Exploring a SECRET WWII P.O.W. Interrogation Camp!!! | History Traveler Episode 283
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- Опубликовано: 21 авг 2024
- After the start of WWII, the U.S. started seeing prisoners of war from Germany, Italy and Japan showing up in camps across the U.S. In this episode, we're taking a side trek to a secret P.O.W. interrogation camp that was located deep in the woods of Pennsylvania at a place called the Pine Grove Furnace P.O.W. Camp. Always learning something new when we explore these places.
Special thanks to the Adams County Historical Society (www.achs-pa.org) and Lee Schaeffer for the archival photos used in this video. Learn more about the Pine Grove Furnace POW Camp & Camp Michaux at www.schaeffers...
This episode was produced in partnership with The Gettysburg Museum of History. See how you can support history education & artifact preservation by visiting their website & store at www.gettysburg...
Support the effort to expand history education on PATREON: / historyunderground
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Just recently lost a family friend who was drafted into the German Army in 1944 as a teenager. He was captured in the fall of 1944 on the Western front and shipped to the U.S. in Connecticut. He so impressed the Camp Commander that he sponsored him to immigrate and return after the war. Passed away a year ago at the age of 94. Rest in peace, George Pfluetzer.
Had a chance to speak with a former German POW that was held in one of our camps in the South. He said if they would have known how well they would be treated they would have thrown down their weapons earlier in the war.
Unfortunately some German Units weren’t so accommodating to Allied POWs. Many were gunned down in mass graves by machine guns that were set up in backs of transport trucks.
Of all the millions that served in WW2, That is how many perspectives of the war. So context is everything. Not all of the soldiers on all sides were evil and all sides had their fair share of psychopaths with rifles.
@culmmannion5325bullshit, my grandfather after being repatriated to Germany came back here in 1950 and when he passed he was an American citizen
@culmmannion5325
You must be making a sick joke
And most that were brought here to America stayed here!
Sometimes it’s the places that don’t have ‘visitor centers’ or ‘gift shops’ that have the greatest stories to tell! Thank you for telling this story JD!
My Father was in the Army at the end of WW2. He told the story about his way back home on a Naval transport ship. There was a German POW serving in the mess.
He gave my Dad extra donuts saying he ( my Dad) needed them because he was so skinny.
There were many German POWs in Minnesota. They worked on farms just like a regular hired hand. they lived with the family and even made life-long friends.
@@randyronny7735 Here in Australia, we also had many POWs during WW2, mainly Italians, some Germans and quite a few Japanese captured during the Pacific campaign. The Italian POW also worked on farms throughout the country, were good workers and often became family friends. Unfortunately, the Japanese were quite different and were mostly kept in secure compounds. One of these, in the State of New South Wales, saw an infamous Japanese riot and breakout in August 1944. During the escape and ensuing manhunt, four Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese soldiers were killed or committed suicide. The remaining escapees were re-captured and imprisoned. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowra_breakout
@@alonsocushing2263 This is very interesting, thank you sharing
@@randyronny7735 Exactly the same story for my family in western Canada. The POW camp was even larger than the community where it was placed. My father visited his life-long friend from the camp in Germany decades later.
Hi JD, I spent a week there at the church camp back in the mid 1960's. We stayed in one of the barracks, ate in the mess hall, and used the bath house. The staff stayed in the main house. Yep, I too am a history "nerd", spend most of the week exploring in my spare time. Fun times and Great memories.
Wow!
I watch as much WWII shows as I can and never heard of this. Who knew?! Great job!
Glad that you enjoyed it! I try to throw in these lesser known places when I can.
In my town of Battle Creek MI there were prisoners kept in Ft. Custer. Much of it is still a reserve base. There are POWs buried in the National Cemetery across the street. There were 26 killed at one time due to a truck/train accident. Fascinating to see those graves. At the end of the war a lot of them wanted to stay here and not go back to Germany.
As a fellow Michigander, Ft. Custer is very interesting to visit and rich with history.
SE Michigander here. Are any camps still decently preserved in MI? Fort Wayne I know was a POW camp for Italians. Don't know of any others in SE.
