German POWS in Manitowoc County

Date

• 1945

Summary

• In this picture taken 1.5 miles east of Steiners Corners near Mishicot in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin in 1945, a young boy kneels on the ground with six young men as they pose in front of a wooden wall or fence. The boy, wearing a long-sleeved fringed shirt and a hat with fringed brim, is Lester Koeppel, whose family lived in a rented house near this site, where Lakeside Packing Company of Manitowoc, Wisconsin operated four stationary pea viners. The men are German prisoners of war who worked at the vinery, helping to harvest peas. The letters "POW" are visible across the pant knees of several of the prisoners. During World War II there was an acute labor shortage on Manitowoc County farms. In 1945 local food processors sought volunteers from civic groups and clubs to help with the pea harvest, but when there was little response they contracted with the government for POW labor. There was resistance to stationing prisoners in Manitowoc, but a camp was opened at the fairgrounds in Chilton in neighboring Calumet County. Between July 3 and August 10, 1945, some 300 German POWs were housed in the fairgrounds buildings under the supervision of Captain David Fine. Two other Army officers, 35 enlisted men, and two medics were also stationed at the camp to provide security and accompany the work details. The prisoners worked at canneries and viner stations in Calumet, Manitowoc, and Brown counties, including sites at Manitowoc, Valders, St. Nazianz, Rockwood, and Steiners Corners in Manitowoc County. (Another POW camp in Sheboygan supplied workers for a cannery in Cleveland in Manitowoc County.) With their help, Manitowoc County's largest pea crop since 1926, estimated at 4,000 tons, was successfully harvested. Most of the prisoners were fairly young. Although they were under strict orders not to fraternize with civilians, the rules were sometimes overlooked, as indicated by this picture. In at least one Manitowoc County community, local women brought coffee and soup or stew to the prisoners at noon. Statewide, thousands of German prisoners worked in agriculture and other industries during World War II.