Description
Book Synopsis During World War II, Axis prisoners of war received arguably better treatment in the U.S. than anywhere else. Bound by the Geneva Convention but also hoping for reciprocal treatment of American POWs, the U.S. sought to humanely house and employ 425,000 Axis prisoners, many in rural communities in the South.
This is the first book-length examination of Tennessee''s role in the POW program, and how the influx of prisoners affected communities. Towns like Tullahoma transformed into military metropolises. Memphis received millions in defense spending. Paris had a secret barrage balloon base. The wooded Crossville camp housed German and Italian officers. Prisoners worked tobacco, lumber and cotton across the state. Some threatened escape or worse. When the program ended, more than 25,000 POWs lived and worked in Tennessee.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Preface
- Chapter 1. War Comes to Tennessee
- Chapter 2. The Grand Central Station of the Southern United States: Enemy Aliens, Axis Prisoners of War, and the U.S. Army Come to Tullahoma and Camp Forrest, Tennessee
- Chapter 3. The Workhorse of POW Camps in the South: The Camp Forrest POW Camp and POW Hospital
- Chapter 4. At the Crossroads of the Nation: The Memphis and Axis POWs at the Army Service Forces Depot and Kennedy General Hospital
- Chapter 5. The Myriad Problems at the "Jap Camp": German and Italian Prisoners of War at Camp Crossville, Tennessee, 1942–1946
- Chapter 6. The Branches of the Trees: The Branch Camps Operated from Camp Forrest
- Chapter 7. Trimming the Trees: Camp Closures, American and Axis Soldiers Go Home, and the Aftermath for Tennessee
- Appendix 1
- Appendix 2
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
