Reedsburg WWII Prisoner of War Camp

Reedsburg world war two Prisoner of War Camp. . , Near this location was Camp Reedsburg, a World War II prisoner of war camp that housed 137 German POWs. There were more than 35 camps across Wisconsin. The United States entered world war two after Pearl Harbor and within months began receiving enemy POWs. The vast majority of those sent to Wisconsin were German, but there were also Italian and Japanese POWs. They were sent to the US on ships, and then they traveled across the country by train to large base camps. POWs were then sent to smaller branch camps in communities to offset local labor shortages. They were paid 80 cents per day for their work and could spend their earnings in the canteen or save it until the war's end., Camp Reedsburg was an operational Branch Camp from June 1945 to August 1945. POWs came from the Camp Sheridan, IL, base camp. After an outcry in the local paper about security, a snow fence was put around the perimeter of the camp. POWs lived in army-style tents and had use of additional outbuildings within the camp. POWs primarily worked in agriculture and at canning plants. They were transported by military vehicles or marched to locations near the camp. More than 400,000 POWs were held in the US during world war two. , Erected 2021 , Wisconsin Historical Society