WWII POW Camps in Texas

During World War II, over a half-million Axis power prisoners of war were housed in POW camps in the United States. About ten percent of the POWs were housed in Texas. The state of Texas had over 50,000 POWs during and after World War II. This was the most in all of the country.

There are three major reasons why Texas had the most POW Camps: it had the most available space, its cities requested the additional labor the camps would bring, and it had a warm climate. It was thought that North Africa and Texas had similar climates. Therefore, Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps was sent to Texas.

The U.S. State Army issued for all records of the individual camps to be destroyed once the war was over and most of the records that were kept by the POWs were given to Germany. The map aims to shed light on the little-known history of POW camps in Texas during World War II. This map highlights different POW camps from the various regions of Texas with various ways to learn more!