willie McBride, it all happened again."
Love the humor Karl brings to videos, but I love how seriously and reverently he treats the topics in these videos. They’re one of my favorite things on the channel
Always seems to be that cowards always conducts atrocities such as this. There's no excuse for mowing down POWs especially if their home country is no longer in hostilities with yours
Same thing happened as German POWs who were being repatriated to Germany from Russia, only to be shot by East Block soldiers as they travelled back by trains.
Wow, I had never heard of this event before. So sad that these men, while POWs during the war, were alive after the war and had their lives taken in a senseless shooting.
@Heathen Wolf Whataboutism at its finest. Stuff like this is bad when *anyone* does it. Trying to single out Jewish people, or any ethno/religious group is abhorrent. Exceptionalism is a lie. In my libertarian socialist heart, it is rare that I find something from the American revolution to be inspiring. But the quote, "Tyranny is tyranny, let it come from whom it may", is one that does those American folk a great credit. It doesn't matter what flag, race, religion, or what ever else, someone bears or represents. If they're doing something unjust, they're doing something unjust. Never pledge undying loyalty to anything or anyone, including yourself. Always evaluate and re-evaluate. It's the only way to be anything close to right.
But still sucks for any Soldier that's forced into service against their will or swayed by the propaganda of their government the fight for a cause that may or may not be just, only to be captured and eventually killed with no way to defend themselves.
Life is so fragile. These 9 men were close to being free from the grip of war, only to have it snatched away in an instant by one guy filled by blind hatred and resentment. We should choose to make the best of our situation, live life to its fullest, and be thankful for every day we are given with our family and friends.
Noise Pollution "lmfao"? You laugh your fucking ass off at the thought of sleeping men being machine gunned by a drunken psychopath? Sounds like you've taken way too many faultless empire pills and are running a few quarts low on empathy and critical thinking skills...
@Noise Pollution If the men that this maniac murdered were themselves war criminals, for which no evidence has been produced, then you punish according to the law following conviction at trial. Murdering sleeping POWs in their beds after the war is over is itself a war crime.
@Noise Pollution They didnt start the war their politicians did and many axis troops were draftees Hell all the diehard nazis tried to take a no surrender approach. The fact they were even prisoners says they were most likely draftees who surrendered to GTFO of the war
The name sounds Italian if I am wrong I apologize, so he murdered his country men or at least distantly related. Really really sad. I read about the massacre of German and Italian prisoners by two Sgt.s under Patton's command and Patton tried to hush it up. One of the Sgt's was tried and acquitted but died when he went back into battle. Not sure about the other Sgt, just goes to show what history has been buried. Thanks for the informative video. Take care and stay well.
Well done Karl, these are without a doubt my favorite part of InRangeTV. Your take on forgotten history has brought to me knowledge I probably would never have learn about in any other way.
Here are a few books everyone should have read: Gustave Le Bon: Psychology of the Masses (1895) WALTER LIPPMANN: PUBLIC OPINION (1921) Theodore N. Kaufman: Germany must perish (1941) Earnest Hooton: Hooton Plan (1943) Louis Nizer: What to do with germany (1944) Dr. Michael F. Connors: Dealing in Hate. The Development of Anti-German Propaganda. (1966, 1979, 1996) Hitler's Jewish Soldiers: The Untold Story of Nazi Racial Laws and Men of Jewish Descent in the German Military (Modern War Studies) (2002) Professor R. M. Douglas: "Orderly And Humane" (2013) The London Cage: The Secret History of Britain's World War II Interrogation Centre (2017) A nudge from the nuermberg trials and other trials like the malmedy trial (not to forget Katyn): International military tribunal charter Article 19 "the tribunal shall not be bound by technical rules of evidence..." Article 21 "The tribunal shall not require proof of facts of common knowledge but shall take judicial notice thereof" It is known by now that prisoners and defendents have been tortured to get confessions. How is it that you risk jail in european countries for things that israeli history prof Yehuda Bauer states since atleast 1992 ? A lot of hidden history out there. There is a lot more (e.g. the cooperation of the UK, US and sowjets, in Titos HQ when it was raided there were UK and US soldiers training partisans while the sowjets trained political commissars). If anyone want`s to learn more (especially in regards to the US "hidden" involvment) let me know.
