|
|
|
May 11, 2000
Author discusses New Ulm POW camp with studentsPersonal quest for history motivated him to write POW bookBy GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- During World War II, about 500 German Prisoners of War passed through New Ulm, where they spent time working in local businesses and on local farms. It's another piece of the historic puzzle that makes up New Ulm's diverse past, and it marks the end of a 10-year labor of love for an Olivia native, who has recently published a book on the subject. Dean B. Simmons of St. Paul has recently published "Swords Into Plowshares/Minnesota's POW Camps during World War II," which sells for $17. Copies are available at the Brown County Historical Society Museum. He spent part of his day at New Ulm High School, where he gave students a brief lesson in the history of the New Ulm POW camp. "I grew up in Olivia, where the first POW camp in Minnesota was established," he said. "That's how my interest in this whole thing started. I have a personal interest in history and was always on a quest for new knowledge." He had no motive in completing the book, except for his own interest in the topic and his personal satisfaction at completing the task. "I had the opportunity to participate in an exchange program through the University of St. Thomas," he said. "Having the opportunity to study in Germany helped me make contact with actual prisoners, which gave the book more meaning to me." The research started in 1989, when he began studying journals, newspapers, legal documents, and setting up interviews. He then translated research discoveries into English. "Many of the prisoners had written letters after the war to the farmers they had worked for," he said. "I used those 50-year-old letters to track many of the people down." The book contains six chapters divided thematically, beginning with a general overview of base camps in America. There were 155 camps scattered throughout the country. The title of the book comes from Isaiah 2:4. The book is completely annotated, and it is written in a very professional form similar to a dissertation. It has been well-received academically. Copies are located in Geneva, Switzerland, and in the Library of Congress. In 1991, Simmons made his first trip to Germany to begin research for the book, returning in 1995 for a 1 1/2-year stay. He interviewed 25 former prisoners while working on the book. "Adding their perspective makes the book more relevant, because they are the ones who lived through it all day long," Simmons said. "There are more books written about World War II than any other subject in the world. The taste of democracy faced by these prisoners helped rebuild Germany. This book speaks to an entire generation and shows respect for what they did for us." One of the most well-documented camps in Minnesota was in New Ulm. It was located where Flandrau's Group Camp is today. The camp, one of 21 in Minnesota, was run out of the Algona, Iowa base camp. "There were some Italian prisoners housed in Minnesota, but the ones in New Ulm were mainly German, which was a phenomenon here," Simmons said. "The prisoners here worked at the cannery (in SLeepy Eye), because there was such a need for hand labor in those days." New Ulm was unique because it was a year-round camp. When canning labor wasn't needed, the prisoners worked at the four brick and tile manufacturers in the area. "You have to keep in mind that these were actual soldiers," Simmons told the students. "Under the terms of the Geneva Convention, they were treated quite well here. Having them work in something besides canning helped justify keeping them here." When the prisoners got here they were surprised to hear people around them speaking German, he said. There were eight counties served out of the camp in New Ulm. At its peak in September 1945, there were 317 prisoners housed there. The workers were paid 80 cents per day, which they could use to buy beer at the camp, he said. The camp cook in New Ulm was Herbert Richter, who is quoted in the book. He returned to America after the war and visited New Ulm, planning to settle here. He now lives in Wisconsin. Simmons, who will teach history and German at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights this fall, developed his own imprint and published the book under the name of Cathedral Hill Books of St. Paul. He received assistance from William Lass, who teaches history at Minnesota State University-Mankato.
|