WWII Internment Camp - Crystal City, TX

[JimF-LowBari]

Just read "The Horseshoe Curve: Sabotage and Subversion In the Railroad City" by Dennis McIlnay. Most of the book has to do with the Horseshoe Curve (Altoona, PA) which is a bottle neck in transporting freight via train. During WWII Nazi spies wanted to blow it up to cripple the US war effort.

Few paragraphs I found dealt with the Internment camp at Crystal City, TX (70 west of San Antonio). Camp had up to 3400 internees of German, Japanese and Italian background who were held for various reasons (ain't getting into that mess here). The camp had a high school which had 300 students and included "a pep squad, honor society, yearbook, prom and a drum and bugle corps and two football teams which could only play each other.."

Yep, another unknown drum corps to add to my "after I retire" research project.....

Any TX folks have info on at least the camp????

Edit: Just did a bit of googling and Crystal City was not the only place, here's from an interment camp in Idaho. Densho site seems like a good start for people who know nothing about the camps.

http://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/p...ection=learning

Edited October 11, 2008 by JimF-3rdBari

[jbl]

When I was on active duty with the Air Force I had to do some research into the internment camps and POW camps during WW II.

The Army History Office at Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, PA has a collection of documents relating to this area. The Army was responsible during WWII for operating the camps.

In my research I was able to get copies of Italian PoW documents of interrogations of escaped and recaptured PoWs. It was fascinating to read these stories of the reasons they were escaping. Many did so to stay in the states. They were trying to make their way to relatives who had immigrated to the US.

[IllianaLancerContra]

Just read "The Horseshoe Curve: Sabotage and Subversion In the Railroad City" by Dennis McIlnay. Most of the book has to do with the Horseshoe Curve (Altoona, PA) which is a bottle neck in transporting freight via train. During WWII Nazi spies wanted to blow it up to cripple the US war effort.

Few paragraphs I found dealt with the Internment camp at Crystal City, TX (70 west of San Antonio). Camp had up to 3400 internees of German, Japanese and Italian background who were held for various reasons (ain't getting into that mess here). The camp had a high school which had 300 students and included "a pep squad, honor society, yearbook, prom and a drum and bugle corps and two football teams which could only play each other.."

Yep, another unknown drum corps to add to my "after I retire" research project.....

Any TX folks have info on at least the camp????

Edit: Just did a bit of googling and Crystal City was not the only place, here's from an interment camp in Idaho. Densho site seems like a good start for people who know nothing about the camps.

http://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/p...ection=learning

On the starting line, performing "Springtime for Hitler"....Das Aryan Knights!

[JimF-LowBari]

The Army History Office at Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, PA has a collection of documents relating to this area. The Army was responsible during WWII for operating the camps.

Carlisle? Never heard of the place About 10 miles from me and site of my old corps home show. Thanks for the info.

In my research I was able to get copies of Italian PoW documents of interrogations of escaped and recaptured PoWs. It was fascinating to read these stories of the reasons they were escaping. Many did so to stay in the states. They were trying to make their way to relatives who had immigrated to the US.

Interesting, during the Revolutionary War a lot of Hessian (aka German) mercenaries the British brought over deserted. Big reasons was there were a lot of Germans living around PA and the "our side" Germans would convince the "their side" Germans to try life in the Colonies. Also Carlisle had a Hessian POW camp during the Rev War but can't remember if it is in the Barracks area. The old "Indian School" from the early 1900s was on site (Jim Thorpe was an Alumnus).

[Jazzfman]

My Father told me there was an Italian POW camp at 1st street in Bayonne....although probably not a fun place to be, the Italian folks from the area were allowed to bring pasta, meatballs and sausage, and homemade vino to the boys on Sundays!!!

[jbl]

My Father told me there was an Italian POW camp at 1st street in Bayonne....although probably not a fun place to be, the Italian folks from the area were allowed to bring pasta, meatballs and sausage, and homemade vino to the boys on Sundays!!!

There was a German PoW camp near Frankenmuth, Michigan in the city museum they have some info on the camp. One story they tell is that one of the PoW's brother lived in the Carolinas who had immigrated years before. The brother came to see him and government officials were willing to let the PoW go home with his brother. But the brother who had immigrated wouldn't do it because he believed it was unfair to the other PoWs.

In 1943 after Italy surrendered to the Allies, Italian PoWs were used as work crews to build bases in the Pacific against the Japanese.

Edited October 19, 2008 by jbl

[TomKaye]

My Father told me there was an Italian POW camp at 1st street in Bayonne....although probably not a fun place to be, the Italian folks from the area were allowed to bring pasta, meatballs and sausage, and homemade vino to the boys on Sundays!!!

Hi Doug --- I'm an occasional visitor to this site, and rarely post. The POW camp in Bayonne brings back memories.

It wasn't on 1st street, but on Isabella Ave. and 5th street, on property now occupied by the Cal Ripken Baseball field, and the Park behind the houses there on Isabella.

In my memory, the camp consisted of perhaps a half-dozen or more plywood buildings about 60 feet long by 12 wide by about 8 high. The property was surrounded by a 10 foot fence which some downtown Bayonne kids cut a hole in. All the windows had been busted out and any lighting or plumbing fixtures had been removed. I had my first cigarette in those abandoned buildings at 9 or 10 years of age. Whatta dope I was. Now I'm a non-smoker thank God.

I too remember the Sunday dinner stories about the Italian POW's once confined there. An old lady from the neighborhood told us about cooking for the boys.

There may be something on the Bayonne City website. I think the buildings were destroyed in a fire around 1960 or 62. My smoking had nothing to do with that.