Im gonna give you a like, not because I condone what happened, but I have never heard of this and you went over all the important details, this is great historical content I wan't to hear about more obscure military stories.
Those poor guys made it through the war alive only to be murdered in their beds while waiting to go home to their families or start a new life in the US. A sad but poignant bit of history. I'm glad this channel shone some light on it.
Unfortunately it is not uncommon for misfit soldiers in most armies to end up as POW guards. Bertucci spent 24 years in mental asylum ...... at a time when mental asylums were pretty hellish places.
@ll250ll Yes, Bertucci. When military organizations are inundated with draftees they often end up with a class of soldiers just barely good enough not to get tossed out or tossed in the brig. Many times they end up assigned to "non essential" duties like warehouse work or POW guards or custodial work. Not everyone who does this work is a "bad apple" but these jobs have been known to be dumping grounds for COs with soldiers who are round pegs in a organization of square holes.
OUTSTANDING video !!!!!! These nuggets of history that are generally not well known are extremely interesting. The memorial in place for POW's shows the class in which the people of the US once had. Now our own people are tearing down statues and memories of our own Civil War. All of these things are a part of history and tearing them down or destroying them are not going to change history, they are only going to make it harder for those that come after us to learn from that history, whether those involved were good or bad. We remember these things to not only honor those that answered the call for their nations but also to learn from history and hopefully, not repeat the same mistakes.
My grandpa was a POW in France under American command and my friends grandpa was a POW in the US, they were definitely on one of the better receiving ends. something like this fueled by pure hatred is just tragic.
Yeah, us Americans seemed to have the best conditions for POWs for the most part. Im not just trying to use the whole "American exceptionalism" bullshit but there were many reasons why prisoners were treated pretty well. In my opinion it had to do with the HUGE abundance of food in america compared to the rest of the world for one, and most Americans never really got the chance to absolutely hate the germans like the Russians did
@@Legitpenguins99 yeah i thought something like that too. economic stability and not holding a major grudge against someone largely contributed to this
@@Legitpenguins99 It's a really good thing to have going for you as a nation. For the enemy to know that if they give up, they will be treated well is a hell of a tool to have in one's arsenal. It's much better to have prisoners than enemies. Too bad we shit on that in Iraq and will never be trusted again. Well, maybe white people, but not brown. If you are brown, the U.S. is waterboard town!
@@ianobrien3248 i agree with what your saying about a good incentive for the ememy to know they will be treated well (although there was a widespread rumor on D day that Americans killled their prisoners) but the dishonorable amd horrible treatment of POW in recent years has nothing to do with race. It has to do with our massive change in foreign policy
I ran across a reference to this massacre and started reading up on it just a few days ago. Thanks for helping to bring important but almost forgotten history to light, Karl.
Wow. I’ve lived in Utah my whole life and had never heard about this! Might have to drive down to Salina sometime to check this out. What an interesting piece of history. Thanks for sharing the story Karl
My grandfather (german) was a POW in Georgia.. might have been in this camp..he always said, that these years were among the best in his life.. he was treated WWAAYYY better than in the german army... The fact that the murdered soldiers were buried with full military honors so shortly after this horrendous war in which germany commited so many crimes is admirable!
That takes principle to say, many would like to use these isolated events to condemn the US wholesale, but the truth is that it was just the tragic actions of a madman. Though as an American I would have preferred we hung that son of a bitch from the guard tower in view of the POWs he tried to slaughter, that would have solidified our commitment to the humane treatment of POWs and given those survivors peace of mind that we value their lives as we do our own. Still in the grand scheme of things we did a damn good job taking care of POWs, especially compared to other powers in the war. For that, I am extremely proud to be an American.
