WWII POW Camps in New Mexico

[Highmountain]

I mention this because it's been largely forgotten in the communities where enemy POWs were held, and because I once lived for a few of years as a youngster on a small farm located only a few hundred yards from the Italian PW camp in Portales.

Just adjacent to our fence was a trench partially covered where we kids would find all manner of half-finished crafts such as hand-made metal cigarette cases, wood carvings, tin cans elaborately twisted or cut and riveted and designed as ashtrays, lamp bottoms etc. created by the PWs to to trade with local residents for things the PW camp didn't furnish them such as cigarettes. Evidently when the Peace was signed with the Italians the camp emptied out quickly and the PWs were shipped out with whatever they could carry, leaving just about everything in the camp that wasn't of obvious value to be discarded.

I think there might still be a lot of that sort of thing to be found in the areas surrounding that and other PW camps in NM by people with good metal detectors.

Here are the PW campsites in NM I've been able to learn anything about, though there were evidently a number of others.

If you're interested in such things this might give you a leg-up to help you researching more exact locations:

Lordsburg

Japanese Internment Camp
German and Italian POW Camp

Roswell

German PWs mostly from Gen. Rommel's elite Afrika Korps

Las Cruces
600 Prisoners German and Italian

Portales
Italian PWs - Currently County Fairgrounds - stone barracks are used for livestock show entries


List of POW camps in the United States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_POW_camps_in_the_United_States
http://snipurl.com/2aau5 [en_wikipedia_org]

Camp Albuquerque New Mexico
Camp Albuquerque was an American World War II POW camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico that housed Italian and German prisoners of war. From this branch camp, the POWs did mostly farm labor, from 1943 to 1946. Most of these POWs were transferred from Camp Roswell, which was a base or main POW camp for New Mexico. Camp Lordsburg, New Mexico, and Camp El Paso, Texas, were also base camps.

Camp Deming
Georg Gärtner escaped on 21 September 1945, and finally surrendered in 1985. He was the last, and had remained at large for 40 years.
New Mexico

Camp Las Cruces
Werner Paul Lueck escaped in November 1945, and was recaptured in Mexico City in 1954.
Las Cruces, New Mexico

Camp Lordsburg
1942-1945: held Japanese American internees, and then German/Italian POWs.

Camp Roswell
1942-1946: German POWs.
Roswell, New Mexico (14 miles SE of town)

Camp Santa Fe New Mexico
Fort Sumner New Mexico


http://www.newmexicohistory.org/forums/?threadID=0156
http://snipurl.com/2aaue [www_newmexicohistory_org]
Major German Prisoner of WarInternment Camps in the United States
http://uboat.net/men/pow/pow_in_america_stats.htm

Italian POW Camps in the USA
http://www.gentracer.com/powcamps.html
http://snipurl.com/2aauj [www_gentracer_com]


Alamogordo, New Mexico (branch camp under Ft. Bliss, TX)
Anthony, New Mexico (branch camp under Ft. Bliss, TX)
Camp Lordsburg, Lordsburg, New Mexico 88045
Camp Roswell, Orchard Park, New Mexico
Deming, New Mexico (branch camp under Ft. Bliss, TX)
Fort Bayard, New Mexico (branch camp under Ft. Bliss, TX)
Hatch, New Mexico (branch camp under Ft. Bliss, TX)

 

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[Springfield]

The German POW's at Fort Bayard constructed many of the improvements at the National Cemetery there. They were more under 'house arrest' than incarcerated, most of them being young soldiers more or less conscripted into service in the homeland during WWII. A number of them developed strong friendships and bonds with the locals during their captivity and when released, wanted to remain in the area but reluctantly were required to return to Europe. Some of the locals in SW New Mexico grew fond of them and tried to sponser an effort to allow them to stay, but to no avail.

 

[al-nm]

Not sure whats left of it since i left there but also Hobbs new mexico has an old air base there. It was also used to train pilots for wwII. wasnt much left there when i was there but foundations and one or two old hangers. found tons of silver where the old theater was on base. but that was about the only spot i hit. Know they have built a prison now and a casino....... prob needed the prison because of the casino.. but not sure it was built on the spot of the old air base.