@@pmccoy8924 My father couldn’t serve in WW2 due to total deafness, so he spent the war years working at Vickers. I know he told me about a POW camp in Detroit, but I don’t recall where. I’m sure there is information available about it in some archives somewhere
I had an Uncle, here in Alabama, who owned a pulp wood company during WW II. Every morning he went to the POW camp and picked up workers. His favorites were twin brothers who were good workers and very mischievous. His favorite story about them concerned the time they showed him a large diamondback rattlesnake that they had caught and tied to a tree! Apparently they had never seen a rattlesnake and were intrigued by the sound.
Great video! Reminds me of a story my grandfather told me. He served in the Pacific in the Navy at the end of WWII. When he returned just after the war to Kentucky, he started driving trucks for the government. Shortly after WWII, he was driving in a convoy of trucks, tasked with taking gold OUT of Fort Knox. German POW’s were helping load the trucks. He said the POW’s were happy to be alive, but ready to go home.
He passed away several years ago, and I don’t have proof of the story, but I know that he did drive trucks, and he never gave me any reason to think he exaggerated his stories. Thought it was very interesting.
A guy I worked with Drove around Nukes !!!
@@jimshoe402
I noted you commented gold out of Ft Knox, like most people in Kentucky near Knox, say, No, Gold in the vault. It’s all for show but what is there we will never know.
Perfect timing. Just as I was breaking out a can of pringles, this video pops up 👌😂🎉
Once you pop, you can't stop 😂
Nice!
I used to live near Camp Atterbury. Long before I lived in the area, a great uncle was a POW guard for Italian soldiers. He was 1st Gen American of Italian parents so he spoke the language well. The prisoners, other than missing or worrying about family members were happy as clams. There were some excellent craftsmen, they built a beautiful chapel which I think still exists. They gave him some cool “trench art” though I never saw any of it.
They just tore down the last of the POW barracks at Camp Perry in Ohio. I remember reading some of the history of Atterbury while doing an AT there. That’s where my Dad was inducted in ‘42, and processed out in “46. We used to have cousins who worked at Cummins.
@@MrBradleyDavid Wow, that’s cool. A lot of Camp Atterbury was given to the State but then the feds took a big chunk back for Iraq & Afghanistan warfare training - there are recreations of Middle-eastern villages and cities for urban warfare training. When I was a kid I could hear artillery training waaaay off in the distance. But to my little ears and imagination I thought it was a giant striding toward me! 😢. As for Cummins, it’s a fantastic company and I happen to know a very highly placed person there. 😉. I do LEGO designs on my channel so when I make an armored vehicle I always call out the engine as a Cummins! 😀
Wow, I have lots in common with these comments! My National Guard unit used to go to Camp Atterbury on weekends occasionally for training. We had heard the stories of it once being a POW camp in WWII. I also did my very first AT there back in the summer of 1983. In the summer of 1984, we had our AT at Camp Perry, Ohio. My unit was based in Lebanon, Ohio. Lastly, I’m an over the road truck driver and I’m also an owner operator. My truck has a 565 horse Cummins ISX powering it. What a great engine! I just had it overhauled last May-June 2022 after putting 1.6 million miles on it. Cummins is a great company and they make great engines, no question about it. The guys at Cummins Indianapolis are awesome!
I was privileged to know a Ritchie boy. He was a Jewish man that escaped Germany as a child in the 1930’s. His family that remained were all murdered. He had wonderful stories of interrogating German prisoners. He also participated in PsyOps in Germany. Setting up loud speakers at the end of the war to demoralize the German soldiers. The would set up the speakers and have long wire attached to the speakers and would play propaganda until the Germans could blow up the speakers.
Another great history lesson from the best channel on YT. Great work JD 👍 👍 👍
Thanks!
My great uncle worked at one of the 3 POW camps in Ontario, Canada during the war. One of the prisoners carved a replica of the German battleship, Tirpitz and gifted it to my great uncle when he was released from captivity. It's about 18 inches long and is to scale. Amazing craftsmanship and attention to detail. It was given to my dad when my great uncle passed. I only wish I was old enough to ask questions and understand the significance before he passed.
