Camp Fannin Internment Camp World War II P.O.W. Camp
Winona, Smith County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Camp Fannin was also the site of an internment camp, with the first prisoners of war (POWs) from Germany's Afrika Korps arriving in Oct. 1943. By early 1944, the military designated the site a POW base camp that administered a number of smaller branch camps in east Texas. As a result of a home front wartime manpower scarcity, upon the request of local representatives, the War Department allowed the use of POW labor in forestry and agriculture in East Texas. During its existence, the camp efficiently processed many thousands of POWs and held more than 1,000 at this location. After repatriating the POWs, the camp closed on May 10, 1946. Texas in World War II - 2008
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Alongside its role training American soldiers, Camp Fannin near Tyler became a prisoner-of-war camp, receiving its first captives from Germany's Afrika Korps in October 1943. By 1944 it was designated a POW base camp overseeing smaller branch camps across East Texas, and with wartime labor scarce, prisoners were put to work in the region's forests and farms. The camp held more than 1,000 prisoners at a time and closed in May 1946 after repatriating them.
Why it matters
The camp is a reminder that the home front of World War II reached deep into rural Texas, where enemy prisoners helped sustain the very economy the war had drained of workers.
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Related events
- ¡ World War II
- ¡ Afrika Korps captivity
Themes & tags
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