 

[Highmountain]

Springfield and al nm - Good helpful info. Thanks for adding to the database.

Gracias
Jack

 

[OroGrande]

Thanks for all the posts Highmountain. They are well researched and a wealth of information. I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the good work...HH

 

[Highmountain]

Thanks for all the posts Highmountain. They are well researched and a wealth of information. I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the good work...HH

Thanks Oro:

I always enjoy your posts also.

Jack

 

[johnnycat]

One of my uncles was a guard at the Deming facility way back when. Unfortunately I found this out while attending his funeral last May. His oldest son has a .22 caliber pistol that looks just like a German luger but it isn't. It was given to my uncle by an Army captain for giving him a ride into town!!! My cousin has some amazing pictures of the area . I'll see if he lets me borrow them so that I can post them.

 

[Highmountain]

One of my uncles was a guard at the Deming facility way back when. Unfortunately I found this out while attending his funeral last May. His oldest son has a .22 caliber pistol that looks just like a German luger but it isn't. It was given to my uncle by an Army captain for giving him a ride into town!!! My cousin has some amazing pictures of the area . I'll see if he lets me borrow them so that I can post them.

During the '50s all the Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines used to have a .22 pistol called a Stoeger Lugar for sale for $19.95 mail order. Sounds as though it's the grandson of the one you've described, or Stoeger might have been manufacturing them before WWII. I had one of the 50ish versions... terrible firearm. Jammed every third round that went through it.

Jack

 

[johnnycat]

One of my uncles was a guard at the Deming facility way back when. Unfortunately I found this out while attending his funeral last May. His oldest son has a .22 caliber pistol that looks just like a German luger but it isn't. It was given to my uncle by an Army captain for giving him a ride into town!!! My cousin has some amazing pictures of the area . I'll see if he lets me borrow them so that I can post them.

During the '50s all the Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines used to have a .22 pistol called a Stoeger Lugar for sale for $19.95 mail order. Sounds as though it's the grandson of the one you've described, or Stoeger might have been manufacturing them before WWII. I had one of the 50ish versions... terrible firearm. Jammed every third round that went through it.

Jack

Highmountain,
Tried to get a hold of my cousin today but he is up in Wyoming. However, on the pistol, if I remember correctly it is a Colt make. Is that possible?

 

[Highmountain]

One of my uncles was a guard at the Deming facility way back when. Unfortunately I found this out while attending his funeral last May. His oldest son has a .22 caliber pistol that looks just like a German luger but it isn't. It was given to my uncle by an Army captain for giving him a ride into town!!! My cousin has some amazing pictures of the area . I'll see if he lets me borrow them so that I can post them.

During the '50s all the Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines used to have a .22 pistol called a Stoeger Lugar for sale for $19.95 mail order. Sounds as though it's the grandson of the one you've described, or Stoeger might have been manufacturing them before WWII. I had one of the 50ish versions... terrible firearm. Jammed every third round that went through it.

Jack

Highmountain,
Tried to get a hold of my cousin today but he is up in Wyoming. However, on the pistol, if I remember correctly it is a Colt make. Is that possible?

Hi Johnny: Might be. I dn't recall Colt ever making a .22 autoloader besides the Woodsman but if you're nephew has one that's a Colt WWII vintage are earlier I'd bet he's a lot more tickled to own it than I was with my Stoeger Luger. Must be worth a small fortune.

I'm not much up on my firearms history.

Hope your uncle eventually gets you those pics. That would be cool.

 

[logan3m]

Exact locations requested.

I mention this because it's been largely forgotten in the communities where enemy POWs were held, and because I once lived for a few of years as a youngster on a small farm located only a few hundred yards from the Italian PW camp in Portales.

Here are the PW campsites in NM I've been able to learn anything about, though there were evidently a number of others.

Portales
Italian PWs - Currently County Fairgrounds - stone barracks are used for livestock show entries


I just wanted to figure out if you had more exact locations for the Portales camp, and if Fort Sumner had one, or where the location of the Fort Sumner AAF base was. I am very interested in history and want to get as much as I can before I move. Thanks in advance for anything you can give.

 

[Roswell]

My uncle and neighbors used to work the Germans here in Dexter. I live a few miles from on camp. There are few barracks still in the area.