Lone Star Stalag: German Prisoners of War at Camp Hearne

Preface

Preface I HAVE LONG HAD A STRONG INTEREST in twentieth century world history , especially the conflicts of World Wars I and II. My father, John D. Waters, served in the navy during the Second World War and told me many stories when I was young. One of the stories I remember is about the German prisoners of war my dad saw every day working around the naval base in New Orleans, where he was stationed in –. He told me that sometimes when he and his buddies were walking by the POW compound, they would hold up the newspaper and show the Germans the headlines, teasing them by shouting, “We’re winning; you’re losing!” The Germans would yell back, “Propaganda!” He also told me stories of several POW escapes. They were not dramatic and dangerous, like the one depicted in the movie The Great Escape, but instead were almost comical and benign incidents. He recalled that most escapees just wanted to get out and go to the French Quarter to have a good time. When they were done having fun, they would go to a barbershop and sit down for a haircut. The barber would then call the Military Police and they would come and pick up the prisoner—after his hair had been cut—and return him to camp. The Camp Hearne project allowed me a chance to combine my personal interest in World War II history with my professional interest in archaeology. I usually pursue studies of the archaeology and geology of Paleolithic sites in Russia , Paleoamerican sites in North America, or late prehistoric Hohokam sites in Arizona. This project was something completely different. The Camp Hearne project began after I read Arnold Krammer’s book Nazi Prisoners of War in America. In his book, I noted, was information about a POW camp on the outskirts of Hearne, Texas, just twenty miles north of where I live. I visited the area several times, but was at first unsuccessful in locating the camp’s grounds. I eventually discovered its remains after I received more detailed directions from Paul Russell. The foundations of the old buildings and grounds were completely covered by thick vegetation. One literally had to be standing on the cement foundations in order to see them. Paul Russell showed me a collection of artifacts that included buttons, coins, canteens, and other items he had recovered from the site. After seeing the site and Russell’s collection, I thought that an investigation of Camp Hearne would make an interesting project. Although there are many books on the general POW experience both at the national (Bailey ; Carlson ; Krammer ) and regional (Billinger ; Choate ; Cowley ; Geiger ; Hoza ; Koop ; May ; Powell ; Simmons ; Thompson ; Walker ) level, no single POW camp such as Camp Hearne has ever been intensively investigated. The study of Camp Hearne was undertaken to provide a comprehensive account of the POW experience at a typical POW camp, by recording as much as possible about its history before aspects of that story were forever lost. This was accomplished by studying historical documents in the archives and repositories of many organizations; interviewing former POWs, guards, and citizens who experienced the camp; and conducting archaeological investigations at the camp. Each of these three data sets—the documents, personal accounts, and archeological evidence—provides a different perspective on Camp Hearne. The archival research provides such basic information as how many prisoners were at the camp, when they arrived, when they left, what types of problems occurred at the camp, how many prisoners worked, and other factual data. The interviews are firsthand accounts that bring a human element to the research, providing information about daily life not documented in archival records or existing books. These oral histories offer insights into camp life, activities, and events. Finally, the archaeological excavations uncovered artifacts that were made and used by the POWs as well as features that were built by the POWs but not recorded in the archival documents and are only remembered by a very few. By melding these historical, archaeological, and ethnographic data together, a comprehensive and multidimensional account of the POW experience at a large camp in the United States emerged. This would not have been possible with just a single data set. One other point is worth making: Although the abbreviation P.W. most often appears in World War II documents describing prisoners of war, this book uses POW, the more prevalent and widely recognized abbreviation employed today. Lone Star Stalag...