Thank you very much for sharing this piece of history, totally unknown to the most of us here in Europe. Greeting from Germany. And even thank you much more for showing your respect to this poor guys.
After returning from Vietnam in 1969 I was sent to Fort Devens, Ma. One day we had a ceremony at the military cemetery . While there I noticed seven German graves, together with the American graves. I later learned that POWs were held at fort Devens during WWII and any that passed away were buried with honors along with American solders.
Thank you for bringing to light such an important yet so easily forgotten piece of history. Please keep pulling up these moments of history so we don't forget. All they could do is build a statue to be remembered by. You have the power to make thousands see it.
Very interesting man. Personally I never knew this and that's why i love this channel. We all need to remember the history of our nation and of keep the history going! Thanks for always having great content sir.
In case anyone was wondering during WWII the Allied intriptation of the Geneva convention they tried to inter POWs in a climate similar to the one they were captured in. So Axis troops captured in North Africa were placed in desert locations in the US. Treatment varied from camp to camp at some the POWs were allowed to go into town and socialize. At others they were much more strict.
www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/03/former-german-pow-leaves-384000-to-scottish-village-in-will www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwtwo/german_pows_01.shtml Clement Attlee's post-war government deliberately ignored the Geneva Convention by refusing to let the Germans return home until well after the war was over. During 1946, up to one fifth of all farm work in Britain was being done by German POWs, and they were also employed on road works and building sites. Fraternisation between the soldiers and the local population was strictly forbidden by the British government, and repatriation progressed extremely slowly. Then the ban on fraternisation was finally lifted - just in time for Christmas 1946. In towns across Britain, many people chose to put the war behind them and invite German POWs to join them for a family Christmas - the first the men had experienced in years. In Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire, one Methodist minister, Mr Howe, asked his congregation whether they'd like to invite a German POW to their homes for Christmas day. The response was warm-hearted and generous. Sixty POWs found themselves in private homes that day. Mary Clarke, who worked at a typewriting bureau in the town, and her family took in two prisoners. As did Fred Haworth, recently returned from six years in the RAF: 'No-one could speak English, and we couldn't speak German. But we managed, with a bit of sign language and pointing at this and that. Language is no barrier sometimes.' 24,000 decided to stay in Britain. Hans Siegfried Vallentin was one of these. Like many of the others, he'd been a keen supporter of Hitler. He'd even lied about his age to get into the Luftwaffe. He was only 17 when he was shot down and taken prisoner. But now, three years later, he didn't want to go back home. He'd fallen in love with Irene, a local Oswaldtwistle girl. They still live in Oswaldtwistle and have five children, eleven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
@Lord Admiral Spire Who said that Afrika Corps were North Africans? I said similar not exact. Obviously no one even a native of North Africa would want to in the extremes of that environment with no shelter or relief. They were to be kept in a "moderate" climate with neither extreme and so they did try to match them with a moderate climate area similar to the location captured. Furthermore any military personnel must adapt to the given environment that they fight in and Germans of that time period were very stoic in general and adapted quickly to North Africa. We are not talking about whinny smart phone obsessed 20 somethings. You clearly need to read some memories of Afika Korps members because you have grossly underestimated thier ability to adapt.
Prisoners from the Afrika Korp were put in prison camps all across the United States and in Canada, and climate wasn't a consideration what so ever. But your second statement is correct.
We didn't vote in that cunt Ardern, and our politicians are traitorous cowards who refused to keep their word. So far the people themselves haven't had the chance to show politicians what they think of their actions. Keep in mind only a few hundred rifles have been handed in after the changes to our gun laws, and no one I know has any intention of complying. This country isn't big on boot licking, which is one of the few positives of this shithole. The "she'll be right" attitude is a double edged sword unfortunately. Oh and fyi we haven't had free speech since the early 90's. There was no change to speech laws. This is just the 1st time government has flexed its muscles on dissidents.
The chapel on Letterkenny Army Depot (near Chambersburg, PA) was built by the German POWs who were kept there. From what I was told, several of the POWs remained in the community after the war.