Well done! I was a soldier during the cold war In Germany. I guarded many facilties that were German Army and after the war US Forces moved in to them. There was this one facilty that you could still see where the trenches were in the forest during the war. Blown out bunkers and there was still a small village blown to pieces and never rebuilt as the area became a Military Range after the War. This one facilty we trained in was a WW2 American prisoner of War Camp. Driving a Tank in convoys, going through the small towns and kids would come out and wave to us reminded me of all the WW 2 Movies I watched of Towns being liberated during that war. Thanks for your great videos. The Oscar for the best photography in a History Video goes to: YOU....Good Luck BP
Interesting video. I worked for the Phoenix Zoo for a while. It was a German POW camp, the building where the carpentry shop and the mechanics shop are used to be the gymnasium. Their was even a escape, they planned to go down the near by Salt River and get to Mexico, only problem their is rarely water in the Salt River. 😊
There was an internment camp in a small city, Clarinda, Iowa. If I recall, they had both German and Japanese pow's. There are bunks and other items in the Museum. Clarinda is also the birthplace of Glenn Miller, who in WWII, toured Europe with his band. His plane was shot down. We are also the birthplace of 4H. A lot of history for such a small town.
When I was in Jr. High at Ft Campbell, we visited the POW camp located at the back of the camp for a field trip. So very interesting.
When I was in High School, I had a summer job with the Youth Conversation Cor(YCC).
It was a spin-off of the CCC. We worked hard and had a blast. Thank goodness for Eleanor Roosevelt, the creator of both.
This was one of the most fun and interesting places you have taken us to. My uncle was in the CCC and told me stories about the jobs they had to do. Thank you for this amazing trip through history’s past. It was great video as always. 👍😁
Hiking in hills it is amazing to find CCC construction in strange places, may be we need something like this today? Nawwwww the kids are way to soft and don’t like our country, they would call it cruel and ask for reparations.
Our small farm in Pa. was part of a larger apple orchard during WWII. It is now corn or soybean for dairy farming cow feed. A local farmer farms it. German POW’s we’re used to harvest the apples. Our neighbor, who was a child at the time, used to talk to them in Pennsylvania Dutch, which is a combo of English and German spoken by locals, more so during this time period.
Interesting!
It was the State Hill Fruit Farm during WWII. German POW’s held at Reading Airport worked multiple farms. Half the farm still exists in multiple parcels. One big parcels is perpetually preserved as a farm. All of it is now used for dairy feed. Awesome channel. Have you ever attended WWII Weekend at Reading Airport every June. My wife and I have met and talked to over the years many of the members of Easy Co. Dick Winter’s grave us not far from us in Ephrata Pa. We visit his grave at least a few time a year. Keep up the amazing work!
Attended Shippensburg University and loved hiking around Pine Grove Furnace with friends. Thank you for this.
the beautiful art work from the POW makes you realize how unique the treatment by the Americans was. The fact that an enemy soldier wanted to pay tribute to his time as a POW is a testament to the decency of the people who were his captors.
Agreed. They had it good here.
Agreed. They had it good here.
It's too bad that the buildings are no longer standing. A great report JD thank you.
Agreed. It would have been really nice to see what it looked like.
Must have been slapped cheaply together. Not even 100 years old and nothing left. Damn shame.
Dang JD! This place is practically in my back yard. Maybe a 20 minute drive. I will have to check this place out sometime this year. Thanks for checking this place out and sharing with us!
I can’t get enough of this channel lol. If you’re into old foundations there is a cool ghost town by my house that I could show you sometime. My step grandma and I are working with DCNR to get a trail with markers built so others can explore it also and know what they are looking at. Keep up the great work, JD!
Thank You! My dog and I walk in these woods almost every day. My mother and aunt told me during the war the prisoners from this camp were sometimes taken into the town of Mt. Holly Springs.
Love this kind of stuff.... The history... The proof that "people were here". And it reminds me that given the opportunity, nature reclaims it all.
