Cross posted on Panhandle Board:

https://www.panhandleplains.org/events/2021/film-screening--panel-discussion-on-hereford-pow-camp

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Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and Panhandle PBS will share a gallery reception, film screening and panel discussion on the Hereford POW Camp of World War II on Thursday, March 31 at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 2503 4th Ave. in Canyon. The event will start with a 6:00 p.m. reception in the Alexander Gallery, a 6:30 p.m. film screening followed by a 7:00 p.m. panel discussion.

The 2008 Panhandle PBS-produced film, "A Cathedral in the Desert: The POWs of Hereford Camp 31," shares the stories of the Italian POW camp outside of Hereford, where over 4,000 Italian soldiers were housed from 1942 through 1946. The film explores how a group of prisoners brought their artistic talents to St. Mary's Catholic Church in Umbarger, painting murals and sculpting figures while enjoying country cooking from the congregants.

This event is held as part of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum exhibition "Paradox in a POW Camp," on view in the Alexander Gallery through April 23rd. The exhibition tells the story of then 20-year old Ann Cockrell who worked at the camp for three years with doctors and military officials, documenting activities within the camp while getting to know many of the Italian prisoners held there. Building lasting friendships through art, writing, and interactions, her memories and mementos of the Hereford POW camp provide a window into this unique chapter in Texas Panhandle history.

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I've been to the church in Umbarger, and the camp site in Hereford. Might share some photos later. Fascinating story.

Absolutely love history and our museums and markers. I do hate to see our flag not displayed properly. Did enjoy the info and film clip.

Can you imagine what the Italians must have thought of the terrain around Hereford?

My dad remembers seeing German POW working at Temple's McCloskey Hospital. They had a compound at the hospital. They were originally from North Fort Hood compound that had something like 15,000 POWs. Also had one in Hearne and in Mexia.

Camp Swift -Bastrop-Germans

https://www.gentracer.org/powcampsTX.html

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Beaumont (William) General Hospital, Bliss, El Paso County, TX
Bliss (Fort William W. S.), El Paso County, TX (base camp)
Bowie (Camp), Brown County, TX (base camp)
Brady (Camp), Brady, McCulloch County, TX (base camp)
Brooke (Roger) General Hospital, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Bexar County, TX
Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, Corpus Christie, Nueces County, TX (base camp)
Crockett (Fort David), Galveston, Galveston County, TX (base camp)
Dodd Field, San Antonio, Bexar Count TX (base camp)
Fannin (Camp James W.), Tyler, Smith County, TX (base camp)
Fort (William J.) Worth, US Public Health Service Hospital, Tarrant and Denton Counties, TX
Harmon (Daniel W.) General Hospital, Longview, Gregg and Harrison Counties, TX
Hearne (Camp), Hearne, Robertson County, TX (base camp)
Hereford (Camp), Hereford, Deaf Smith County, TX (base camp)
Hood (Camp John B.), Killeen, Bell County, TX (base camp)
Houston (Fort Sam), near San Antonio, Bexar County, TX (base camp)
Howze (Camp Robert L.), near Gainesville, Cooke County, TX (base camp)
Hulen (Camp John A.), Palacios, Matagorda County, TX (base camp)
Huntsville (Camp), Huntsville, Walker County, TX (base camp)
Kenedy POW Camp, Kenedy, Karnes County, TX (base camp)
Maxey (Camp Samuel B.), Paris, Lamar County, TX (base camp)
Mexia (Camp), Mexia, Limestone County, TX (base camp)
Russell (Fort DA), near Marfa, Presidio County, TX (base camp)
Swift (Camp), Bastrop County, TX (base camp)
Wolters (Camp), near Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, TX (base camp)

Enemy alien internment camps:
Bliss (Fort William W. S.), El Paso County, TX (held German, Italian, and Japanese civilians from June 15 1942 to July 15 1942)
Crystal City, Zavala County, TX (German and Japanese)
Houston (Fort Sam), near San Antonio, Bexar County, TX (German, Italian, and Japanese)
Kenedy Alien Internment Camp, Karnes County, TX (German, Italian, and Japanese)
San Antonio, Bexar County, TX (Italian)
Seagoville, Dallas County, TX (formerly a federal prison for women) (German, Italian, and Japanese)

