| When the German and Italian
armies were defeated in North Africa in mid-1943, more than 250,000 enemy
soldiers were captured. Many of these POWs were brought to the United
States to perform farm work and other non-war-related jobs as allowed by
the Geneva Convention. A total of approximately 6,000 German prisoners
were sent to Camp Pickett beginning in January 1944. The Army built
two main camps and nine smaller satellite camps in the nearby counties
to house the Germans. The main compounds had a perimeter of barbed
wire surrounding the barracks and other buildings. The perimeter
of Camp Number I still stands on Pickett. Two of its guard
towers overlook the enclosure and a six-cell, cement
block jail is located just outside the compound. No escapes were
recorded.
The prisoners, most of whom
were enlisted, were employed in a variety of jobs. The majority of
POWs at the main camps cut logs and made pulpwood, while most of those
in the smaller, outlying camps performed farm work. About 280 prisoners
worked in the post hospital’s wards and kitchen.
US
Army Hospital |