Wonderful thank you, another bit of fascinating history that would have just never come up without your efforts. Your films are a joy.
Growing up in Phoenix Arizona, there were both German and Japanese POW camps there. My grandma and grandpa told me on many occasions everyone hated the Japanese and stayed away from their POW camp. My grandma (being in her teens) on occasions told me how her and her friends would go to the German POW camp and sit at the fence and talk to them for hours. How handsome they were, how polite and very respectful they were, even how much they liked being in America. By just talking to them you would never think or know they’re the enemy. Her and her friends had crushes on some of them. And that my grandpa (who was her childhood sweetheart) would get jealous. LOL
I always found it so fascinating.
Great find. I was at Fort Belvoir, just down the road from Fort Hunt on the Potomac. Hunt was a local park with lots of concrete ruins and what was left of some massive battery emplacements. Later I was at Fort Sheridan north of Chicago which also was a POW camp. I saw some of the graves of the Germans who died while imprisoned there.. My Mom had a cousin who was captured as a member of the African Corp. They tried to find him, but Sheridan had a number of satellite camps for all the work. I met him and later found his written records at a local library. He was a farmer from the western Rhein area of Germany.
Thank you sir. You keep uploading quality videos. Much appreciated.
Always a pleasure. Thanks!
JD, I stayed at Camp Michaux as a church camper in the summer of '67, '68 and '69. I remember the one building having german words written on the walls in large letters. I was fascinated and wrote them down. All I remember was something about "herr dr. goebbels." I have that paper somwhere in my files along with a map.
My friend and I were there in February. The inscription of "Eric John Berlin" was right on the pillar you were standing in front of. We thought it was gone too, but you have look closely, and it blends in well.
Great informative video, this camp is only minutes from where I live, I've been there many times over the years. Pine Grove Furnace also was an underground railroad stop, the iron masters mansion has many secret rooms.
Another interesting area I'd love to see you do a video on is Camp Ritchie/Fort Ritchie in near Blue Ridge Summit Pa just south of Camp Michaux. It was an OSS training camp with the likes of Col. Rex Applegate training American Jewish Intelligence units.
Also the battle of Monterey Pass during the Civil Was is in that same area, a lot of history nearby.
Thanks for making this history come alive.
Wow! Thank you for this video of you exploring in my "backyard"! I've been to Pine Grove Furnace, but didn't know there was a CCC and POW camp nearby. Thanks again, JD, love your videos!
Interesting site with layers of history. Been to the ruins of several of these former POW sites around the US and some people below have mentioned a few locations from my travels. There was a WW2 POW compound in a back range area of Fort McClellan, AL and discovered a small Italian POW cemetery on the edge of the former camp with the marked graves of 18 Italian POWs (one a General) who died during their internment there. It was neat, respected, well cared for site when I found it in the late 70s. Also went a small church, Camp Penn 20 miles due south of Camp Michaux when I was 10. Always thought it was an old CCC camp and I believe there are more in that MD/PA area. You, Eric and Woody do great podcasts.
I was at a domestic preparedness class at the former Ft McClellan AL. I was there right after the annual memorial service by the German military liaison; the flowers were still great on the big iron cross altar.
Plenty of history in that place that's why I love ww2 big fan of Eric collection can't wait for the next video mate
Love that area.
There is one mission that will blow you away, it’s called “The Greatest Raid Of All” it was where the commando’s were born. The 600 men involved were told to write a letter for their families because the chances of surviving and coming home was not good. The documentary was presented by Jeremy Clarkson. I believe there were 5 VC’s awarded from this mission. Those men that didn’t come home saved thousands and thousands of lives by stopping Germanys biggest battle ship the Turpitz from sinking any ship.
Fort Wayne, IN had a German prisoner-of-war camp in WW2. Some of the POWs worked around town. There was quite a controversy because the German's rations of cigarettes were more than the local citizens received. On a side note, I know a Lady that married an American GI and they live in Fort Wayne. Her father served in the German army in WW2 and was captured by the Russians. She said they never heard from him again.
