Most people nowadays have no idea that we once had German Prisoner of War camps in our own backyard. As our forces in Africa, Italy, and Europe racked up one victory after another our armies were capturing more and more enemy prisoners. From 1942-1945 the Allies shipped more than 400,000 enemy soldiers to America. To house these men Washington ordered the construction of 500 POW camps, mainly in the South and Southwest United States. The second most popular location was the great farms of the mid-West. The reason for these allocations was that Great Britain was running out of places to house them. Another reason was that the shortage of manpower left a vacuum of laborers on our farms and factories. A sticking point was the Geneva Convention, which required all POW's to be paid if they were forced to work. However, the need for manpower overrode the reluctance to pay them their .80 per day and they were put to work in factories, farms, and any other place that was deemed necessary. Some of our nearby Alabama camps were: Atmore, Foley, and Loxley whereas our Florida camps were Eglin Army Air Field and Milton, Florida. Conditions in the camps were far superior than their own way of life in pre-war Germany. Food was plentiful and of excellent quality compared to their comrades still fighting overseas! So, of the 400,000 enemy prisoners in America only 2,200 ever escaped (less than 1%) and all were apprehended and returned.
The closest camp to Pensacola was located at NAS Whiting Field Airfield in Milton. According to Jay Cope and Drew Buchanan, who wrote on October 17, 2017 that "The site for the POW camp was on the north end of the base and the first 100 prisoners reconstructed four old contractors’ shacks to provide sleeping space and a galley and mess hall for the Germans. A small storage shed was renovated to create a space for a barber shop, canteen and reading room. A dispensary was established, using a 16’ by 16’ tent, on site for the prisoners to ensure basic medical care was readily available. The first 100 prisoners performed the work that prepared the camp for the additional 125 German POWs who arrived less than one month later on Aug. 3, 1945. Each prisoner was provided with half of a double-bunked bed, mattress, mattress cover, two blankets and a pillow." Another camp was in Atmore, Alabama near today's Holman State Prison. There, the prisoners were put to work on the farms planting, hoeing, and harvesting the areas crops. Loxley and Foley, Alabama also had camps totally dedicated to the farming industry. Most of the German prisoners were returned to their homeland by 1946. About 5,000 remained in America and even married their American sweethearts. There were 860 who died in captivity and are buried in the local communities near their individual camps.

NAS Whiting Field, Milton, Florida German POW Barracks (US Navy, Special to the Pulse) by Jay Drew and Drew Buchanan 10-11-2017)

WWII German POW Camp at NAS Whiting Field, Milton, Florida (US Navy Special to the Pulse) by Jay Drew and Drew Buchanan 10-11-2017)

Pensacola News Journal Article 5-1-1945
Foley, Alabama POW Camp

Pensacola News Journal Article 12-16-1944
Arizona Papago POW Camp

Pensacola News Journal Article 9-19-1944

POW Camps in the U.S.