The North African Campaign
kade bergeron features editor Prisoners of war engaged in a variety of recreational and creative activities during their time in captivity. From playing soccer and card games to painting and woodworking, these activities offered the prisoners both physical and mental respite. For most of the day, the prisoners of war worked in fields and were […]
Life in Germany
Most of the POWs held in Louisiana came from Germany, more than 5,000 miles away from Louisiana. Bastei Bridge (Basteibrucke) with Lilienstein Mountain on background – Bastei, Saxony, Germany City hall of Wernigerode, Germany. Present-day Saxony, Germany, where many-German P.O.W.s originated. Photo Credit: Cheryl Call Dresden Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Hofkirche and Dresden Castle […]
The Donaldsonville Camp: Escape Attempts
jacob levron staff Glenn Falgoust lives in Napoleonville, Louisiana, and has researched the Donaldsonville German POW camp extensively. Stan Duvall
Thibodaux Camp: What’s Left
Jacob Levron staff
Terrorism & Meeting a Former POW
Jacob Levron staff Thibodaux native Steve Willett was on a European vacation with his family in 1985 when their plane was hijacked. Willett’s hostage story takes him to a hospital in Germany where he met a former German POW who had been at the Thibodaux POW camp. Steve Willett’s Journal The hostage story Click to […]
Camp Ghost Stories
jalaysia sanders podcast editor April Cortez April Cortez as a child April Cortez
POWs in the Media
German POWs during World War II had a lasting impact on Louisiana and the United States. These stories live on through books, films and plays. Books about Louisiana Fish Out of Water A book about Nazi submariners as prisoners in North Louisiana during World War II. WWII in the Gulf of Mexico C.J. Christ’s research […]
Childhood Memories of the Bayou POW Camps
jalaysia sanders podcast editor The POW camps shut down in 1946 — 79 years ago, leaving few who have personal memories from the camps. But some in the Bayou Region have memories as children. Stan Duvall Richard Barker David Plater
German POWs: A Day in the Life
Axis vs. Allied POW Camps
madison blanchard staff writer During World War II, thousands of American and German soldiers were held as prisoners of war (POWs). American POWs held in Germany, Italy and Japan endured much harsher treatment than German POWs held in the United States. More than 90,000 American POWs were held in Germany, while about 450,000 Axis prisoners […]