POWs in the US with a focus on South Carolina

This presentation begins with how the first German POWs were brought to the US, what they experienced when they first arrived, and how the US Army housed and fed them and gave them jobs that provided crucial labor for the nation’s crops and timber in a labor-starved war economy.

Our presenter is Dr. Fritz Hamer, who received his MA and PhD in history from USC-Columbia. He spent 25 years at the SC State Museum as Curator of History researching and developing exhibitions on a variety of topics, ranging from the American Civil War and Reconstruction, World War I and II, and sports history with emphasis on baseball and football.

Did you know that the Walterboro Army Airfield had a POW site on base? In 1944, a prisoner-of-war camp with housing for 250 inmates was established at the air field. 150 German POWs served out the rest of the war there, working on local farms during the day.

This program is supported by South Carolina Humanities, a not-for-profit organization; inspiring, engaging and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture and heritage. SC Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.