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Stalag Wisconsin: Inside WWII Prisoner of War Camps
STALAG WISCONSIN: Inside WW II prisoner-of-war camps is a comprehensive look inside Wisconsin's 38 branch camps that held 20,000 Nazi and Japanese prisoners of war during World War II. Many of these prisoners blended with the local community, drinking at taverns and even dating local girls. Some returned and settled in Wisconsin after their release. Their familiarity with local residents caused resentment by returning soliders who had battled them in Europe and Asia.
311 pages, Paperback
First published January 24, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 28, 2025
So interesting and excerpts from this would be great for history classes, especially the first hand memories/accounts.
July 19, 2012
This book opened my eyes to the reality of prisoner of war camps during World War II right here in Wisconsin. I was so surprised to find out there were camps not far from my house. This is a topic that I've never heard anyone speak about in my life that needs to be added to high school studies of WWII.
March 9, 2023
“Between March 1943, and June 1946, the labor of the PW’s nationwide earned over $360 million for the US treasury. In Wisconsin, alone, it is estimated the PW’s realized 3.3 million for the government.” Pg. 13
“The total revenue from the state of Wisconsin for PW labor, all paid in cash by private contractors, mounted to $1,827,586.85 for the first eight months of 1945. According to that same report, total income from July 28 to September 1 was $581,540.79. These prisoners, housed in 33 camps during the latter period of that year, worked in nearly 100 communities of the state.” Pg. 49
Individuals and companies that hired the prisoners paid those wages to the military. The military then compensated the men in script. The efforts of the POWs earned money for the US treasury, thus saving taxpayers millions of dollars. The prisoners received eighty cents per day for their labor. (Prisoners also received a ten cents per day gratuity, for personal needs.) Thus the prisoners earned about $19 a month while pay of American enlisted men at that time started at $21 a month. Pg. 20-21
“ A fact not widely known or remembered is that most of the prisoners who returned to Europe remained captive there for another 2 to 3 years. The German prisoners followed one of two routes home, one through England and the other through France. Passing through England usually provided a quicker and smoother journey than going through France. While sending some PW’s directly on to occupied Germany, the British authorities detained other PW’s only for a short stay to be “re-educated“ before being transported to Germany. But the British also impressed many and required them to work within the country for another year or two. Perhaps a majority of the German soldiers repatriated through Le Havre, France remained captive there, kept as unpaid labor for up to three more years. In France, the PW’s worked in the coal mines, and at rebuilding the cities and farms.”
“As prisoners arrived in Germany they found their receptions much a matter of chance, often determined by the situation in their home towns. Some returned in to the Russian zone, only to be taken to the Soviet union as sleep slave labor never to be heard from again. Those that remained in Germany found the country destroyed and in chaos, their families, now scattered, missing, or dead, their homes destroyed, and their jobs lost. East German authorities generally considered them “contaminated“ with Western ideas, common untrustworthy, and suspect, and they treated them harshly. Perceived, as not having suffered like those on the German homefront, many West Germans also discriminated against them. The repatriates often found existing jobs unavailable to them. And in the back of their minds, the vision of the democratic, economically abundant America they had experienced, haunted many of them. Pg. 45-46
“The total revenue from the state of Wisconsin for PW labor, all paid in cash by private contractors, mounted to $1,827,586.85 for the first eight months of 1945. According to that same report, total income from July 28 to September 1 was $581,540.79. These prisoners, housed in 33 camps during the latter period of that year, worked in nearly 100 communities of the state.” Pg. 49
Individuals and companies that hired the prisoners paid those wages to the military. The military then compensated the men in script. The efforts of the POWs earned money for the US treasury, thus saving taxpayers millions of dollars. The prisoners received eighty cents per day for their labor. (Prisoners also received a ten cents per day gratuity, for personal needs.) Thus the prisoners earned about $19 a month while pay of American enlisted men at that time started at $21 a month. Pg. 20-21
“ A fact not widely known or remembered is that most of the prisoners who returned to Europe remained captive there for another 2 to 3 years. The German prisoners followed one of two routes home, one through England and the other through France. Passing through England usually provided a quicker and smoother journey than going through France. While sending some PW’s directly on to occupied Germany, the British authorities detained other PW’s only for a short stay to be “re-educated“ before being transported to Germany. But the British also impressed many and required them to work within the country for another year or two. Perhaps a majority of the German soldiers repatriated through Le Havre, France remained captive there, kept as unpaid labor for up to three more years. In France, the PW’s worked in the coal mines, and at rebuilding the cities and farms.”