I live in Maine, and about a half hour away from me in Princeton ME, some where in the woods, is an old POW camp. As I understand it, it is the only POW camp in Maine that had escapees. There’s a whole story of the frantic crazy chase that had the whole county shut down and every man looking for them, guns in hand. Those boys didn’t get far.
There are a few of these in Arkansas and one is right near some family property. We’ve found all kinds of leftovers there and turn them in to the local rangers for the museum. Since the property is attached to the National Forest it gives us access.
I was recently wandering in a small town, Newark, New York, and decided to walk some of the streets away from Main Street. I noticed a historical sign which didn't give much information other than to state it was a POW camp and that the POW building no longer stands there. I'm excited to learn more about it, seems like such an odd area for POWs
I live in eastern Washington and in the town where I live there was a German POW camp. It’s also been called a labor camp. It later housed seasonal migrants from Mexico who were hired to process peas and asparagus at the nearby Green Giant plant. I can remember riding the school bus and you could smell the asparagus being processed. Those barracks are still there and were most recently used to house evacuees due to wildfires in the region.
There was another German POW camp in PA, called Camp Shenango, and then renamed to Camp Reynolds. I believe it was in Greenville. I knew a man who was stationed there. I can't find much about it as Camp Shenango but JD perhaps you can venture out and see what is on that site in the present day.
Beautiful artwork by the German POWs. Where are they located? Thank you for another adventure in history, JD. I’m glad I’m not the only one who goes by themselves in exploring other places. This is my kind of place. I’d much rather come to a place like this and explore than any theme park such as DisneyWorld, etc. or any beach resort for that matter.
I know that some of the art is at the Adams County Historical Society.
@@TheHistoryUnderground good. I’m glad its safe. Thank you for the reply, JD. I appreciate that.
None of the wooden barracks exist anymore, but in 1963 I was in that area because of Laurel Lake and Fuller Lake and I was told of a old POW camp that was at a Boy Scout camp nearby. We went to the location and found old wooden barracks like I later had when I entered the Marine Corps at Parris Island SC. We entered two and found strange writing on the walls to later find they were scientific equations from the likes of Warner Von Braun. That was amazing to us. The weird thing I I went back there in 1970 to find all the wooden buildings destroyed and not a trace of those brilliant German scientists who got our space program started. Why those doodles were destroyed is beyond me, but I was later told people from DC came up there and removed any wall that had writing on them and they went back to the Smithsonian in DC. I’ve never seen or heard anything about them again.
Really informative and interesting WWII Presentation! Thank you.
The CCC built many of the stone walls around my hometown. The wall outside Westerly High School was one of the many
There are so many places in our country that were remote areas used for troop, vehicle, weapon and aircraft training. They were in such a big hurry to gear up and train for the war not all of these places looked like your typical military base. I remember a few years back that some unexploded shells and other ordinance were found near some farm land being developed. They called for a disposal team from a nearby military base and they found that what they had were shells that had been used for training but didn't have explosive war heads. Left over metal from practice shots that were no danger. They were saving the real stuff for a more important use.
There was a POW camp dating to WW2 for German prisoners on Ft Pickett Va. up until a few years ago. I believe it was torn down to make room for new buildings. Ive been to it several times.
Oh dang. Hate that it was torn down.
Another engrossing episode of educational historical worth, thanks JD !
Another fascinating history lesson. Thank you Sir.
Another Amazing journey back in time that you took us to!!! Can NOT THANK You Enough!!!
I think it’s sad this wasn’t better preserved. Still a VERY cool episode. I love how you get information and photos and share it within the episode ~very helpful!
I’ve toured Manzanar in California, a Japanese interment camp during WWll; a sad chapter in our history. My husbands aunt was in a camp as a young girl…for the rest of her life it caused issues between her and her sisters.
Good day,
I was beginning to have withdrawal symptoms from not seeing any new content!
We have a very famous POW camp ( for escapes) here in Phoenix, Az the Papago camp.
Also, you probably already know this but, I want to mention it in case you don’t.
A Uk show called Time Team ( can be seen on RUclips) is starting a dig at the training camp of the Band of Brothers this week this is the third dig at the site first in either 2015 or 2016 and the second was in 2019.
