Prisoner Of War Camp History Continued

Distribution of the major POW camps across the United States as of June 1944. Courtesy/U.S. Army

By Sharon Snyder
Los Alamos Historical Society
After writing an article recently about a World War II prisoner of war (POW) camp in Kansas, I received several comments and questions that led me to do a sequel and bring the topic closer to home.

Not long after the United States entered World War II, Britain requested American assistance with the housing prisoners of war. They were running out of resources. Their call for help eventually resulted in more than 425,000 POWs in approximately 400 camps in the United States. 

They were transported to the U.S. on troop transports emptied of American soldiers on the other side of the Atlantic. Other Allied nations—Australia, Canada, and France, as well as occupied Germany—were also building camps. England continued to operate 90 camps, and Canada created 40.

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