Cemeteries:
Camp Bowie (Prisoner of War Cemetery), TX (transferred to Fort Sam Houston Nat'l Cem.)
Camp Brady, TX (transferred to Fort Sam Houston Nat'l Cem.)
Camp Fannin, TX (5 German burials transferred to Alexandria National Cemetery in LA in February 1946)
Camp Hearne, TX (transferred to Fort Sam Houston Nat'l Cem.)
Camp Hood (Prisoner of War Cemetery), TX (transferred to Fort Sam Houston Nat'l Cem.)
Camp Howze, TX (transferred to Fort Reno, OK)
Camp Huntsville, TX (transferred to Fort Sam Houston Nat'l Cem.)
Camp McLean, TX (transferred to Fort Reno, OK)
Camp Maxey (Prisoner of War Cemetery), TX (transferred to Fort Sam Houston Nat'l Cem.)
Camp Mexia, TX (transferred to Fort Sam Houston Nat'l Cem.)
Camp Swift (Prisoner of War Cemetery), TX (transferred to Fort Sam Houston Nat'l Cem.)
Camp Wolters, TX (transferred to Fort Sam Houston Nat'l Cem.)
Dodd Field, TX (9 Italian burials transferred to Ft. Sam Houston before February 1947)
Fort Bliss National Cemetery, Ft. Bliss, TX (The Fort Bliss National Cemetery contains POWs who died in TX and AZ, and NM.)
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Ft. Sam Houston, TX (The Sam Houston National Cemetery contains POWs who died in TX and OK, AR, and LA.)
Hereford POW Chapel, Hereford, TX (5 Italian burials transferred to Fort Reno, OK in 1947.)

There were 20 base camps, 30 branch camps, 5 hospitals, 6 internment locations, and 16 cemeteries in TX. More information in my latest book titled Prisoner of War Camps Across America and is available in Kindle format on Amazon and in Nook format on Barnes and Noble.

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When the Afrika Korps Came to Texas

Written by Dr. Krammer, who taught at A&M and some posters had for class.

The AK were some hardcore Nazis in the POW camps. They got captured early on when the Germans were still doing well and never saw the decline of Germany and they wouldn't believe the new prisoners about what was happening

Interesting, I've read that a lot of German POW's wound up liking how they were treated. Given the propaganda/dehumanization in the press on both sides, it seems those imprisoned in Texas wound up being treated quite well and many wound up immigrating/staying here.

nortex97 said:

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Interesting, I've read that a lot of German POW's wound up liking how they were treated. Given the propaganda/dehumanization in the press on both sides, it seems those imprisoned in Texas wound up being treated quite well and many wound up immigrating/staying here.

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No question that captured Germans were treated better here than they were on the front lines. POWs from the beginning of the war (North Africa) were still seeing the victories, while the later ones (Italy, France, Germany) were really only experiencing the losses and were way more disillusioned with the war.

Side note: German and Italian POWs could go into restaurants that Black servicemen could not.

Edit: Wiki page about German POWs' resistance

My folks used to live in East Tennessee. One of their good friends there had been a guard at the POW camp in Hearne. Interestingly, my folks' friend claimed that the TV show Hogans Heroes was based off of a memoir written by a POW at the Hearne camp. When the TV show was made, they switched the German and American roles.

Although I've never been able to find any verification for my folks' friend's recollection, it sort of makes sense. The American POWs in the show had liberties that no American POW had in Germany, but were common for German POWs in the US. In addition, we almost certainly didn't station our best and brightest officers and NCOs at the camps. The US officers and NCOs at the Hearne camp may well have come across as Kommandant Klink and Sargeant Schultz to the disciplined German troops.

Texas Bucket List episode

Two mistakes: First, he failed to mention the Italians who worked on local farms, which was the first connection with Umbarger. Second, the Chapel is not the only remnant. The concrete base of the water tower remains.

https://thetexasbucketlist.com/2024/08/the-texas-bucket-list-camp-hereford-pow-chapel-in-hereford/