WWII German POW's in Lawrenceburg Tennessee

The story of German POW's in Lawrenceburg Tennessee. How love and kindness overcame the hatred of war and continues on to this day.

[@ciceroskip1]

I worked for 25 years with a German that was a captured U boat sailor, and he worked picking oranges in Arizona after he was captured. Worked right next to a Polish American that was a tail gunner on a B-17. The tail gunner never got shot down, but he almost got turned into swiss cheese after one bomb run. Everything around him had holes but he never got touched. The two men got along fine.

[@Dracsmolar]

In the seventies as a young man I worked with a former German p o w who stayed in the U.S. after the war and became a citizen.

[@MrFirstdance2000]

Yes, that was a result for many even after being sent back. Thank you for sharing that!

[@stevedittrich4411]

As a point of comparison, most of the German POWs captured by the Soviets never made it back home. This was "pay-back" for the millions of Soviet POWs worked and starved to death by the Nazis. Post-war, Americans complained that we treated the German POWs too well, but by treating and feeding them well, word got back to Germany in their letters home, and many a German soldier decided to give himself up rather than "fight to the death" as Hitler had ordered. Countless AMERICAN lives were probably saved on the Western Front in 1944-45.

[@MrFirstdance2000]

A great point, sir!!

[@nephilimivritt8216]

i remember hearing about one incident there where 3 prisoners escaped and stopped off at a farm to get water from a well and the old women that lived there shot one of them. well the sheriff showed up an arrested them and he told the old women they were escaped German POWs and she said she shot them because she thought they where Yankees

[@odysseusrex5908]

She was fighting the wrong war.

[@alandavis9644]

Gotta giggle on that one.

[@francopasta3704]

She was 80 years late…

[@MrFirstdance2000]

Naaah...that would be what we call, far fetched, but one that makes you laugh! If the story is true, most likely she was protecting property!

[@nephilimivritt8216]

@@MrFirstdance2000 aint far fetched bud. some of those mountain people still lived in the past back than. hell some of them live in the past today and i know a few of them that think it still the 70s

[@gardabartlett1093]

Gratefully for their services for our Farmers throughout the USA

[@Marvel66666]

Great Story, also the story of Georg Gärtner or the romance with black nurse and German POW

[@philipdove6987]

The german and italians captured before D day were usually shipped away from Europe, because in Britain they would have been a serious burden on the food supplies. German POWs in the US ate more and better food than they got when they were in Germany. Britain housed a lot of POWs after D day and VE day. The policy was to keep them in the UK until they had a stable home and place tp return to. Post war those who were not ardent Nazis were used as Farm labour often living in ones and twos on the farm for some or all of the week. A prisoner who escaped back home to Germany post war was told by his family to escape back to Britain and wait for his proper release so he return as a legitimate citizen with papers and a ration card.

[@stantaylor3350]

PBS station WNNU TV 13 Marquette MI. did a series about German POW camps in the upper peninsula of Michigan. This wasabout 30 yrs ago. I was born and raised in the U.P. and never knew about these camps. The regular army guys wanted to help out as much as they could. While on fire wood cutting detail, one guy noticed a river near by and told the guards, if you can get me a fish hook and some line, I'll catch us a mess of fish for supper. So the guards got him some tackle and he caught several fish and they had them for supper. There was only one dining hall, so the enlisted men sat at a table on one end and the officers at a table on the other end. One officer rose and pointing at the fisherman said," when Germany wins this war, I'm turning you into the Gestopo as a collaborator with the enemy ". LOL!

[@francisebbecke2727]

U.P. is cold, but not as cold as Russia.

[@jolie1327]

There was a german pow camp in Mandan ND at the old fort and people would go there and take food and never talked about any nazis but about the boys and men.

[@MrFirstdance2000]

Famous Lewis and Clark territory! Thank you for sharing that story!

[@weylandyutani7973]

Someone must be cutting up some onions nearby...

[@PacoOtis]

Excellent! Thanks for sharing and thanks for not mentioning religion. Best of luck!

[@MrFirstdance2000]

Thank you, sir.

[@jolie1327]

The current time divides people by everything possible, so we hate each other. There are MORE good things about Americans together than apart.

[@robertseymour2530]

We all are people

[@Clydesirota]

Nazis are not “people” fascist haters are not “people”.

[@michaelpatrick7256]

Next time skip the war and stay home in peace, everyone!

[@MrFirstdance2000]

Let us pray that it is possible always, to do such!

[@servico100]

This story is probably the best "denazification" story to come out of the post-war era. Almost all US pows returned home. That cannot be said of some of the other three powers.