I believe this is the first for Time Team at this site as they are working with either a university or museum.
Erik might be able to help a small local museum near the camp that displays all the finds from 2016 and 2019 and the upcoming finds.
They are looking for items from the Normandy battle?
As always stay safe and healthy and thanks for some great historical content!
Ron
My dad was in north Africa and Sicily during the war
He said that the Italian p o w loved it here so much so that they didn't want to go home after the war
A Lot different from the Bataan death March
Yep.
Thank you JD. I appreciate your simple and direct reveal of our history, no hoopla, just the facts and interest. Your presentations are easily remembered.
Interesting story and history lesson of a story I didn't know of. I'm in Spartanburg sc, and we had a us army training camp here in Spartanburg during ww2 called Camp Croft. During the war it had a large german pow population there.
Another great video, thanks. Having spent some time on KP in old WWII- era mess halls I am pretty sure the "Hole" @13:56 is an old "Grease Pit" which was not fun to clean.
Just watched this. In Stark. NH.....there was a German POW camp, don't know how much is still left there but there is a road sign telling about it.
Ther was also a camp like that in Bryceville, Tn. It is still mainly there, the only way there is a long trail ride. During use, the only way in or out was by air. The nearest town is LaFollette, many miles away.
Fascinating!! Thank you for taking us there.
Enjoyed this video immensely JD. It’s amazing where historical sites can be found in our own country.
Very interesting place full of history!
Very much so.
I went to church camp at Camp Michaux in the 60’s. Many fond memories. I often wondered if there was anything left of the camp.
You have interpreted more derelict concrete than just about anyone on the planet. Nice job telling the story of this site.
Ha! Thanks. Appreciate that.
Orchard Park, New Mexico was one such prison camp. It held German and Italian prisoners of war. I lived there in 1960 and 1961 when I was 7yrs old. The military would rent the barracks buildings to service members and their families for a modest amount. I spent as much time under them as I did in them LOL So sad they are gone now. But you can still see the faint out line of the camp on Google Earth. 33°15'08.03" N 104°26'24.21" W Great Memories.
My town of Chico California was a Japanese camp during the war. It also had a missile silo (2of them) as well. Quite a history here.
Some of the camps for German POWs were like country clubs. They would work during the day in the surrounding areas, but, in the evenings, there would be movies, games, sports, etc. Not so for GIs held in German POW camps. Then, there were the Japanese camps. This is another story.
My Uncle Hans was one of those POW’s. He was captured in 1944, Normandy. He came back and married my Aunt Elizebeth, Midland, Texas
Cool place...visited with family 4 years ago. I recall an old pool structure in the vicinity of the stream southwest of the camp. The Pine Grove Furnace area is interesting for its history in the iron industry. Back in the 1800's, this entire area was deforested for charcoal production to support the iron furnaces down below.
I'm glad you did the video on this place when I recommend it. I thought this place was interesting when we went there last summer and couldn't find a good video on it. thanks
Another great video sharing history I've never heard of before. Thank you JD!
Awesome job JD. Never new it existed. Thanks for the enlightenment. 👍👍👍👍👍🍻
👍🏻
Not to far from where I live. In Tulelake, CA. on the west side of the lake there was a German POW camp. I was told that the prisoners would go out and work for the local farmers and then return to camp after work.
Then in Newell, CA. there was a Japanese internment camp for civilians.
Thanks for sharing this great video!!✌️🇺🇲
There are locations in Michigan's upper peninsula that were WWII POW Camps. They were very remote and in known heavy bear populations to deter escape.
Always good good stuff for dedicated Time-Travelers.
Awesome video JD , yes there was a camp 25 miles to the east of me by a town by the name of Algona if i remember correctly there airport is now on the site, and an uncle of mine was a guard at a camp in Wyoming never said where it was located. cant wait for the next.