The 2nd worst thing that could happen to a German was to be interned by Russians. The 3rd worst thing was to be interned by the French. The 1st worst thing was not being captured and having to suffer through the war to the bitter end.
These vignettes just perfectly show the depth of content of you guys, keep it up! I never heard of this before and it pulled me as a German into the whole POW outside of Europe topic, thanks to you
I really dont know why these dont get more views, they are so interesting to watch. Most of these I've never even heard and seem to lay forgotten from the history books. Keep them coming guys I really enjoy these!
Karl, Once again you nailed it with a historical vignette, some of the best content out there. Keep it up. POWs in the U.S. is an interesting story, and this episode is a fascinating part of that story. Thanks!
We should all strive to live in a world without hatred and cruelty. We must oppose those that want to visit that violence upon our fellow man at every step.
@@SonsOfLorgar these people arent Immigrants nor asylum seekers, they are criminals. Illegal Immigration cannot be tolerated. if they dont want to sleep in camps, they shouldnt have tried to hop the border, also FUN FACT: the USA Is under ZERO obligation to asylum to any of these people. and nearly all of them are just Economic migrants. People are flying from Africa to Brazil and traveling all the way up to the USA to enter illegally. if they were so concerned for their safety there are a dozen other countries they could seek asylum at. same goes for Central American migrants as well. and as for the camps, what can you do when Democrats refuse to give anymoney to ICE or Homeland Security. you get camps, which by the way also exist for Criminals that are US citizens as well, look up Sheriff Joe Arpio's Tent City.
I NEVER heard this story before,and I'm a history buff: They SHOULD have hung that guard...instead he gets what...a time in the brain barn,and then-FREEDOM????!!! SAD
This bizarre incident represents one individual's viciousness, not the POW prison system. You should read the story by joe s (1 year ago) in the comments, about a very different (decent and sensible) prison guard.
Wow Karl, I've lived in Utah most of my life, and never heard about this! Salina is several hours south of where I live, but I guess it's one of those dirty little secrets, like the mountain meadow massacre, that were deemed to be too sensitive for school kids? I really appreciate you going to these historic sites and giving us the REAL history!
The Mountain Meadows Massacre, huh? You are anti mormon and full of hate. Hate is bad. Historians can, and have, debated the Mountain Meadows incident. At the end of the day, everyone who was there in person is long gone. It is a matter for God to sort out now. Perhaps you could learn from the Mormon/other Christian faiths letting things go. Both sides are now friends. The hatchet is buried and people in this generation have moved on. It does no one any good to use events from long ago to justify hate today.
@JackSpeed 439 The old west was filled with tragic events like this. All people at one time suffered a terrible event. Why focus on just this one? This matter has been written about, debated, and documented. So has every other tragic event in the old west. So why does no one talk about it? First, there is a general lack of interest in history. Second, the matter has been documented and historians have had their say. Christian religions are friends now. We have a new common enemy-- secularism. We have set aside our doctrinal differences and are allies now. Events from the past have been discussed, the lessons learned noted, and we are now facing a common enemy. It is only bitter, hateful anti-Mormons who are clinging to this talking point. Look, read the books about the massacre, blog about it, and create a RU-vid channel about it. Go for it. Enjoy. Can we now please get back to WW2 history?!
While tragic, and extreme, this is an exception to the rule and in no way comes close to the atrocities committed on the eastern front - where the opportunity to be a POW was never granted, they were just killed in cold blood. US POW camps were far and away better than their contemporaries.
Stalin once said (allegdly): "The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic". It feels different when you actually see the names and think that these were not just casualties of the war, but people.
It's weird to think of all the time and energy that goes into raising a person from infanthood into a young adult -- with all the hopes, dreams, life experiences, lessons learned, friendships, rivalries, small tragedies and victories... and then they get killed in a war, becoming little more than a number. Was all that a waste? Was there a purpose to their short life? It gets very existential if you think about it too much.
Thank you so much for showing us this place! Never heard of the incident or the place. Nice to know that those wont be forgotten. Greetings from Germany