“As prisoners arrived in Germany they found their receptions much a matter of chance, often determined by the situation in their home towns. Some returned in to the Russian zone, only to be taken to the Soviet union as sleep slave labor never to be heard from again. Those that remained in Germany found the country destroyed and in chaos, their families, now scattered, missing, or dead, their homes destroyed, and their jobs lost. East German authorities generally considered them “contaminated“ with Western ideas, common untrustworthy, and suspect, and they treated them harshly. Perceived, as not having suffered like those on the German homefront, many West Germans also discriminated against them. The repatriates often found existing jobs unavailable to them. And in the back of their minds, the vision of the democratic, economically abundant America they had experienced, haunted many of them. Pg. 45-46
February 24, 2021
I have read three books very recently that dealt with prisoners of war or had a section of the book about prisoners of war.
Our POWs in all of our armed conflicts have been grossly mistreated and brutalized by their enemy captors. And, at times, it has been shown that US or UN captors have also improperly treated their prisoners or those perceived to be our enemies.
Stalag Wisconsin..... gave a very gratifying look at how prisoners of WWII were treated in Wisconsin. The book listed and described the many POW camps that were in Wisconsin.
Until about 15 years ago when I met a farmer whose father had utilized POW labor, I did not know that there were camps in Wisconsin. The farmer that I had met had related the story to me that, although the farmers were not supposed to feed the POW laborers while working on his farm, the farmer's father stated that they would eat in his house at his table with the rest of the family or hired laborers.
A similar story was related many times in the book from other farms or businesses. It was quite surprising to learn of the minimum amount of security that was maintained at the various camps - almost as much to keep the citizens from fraternizing with the prisoners as to prevent escapes.
Escapes were rare and covered in the book. Most POWs especially the Germans faced significantly better conditions in the Wisconsin camps than back in Germany or the Nazi army. Most of the "escapes" were actually found returning to camps as they had gone into town for cigarettes, a couple of beers or, in some cases, to see the girls.
Much of the work done by the POWs involved agricultural jobs on the farms or in the canneries harvesting and processing vegetables and fruits. Sometimes, farmers would hire several POWs for grain and other farm crop harvests. The POWs were paid a standard POW rate from the Army but the canneries and the farmers were charged a higher "going rate" for labor. The difference provided income to the US treasury.
The camps often made use of fairgrounds or other large event places or accommodations in areas around the state where camps were set up. Improvements such as electricity, bathroom and shower facilitates and concrete floors were or needed to be added to the camps. Prior to arrival, POW and guard work crews would come to the site to perform the tasks. The improvements were, then, paid for by the various canneries and farmers using the POW labor.
Take a chance, and read the book. It is easy reading and brings back one's knowledge that the Army and Wisconsin citizens humanely treated the prisoners held in the state.
Our POWs in all of our armed conflicts have been grossly mistreated and brutalized by their enemy captors. And, at times, it has been shown that US or UN captors have also improperly treated their prisoners or those perceived to be our enemies.
Stalag Wisconsin..... gave a very gratifying look at how prisoners of WWII were treated in Wisconsin. The book listed and described the many POW camps that were in Wisconsin.
Until about 15 years ago when I met a farmer whose father had utilized POW labor, I did not know that there were camps in Wisconsin. The farmer that I had met had related the story to me that, although the farmers were not supposed to feed the POW laborers while working on his farm, the farmer's father stated that they would eat in his house at his table with the rest of the family or hired laborers.
A similar story was related many times in the book from other farms or businesses. It was quite surprising to learn of the minimum amount of security that was maintained at the various camps - almost as much to keep the citizens from fraternizing with the prisoners as to prevent escapes.
Escapes were rare and covered in the book. Most POWs especially the Germans faced significantly better conditions in the Wisconsin camps than back in Germany or the Nazi army. Most of the "escapes" were actually found returning to camps as they had gone into town for cigarettes, a couple of beers or, in some cases, to see the girls.
Much of the work done by the POWs involved agricultural jobs on the farms or in the canneries harvesting and processing vegetables and fruits. Sometimes, farmers would hire several POWs for grain and other farm crop harvests. The POWs were paid a standard POW rate from the Army but the canneries and the farmers were charged a higher "going rate" for labor. The difference provided income to the US treasury.
The camps often made use of fairgrounds or other large event places or accommodations in areas around the state where camps were set up. Improvements such as electricity, bathroom and shower facilitates and concrete floors were or needed to be added to the camps. Prior to arrival, POW and guard work crews would come to the site to perform the tasks. The improvements were, then, paid for by the various canneries and farmers using the POW labor.
Take a chance, and read the book. It is easy reading and brings back one's knowledge that the Army and Wisconsin citizens humanely treated the prisoners held in the state.
September 10, 2025
I really vacillated between four and five stars for this book. On the one hand, it is so dang interesting, and I found myself constantly bewildered and telling people about what I had just read. However, it has a lot of editorial mistakes.
Critiques:
There are a lot of spelling mistakes and typos. I also thought that the way some of the first-hand accounts were worded made it confusing as to who experienced what. The book can also get repetitive; you will read several times about the record-breaking 1945 pea harvest and the army public relations guy, Captain Dettmar. This book is best understood as individual chapters, which could be good if you wanted to assign chapters for readings in a class. I think this book would benefit from a second edition with more analysis.