[@MrFirstdance2000]

An excellent point. However, it also points to the fact that even today, in China, the horrible treatment of its own citizens plus their ever present saber rattling, is of the government. How soon they forget the Flying Tigers and how Americans rose to an occasion of their own free will, never mandated!

[@karlp.schlor3619]

Yeah, the most of them in US got home, but some thousands as my uncle for example got delivered after 3 years in a texas camp for more 3 years to french hard working farm work, so that he reached home after 6 years! 46to49 And, for example, the disarmed forces of Gen Eisenhauer at the Rhine river meadows without shelter and enough food survived only in a half of them! Youve ever heard from that? In Sovjet Union more than the half of German POWs survived, as well as the Sovjet soldiers in Germany only at a half of them, killed by starvation, I feel ashame!

[@tomchelle1]

Did the documentary ever get made? I would love to watch it. Thx for this vid!

[@MrFirstdance2000]

I'm not sure if a more expansive documentary has been made. This was a "Reader's Digest" version if you will, of the initial story. I will inquire, though!

[@tomchelle1]

@@MrFirstdance2000 Thank you! I did a quick search to no avail.

[@uttermanbo]

Nothing wrong with showing compassion. Many of the men in the German Army weren't responsible for the actions of the S.S. I served in the Air Force, my dad the Army, as was my Grandfather, that there are things committed by the government that I wouldn't condone. I got issued many fines for doing silly little things like carrying a Bible, or offering children in Kuwait, candy bars. The world's a big place. I learned to leave most of my misconceptions at the Airfield upon leaving the States.

[@MrFirstdance2000]

Excellent thoughts and reflections! Thank you!

[@alandavis9644]

There was a German POW camp in Sugar City, Colorado. They were used in the sugar beet field harvest. As a young man the elders told many stories about them. One was of a family friend thst spoke German and made the workers apple strudle. She was young and beautiful thus they loved to work on the Peters farm. Her name was Ester Peters and a beautiful woman. The historical society in the county was asked about the POW camp and it was left to me to write where it was located and the many stories I had heard about it. Many of our neighbors fought in WW2, all seemed to not hate the Germans as they knew what happened to Germans as they invaded Germany.

[@odysseusrex5908]

Blast, that told me everything except what I wanted to know, what was actually in the letters.

[@christophercarrier2902]

Yes, it was just talking “about” the letters.

[@odysseusrex5908]

@@christophercarrier2902 Well it seems to me, if you're going to talk about the letters, the most obvious thing to discuss is what they say.

[@christophercarrier2902]

@@odysseusrex5908 Right!

[@DATo_DATonian]

They are saving that for the PBS documentary. I wonder if they made the documentary yet. This was posted 4 years ago.

[@franzliszt4257]

The German's girls English is close to perfect.

[@tommyau2006]

more people need to realize that the majority of German soldiers in WW2 were not Nazis

[@jolie1327]

Nazis are the national socialist which is NOT the average military person.

[@daniellap.stewart6839]

The majority my ass stop the 🧢

[@MrFirstdance2000]

Much like China today , if given the free space of choice and opinion without feeling that the government would retaliate, about 90% of the Chinese people have nothing to do with being a communist! Thank you for making an excellent point!

[@francopasta3704]

What difference between the way we treated them and the Japanese treated our POW’s…

[@MrFirstdance2000]

The german prisoner's were treated with great respect and care in this small community. So much so that many would receive visits, post war, by their American family who had become dear friends. Here's a site to gain a better understanding of the American POW in Japan! www.army.mil/article/179395/under_the_enemys_yoke_the_pow_experience_in_japan

[@frankkoolosko4255]

We should’ve treated them exactly the way they treated our soldiers. This is the wrong thing to do. These were the enemies of our country. We should’ve been extremely stern with them and gave them stark conditions to live in.

[@MrFirstdance2000]

The Armed forces did not go easy ont these men. However, they were treated in a way that the Lord would have us treat those who hate and despise us, by everyday U.S. citizenry. We discovered that for most, they were forced into a role that they neither believed in or wanted. Today, we are allies and friends. Just like the Japanese people, as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[@bill5982]

Filled with hate much?

[@MrFirstdance2000]

@@bill5982 Sometimes, Bill, we don't how a person or family was affected by such a devastating war. Whether their parent, spouse, or sibling were incaerated in a prison camp, killed in action, or came home wounded in mind or body, contempt and hate might be the normal reaction for most. Hopefully, forgiveness finds its way to their heart so that they can know some measure of peace.

[@PlayerToBeNamedLater1973]

​@@MrFirstdance2000nah he's just an idiot who probably doesn't have a clue about the treatment of POWs on either side. Likely he's a friendless , miserable cretin who is neither loved or respected by anyone