As I am sure you are aware JD, there were several locations here in Arkansas. Dermott, in South East Arkansas, housed quite a few of the officers from Rommel's Afrika Corps. Hot Springs (Lake Catherine) and the two major locations in Camp Pike (Robinson) in North Little Rock and Fort Chaffee in Ft. Smith were the others. I would highly recommend that you maybe do something on Camp Pike or Ft. Chaffee especially since it was the location where Elvis went to boot camp and has also housed refugees many times over the years. The movies Biloxi Blues and A Soldier's Story were both filmed there. Lots of very interesting history over there in the Ft. Smith area!
I can only imagine the self-degradation the Japanese POWs felt when they first realized they ended up on the wrong end of the deal in rural PA. The ultimate "How did I end up here?"
Definitely far from home.
Born, raised and live in PA. I have to say I was unaware of this history.
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Thanks, J.D. Fascinating stuff. My dad grew up in the vicinity of an Italian POW camp in the Ste. Genevieve, MO area.
Interesting!
Great job JD! I was wondering if you ever went to Dieppe in your travels. Also, my Uncle was a member of the Canadian Seaforth Highlanders out of Vancouver B.C. They were tasked with clearing out sub pens. Never spoke much about it, other than one time when he mentioned what it was like to shoot another person for the first time. The SFH is a group that seems to have been missed by history.
Always good good stuff for dedicated 'Time-Travelers'.
"Let me get down here and see if I can't accidentally fall in this creek." 😂😂
Exactly what would happen to me, my friend!
😅
I'm not sure how "secret" this camp is now (It may have been more secret back then): The Appalachian Trail practically runs right through it!! It is mentioned in all of the AT guides that I gave read.
BTW the Pine Grove Furnace is a cool historical spot and the nearby Appalachian Trail Museum should not be missed!
Yeah, the secret part was during WWII. 🙂
Thanks for the video JD
There is a former POW camp not too far from Santa Barbara, CA. It is on a cliffside near the beach just outside Goleta. It was funded by the local avocado growers, for whom the prisoners would work. They would be paid in scrip which was accepted by the businesses in town. I understand that many, if not all, of the POW camps were funded by local businesses. They would give the government funds which would build the camps and pay the guards. The remnants of the camp are visible from the freeway along which I often travel. Absolutely love the work that you do and also how you share it with us on your channel. Great stuff, JD.
We have a cemetery that is along a dirt road (without a church there with it) that supposedly the stone wall surrounding that cemetery was built by German POWS that were in the Shenandoah Valley.My grandmother told me there was a POW camp right up from where they lived when she was growing up and that there were several other camps in our area.
As usual, very interesting video! Have you ever thought of using a drone when applicable to be able to show an over the top vantage point and then maybe reference different points utilizing footage from the drone? I know you used a drone in one of the eagles nest videos. Keep up the great work!
When I was a kid back in the 60's a WW2 vet told me about the German POW camp between Tucson and Casa Grande in Arizona. He said he knew that one day a POW left the camp and actually walked into town because he wanted to get a new pair of shoes. The Vet was in the area as well as my Dad as they were mechanics at one of the bomber training bases near Tucson during the war. Several of the training base triangular strips are still visible all over Southern AZ to the North and West of Tucson. Marana airport is built on one of them IIRC.
Thank you for these insights to American and war history. Amazing!
Thank you for this fascinating history!
Hi, JD!! How are you doing? Have missed a few days but here I am. Love your videos!!! Very informative!! I always enjoy it when Eric is on with you. Love his museum!! 2:11
Interesting. Thank you. Here in NC Camp Butner was also a POW camp. Some of the buildings still survive.
I spent many weekends of my youth at "Camp Palila" near Louisville, MS. It was built by the CCC and was for most of the 50s, 60s and 70s a Boy Scout camp. Sometime in the late 70s or early 80s it was turned into Legion State Park. The main lodge and some of the original cabins have been preserved and it is still an amazing place to visit.
Camp Atterbury south of Indianapolis, IN was home to around 3000 pow's during WW2. I spent time there as a 17 year old that just gone into the Indiana National Guard in 1979. Stayed in those barracks and it was cold as hell. I think those barracks have been long gone and they've recently house immigrants from some where like Syria maybe? Thanks for the great video.