At the height of the Second World War, more than 20,000 German and Italian prisoners of war were housed in Mississippi, with several camps located on or near the coast.
By 1943, the tides of war had turned against the Axis powers, especially in North Africa, where more than 400,000 German and Italian soldiers were forced to surrender to the Allies. While the British Empire had already taken several hundred thousand prisoners, there was little room or supplies left to accommodate more in England.
To ease the logistical burden and deter escape attempts, the U.S. decided to transport these Axis POWs from Africa to the continental U.S. and began doing so in late 1943.
While the prisoners expected the worst after crossing the Atlantic, they found themselves on state-of-the-art passenger trains, receiving good customer service during their journey to Mississippi. After the first prisoners disembarked at Camp Clinton in Mississippi, they encountered an entirely different world from what they were used to.
Life in the Camps
Higher-ranking Germans and Italians, including Gen. Hans-Jürgen Von Arnim, who surrendered the infamous Afrika Korps, were assigned single-family houses, vehicles and even personal chauffeurs during their stay in Mississippi.
Lower-ranking officers were provided with apartments, while enlisted soldiers were placed in large barracks, tents and other accommodations. Despite being surrounded by barbed wire,…
