Schedule
Even though many Americans thought that the POWs had it too easy, the POW’s days were not all that easy. The German POWs work days would begin with a wake-up whistle at 5:30 a.m. They would have a simple breakfast and be sent to go clean their barracks. By 7:00 a.m., they would be transported to pick, harvest, can, or do other work related to agriculture at nearby farms and plants. At noon, they would eat a bologna sandwich and have a drink. Many said that the food at the camp was better than what they had eaten as a regular civilian in Germany. None of the POWs in America were fat, but they were healthy and lean while Allied prisoners under Nazi control were often dangerously thin. After the evening meal, the POWs would play various games when the camp got boring, including cards, soccer, badminton, softball, croquet, and chess. At 10 p.m., the day ended for the POWs. The POWs were treated fairly -- not mistreated, but not pampered.
Prisoners wore green and blue with “PW” stenciled on their backs and pants, such as those seen on the right. One time, a boy at a local boy’s camp put on a POW jacket to be funny, but he ended up almost being shot because they thought he was a POW trying to escape. Some wore their Afrika Korps hats, while others used G.I. hats from their captors.
Rations
Camp Lakeview had to have a Camp Canteen because of the Geneva Convention. The POWs were paid in coupons which were worth 80 cents plus 10 cents pay each day. This money could be used to get toothpaste, razor blades, beer, and sometimes even candy. Rations for the POWs were often equivalent to rations given to American soldiers. Their food, clothes, and housing were free, given that they wear a POW tag, shown below.
Transport
Accompanied by a guard, the POWs could be seen traveling to various work sites everyday but Sunday. For example, they were transported to help with harvest, canning, and making pickles at Holland’s own H.J. Heinz Co.
Education
By 1944, most camps had some form of education. Some camps even provided the opportunity for POWs to write in their own language, which they hadn’t been able to do previously. Only about 15% of the POWs could speak English, but that changed as they spent more time in America.
Religion
Some of the prisoners were atheists, but most were Catholics, Protestants, or simply claimed that they believed in a God. Worship services were led by the prisoners, and they would sing hymns even though they didn’t have any hymn books.
Punishments
Ardent Nazis and trouble makers were sent to camps that were set up to deal with them specifically. However, there were small punishments, like only eating bread and water for not following commands.
Courtesy of Kalamazoo Gazette from June 19, 1995; Holland Happenings, Heroes, Hot Shots and Heinz Holland: Century of History by Randall P. Vande Water; The South Bend Tribune from Sunday, January 8, 1978; and The Holland Evening Sentinel from July 7, 1944
