Ross Township in Augusta in Kalamazoo County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

German Prisoners of War

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, January 12, 2022

1. German Prisoners of War Marker

Volkstrauertag is German for "people's day of mourning".

Inscription. From 1943 to 1946, Fort Custer housed German prisoners of war. A truck/train collision resulted in the deaths of some of the 26 German soldiers buried here. Others died of natural causes. Since 1953, German American communities and veterans organizations have sponsored an annual memorial service to honor those who are resting here.

Dedicated: Volkstrauertag 1991
Your German and American friends

Erected 1991.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1943.

Location. 42° 20.157′ N, 85° 19.308′ W. Marker is in Augusta, Michigan, in Kalamazoo County. It is in Ross Township. It is on Chippewa Way near Fort Custer Drive, on the right when traveling west. This marker is located in the western portion of Fort Custer National Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15501 Dickman Road, Augusta MI 49012, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Michigan.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: In Memory (within shouting distance of this marker); Builders Medad, Casey, Chauncey and Darwin McKay (approx. 1½ miles away); Veterans Hospital No. 100 (approx. 1½ miles away); Park Theatre (approx. 1½ miles away); Barn Theatre

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(approx. 2.7 miles away); Welcome to the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary (approx. 5.2 miles away); William Rufus Shafter Memorial (approx. 5.9 miles away); U.S.S. Maine Memorial (approx. 5.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Augusta.

Also see . . . Fort Custer National Cemetery. Excerpt:

The last German prisoners repatriated to their homeland and departed Fort Custer in 1946. They left behind 26 comrades buried in the old post cemetery. Sixteen of the German POWs were killed in an accident when their truck collided with a train as they were returning to the fort from a work detail on a sugar beet farm near Blissfield, Mich.

(Submitted on January 13, 2022, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan.)

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, January 12, 2022

2. German Prisoners of War Marker

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, January 12, 2022

3. German Prisoners of War Marker

German Prisoners of War image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, January 12, 2022

4. German Prisoners of War

This view includes some of the gravesites of the German POWs who died while detained at Fort Custer.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 14, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 13, 2022, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 408 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 13, 2022, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.