Camp Concordia

Camp Concordia

Camp Concordia was a Prisoner-of-war camp that operated from 1943-1945. Its location is two miles north and one mile east of Concordia, Kansas. The camp was used primarily for German army prisoners during World War II who were captured in battles that took place in Africa.

Camp Concordia was the largest Kansas camp, holding over 4,000 prisoners [ [http://www.kspublishinginc.com/concordia.html KS Publishing, Inc. - Camp Concordia ] ] (some sources cite as high as 8,000 prisoners [ [http://okielegacy.org/journal/Vol1/panespast.html Oakie's Heart to Heart ] ] ). The camp consisted of a complex of 300 buildings and was staffed by 800 United States soldiers. [ [http://www.zundelsite.org/english/zgrams/zg2001/2002-January/000177.html ZGram - 1/1/2002 - "Happy New Year!" ] ]

Daily Life at Camp Concordia

The prisoners arrived at Camp Concordia by train. Authorities believed the soldiers could provide useful labor for agriculture, and, almost immediately, the Germans started working with local farmers.

"Difficulties between POWs and local residents were few, and in fact friendships formed," stated Lowell May, president of the camp's preservation society. "Only a handful of escape attempts occurred, none successful." Life at the camp was easy compared with the war in Europe. Prisoners played outdoor sports, listened to band performances and took courses offered by the University of Kansas.

The prisoners headed back to Germany in the autumn of 1945, some of them harboring pleasant memories of Kansas. Franz Kramer of Gundelfingen, Germany, said: "There was no reason to criticize American authorities. The prisoners felt that they were well treated. We learned a little of the American way of life and saw part of the vast country." [ [http://www.zundelsite.org/english/zgrams/zg2001/2002-January/000177.html ZGram - 1/1/2002 - "Happy New Year!" ] ]

The Camp Today

Several structures of the camp remain, including a prison warehouse used for storage, an officers club, and a restored guard tower. Only the guard tower is easily accessible to the public. The land is now used primarily for farming, although some houses have been built on the land as well.

The original guard house remains and has been restored. Interested persons may write to the POW Camp Concordia Preservation Society at Box 341, Concordia, KS 66901, or phone (785) 527-5576. Today, correspondence continues between former POWs, their relatives and Concordia residents.

Camp records have been transferred and maintained at the Cloud County Historical Museum in Concordia. On display at the museum are also many items of interest about Camp Concordia including several original paintings created by prisoners at Camp Concordia.

External links

* [http://www.kansasphototour.com/concordia.htm Photo tour of Camp Concordia]
* [http://www.kspublishinginc.com/concordia.html Camp Concordia: German POWs in the Midwest by Lowell A. May]
* [http://www.roadsideamerica.com/sights/sightstory.php?tip_AttrId=%3D16021 Roadside America review of Camp Concordia]

References

* Bell, Rachel Lowrey (1998a). A Proud Past... A Pictorial History of Concordia, Kansas, Marceline, Missouri: D-Books Publishing.
* Carlson, Lewis H., 1997, We Were Each Other’s Prisoners. Basic Books, New York.
* Emery, Janet Pease (1970a). It Takes People to Make a Town, Salina, Kansas: Arrow Printing Company. Library of Congress number 75-135688.
* Krammer, Arnold, 1979, Nazi Prisoners of War in America. Stein and Day, New York.
* May, Lowell A., 1995, Camp Concordia: German POWs in the Midwest. Sunflower University Press, Manhattan, Kansas.
* Thompson, Glenn, 1993, Prisoners on the Plains: German POWs in America. Phelps County Historical Society, Holdrege, Nebraska.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Concordia, Kansas —   City   Concordia Post Office, 2007 …   Wikipedia

  • Concórdia — Concordia Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Concordia est un mot latin qui signifie « harmonie, concorde » (littéralement tous les cœurs ensemble) ; il est utilisé dans ce… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Concordia — (lat. „Eintracht“) steht für: Concordia (Mythologie), Göttin der Eintracht in der römischen Mythologie (58) Concordia, ein Asteroid häufiger Namensbestandteil von sozialen Vereinen und Dienstleistern, siehe Eintracht häufiger Namensbestandteil… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Concordia Normal School — located in Concordia, Kansas was a state funded normal school operated by the Kansas state government from 1874 until 1876. Concordia Normal began on March 10, 1874 with Professor E. F. Robinson as the Principal. The school opened for students on …   Wikipedia

  • Concordia — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Concordia est un mot latin qui signifie « harmonie, concorde » (littéralement tous les cœurs ensemble) ; il est utilisé dans ce sens dans… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Concordia — Contents 1 Education 1.1 Student newspapers 2 Place name 2.1 …   Wikipedia

  • Concordia Language Villages — Address 901 8th St. S. Moorhead, MN, 56562 United States Information Motto to prepare young people for responsible citizenship in our global community Deno …   Wikipedia

  • Concordia Station — Concordia Research Station, which opened in 2005, is a research facility that was built 3,233 m above sea level at a location called Dome C on the Antarctic Plateau, Antarctica. It is located 1,100 km inland from the French research station… …   Wikipedia

  • Concordia College (South Australia) — Concordia College Latin: Fortiter in Re, Suaviter in Modo Firm in Principle, Gentle in Manner[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Concordia Lutheran College — Location Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia Information …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”