Praises:
The sheer contrast between the reactions of the Wisconsinites receiving the prisoners was remarkable. Some Wisconsinites viewed the POWs as Germans, rather than Nazis, finding solace in people who shared culture and language. In other cases, Wisconsinites refused to hire POW labor and spat at the prisoners- these were, after all, the same German soldiers slaughtering millions overseas. I could go on and on about my thoughts on the subject of this book.
Overall, this book gave me a lot of information about a topic that I did not know anything about. I will definitely be pondering it for time to come.
Critiques:
There are a lot of spelling mistakes and typos. I also thought that the way some of the first-hand accounts were worded made it confusing as to who experienced what. The book can also get repetitive; you will read several times about the record-breaking 1945 pea harvest and the army public relations guy, Captain Dettmar. This book is best understood as individual chapters, which could be good if you wanted to assign chapters for readings in a class. I think this book would benefit from a second edition with more analysis.
Praises:
The sheer contrast between the reactions of the Wisconsinites receiving the prisoners was remarkable. Some Wisconsinites viewed the POWs as Germans, rather than Nazis, finding solace in people who shared culture and language. In other cases, Wisconsinites refused to hire POW labor and spat at the prisoners- these were, after all, the same German soldiers slaughtering millions overseas. I could go on and on about my thoughts on the subject of this book.
Overall, this book gave me a lot of information about a topic that I did not know anything about. I will definitely be pondering it for time to come.
September 30, 2019
This book details the prisoner of war camps that were set up in Wisconsin during World War Two. As such it is an important historical record that includes interviews with people who remember the prisoners in their hometowns or working on their farms. It also gathers the statistics about the number of POWs, and the places used for camps. Most of the POWs were German and many of the locals were of German origin so could speak the language and interact with them. The prisoners did labor on farms and factories around the state. There was obviously a shortage of men during the war so they filled an important void bringing in the harvest and working in canneries. Most of them did not try to escape because they actually had it much better than they had it in the in their own country.
After the war they were all repatriated to their own countries.
After the war they were all repatriated to their own countries.
March 26, 2018
I've researched POW and Conscientious Objector camps during WW2 in Wisconsin and Illinois so I was not too surprised by the number of them. I was surprised to learn many of the guards were combat veterans convalescing from wounds with light duty as guards. I also didn't know the repatriated POWs ended up working in France or Britain for a few years after leaving the US at the end of the war. Another interesting fact was the presence of Koreans drafted into the Japanese Army and held along with Japanese POWs at Camp McCoy. Book's a nice introduction to this somewhat obscure piece of history.
September 23, 2019
It was fascinating to read about the history of the area where I live! I am so glad the author has gathered all of this information and written this important book. So many of my neighbors have German ancestors who may have met some of the people Ms. Cowley has written about. I didn't know that the government made money from PW camps during that time. This book will be useful for anyone researching this history of Wisconsin and trying to understand events of World War II.
January 30, 2025
Fascinating true stories from the 28 branch POW camps, in addition to the largest, Camp McCoy, of 1944-45 in Wisconsin (canning, farming, picking cherries and peas, etc). All but 4 US states housed and provided local jobs to POWs. Germans, Japanese and Koreans.
June 24, 2019
Interesting read for people in WI interested in history. Fine for a self-published book. Best part is the recollections from people in the area.
May 1, 2020
As a Wisconsinite, it was fun to read about places all around us that existed during WWII, but have disappeared into history.
Read
April 4, 2022what a great book
didnt-finish-didnt-start
September 5, 2022Will finish another time. Had to return.
December 19, 2022
Fascinating to learn this part of Wisconsin history that I had no idea of. That said, this book is very repetitive as the details of the happenings within each camp are very similar.
March 31, 2023
Seems well researched but writing and editing is not good. At least the information is there and was an interesting read.
Read
April 20, 2023Very interesting
September 2, 2025
Appreciated the historical information of thes POW camps in Wisconsin. Fascinating to read both the history and local resident accounts of what existed.
June 15, 2011
I met the author of this book and she mentioned that she wrote it because her students in Altoona did not believe there were prisoner of war camps during WWII in Wisconsin. I didn't know there were these camps at all! I found it be very interesting and informative to learn about them.
July 3, 2016
I heard the author at an event and was totally intrigued that there were POW camps near two places I have lived, and I knew nothing about them. I am sure there were a lot more stories that could have been included. I think this should be a party of Wisconsin high schools' history curriculum.
November 10, 2009
It was interesting to read about the local stories, some of which I'd heard bits of. Wished for more on the Galesville area.
October 9, 2012
I am enjoying the information, but the author tends to repeat a lot of information (often word for word).
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews