william said:

---

polk.

---

Best president few have even heard of.

historian said:

---

KaiBear said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

While the US was far from perfect during WW2, the known atrocities by both Hitler's Nazis and the Taisei Yokusankai under Tojo were so horrific that stopping them was an absolute need for the world in general. On the Allied side, only Stalin was comparably evil.

---

LOL

Only Stalin ?

After WW2 was over German POW's were held in makeshift prison camps for up to THREE YEARS where thousands died of malnutrition, exposure and disease.

These camps were administered by the Americans, British and French.

The French in particular killed a disproportionate number of German POW's .

---

German POWs tended to be treated very well in American camps. They were scattered across most of the 48 state with several here in Texas. From my limited research on the subject, their biggest problem was the Nazi fanatics in their midst.

---

My grandfather was in leadership on one out near Mexia. Also moved around between camps at Hereford and Huntsville.

Said the German prisoners were all very well behaved and respectful of American officers.

My grandfather (passed away in 2008) had a portrait of my grandmother that was painted by a German officer.

He met my grandmother on a train into Waco. She was from Fairfield and they dated the whole time he was out here in Central Texas.

Said their soldiers were hard workers and their officers tended to speak English and be educated.

KaiBear said:

---

historian said:

---

KaiBear said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

While the US was far from perfect during WW2, the known atrocities by both Hitler's Nazis and the Taisei Yokusankai under Tojo were so horrific that stopping them was an absolute need for the world in general. On the Allied side, only Stalin was comparably evil.

---

LOL

Only Stalin ?

After WW2 was over German POW's were held in makeshift prison camps for up to THREE YEARS where thousands died of malnutrition, exposure and disease.

These camps were administered by the Americans, British and French.

The French in particular killed a disproportionate number of German POW's .

---

German POWs tended to be treated very well in American camps. They were scattered across most of the 48 state with several here in Texas. From my limited research on the subject, their biggest problem was the Nazi fanatics in their midst.

---

Not referring to German POW camps in the US.

Rather ad hoc camps established on the European continent by Eisenhower to handle the hundreds of thousands of Germans who surrendered at wars end.

Such POW's died by the thousands from malnutrition and exposure.

Good thing the Allies won the war or those responsible for this tragedy would have been tried as war criminals.

However the winners write the vast majority of the history books.

Always have .

---

After WWII Europe had hundreds of thousands of displaced persons while each country had serious levels of destruction and everyone's economy was precarious at best. England was still rationing coal, for example, several years after the war. There was a real concern that the economies might never fully recover. This was one of the reasons for the Marshall Plan. It also helps to explain why do many people died: POWs, concentration camp inmates, refugees, etc. There may have been some deliberate neglect (Stalin notoriously forcefully moved entire populations in Eastern Europe around) but most of the deaths were inevitable. The sheer numbers and extent of the crisis overwhelmed anyone trying to help.

Redbrickbear said:

---

historian said:

---

KaiBear said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

While the US was far from perfect during WW2, the known atrocities by both Hitler's Nazis and the Taisei Yokusankai under Tojo were so horrific that stopping them was an absolute need for the world in general. On the Allied side, only Stalin was comparably evil.

---

LOL

Only Stalin ?

After WW2 was over German POW's were held in makeshift prison camps for up to THREE YEARS where thousands died of malnutrition, exposure and disease.

These camps were administered by the Americans, British and French.

The French in particular killed a disproportionate number of German POW's .

---

German POWs tended to be treated very well in American camps. They were scattered across most of the 48 state with several here in Texas. From my limited research on the subject, their biggest problem was the Nazi fanatics in their midst.

---

My grandfather was in leadership on one out near Mexia. Also moved around between camps at Hereford and Huntsville.

Said the German prisoners were all very well behaved and respectful of American officers.

My grandfather (passed away in 2008) had a portrait of my grandmother that was painted by a German officer.

He met my grandmother on a train into Waco. She was from Fairfield and they dated the whole time he was out here in Central Texas.

Said their soldiers were hard workers and their officers tended to speak English and be educated.

---

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing. I actually did some research related to one of the camps in central Texas years ago & even met a couple former POWs who returned to visit.

KaiBear said:

---

william said:

---

polk.

---

Best president few have even heard of.

---

klipsch.

- kkm

KaiBear said:

---

william said:

---

polk.

---

Best president few have even heard of.

---

Guy made millions of average Americans lives better....and besides Jefferson with the Louisiana purchase...was the most responsible for us becoming a global super power in the 20th century....and yet he is forgotten.

[529,000 square miles (1,370,000 km2), the Mexican Cession was one of the largest acquisitions of territory in the history of the United States]

For reference France is only 212,004 mi

Yet the guy is forgotten...or when he is remembered its to drag his memory and remove his name from schools and streets....


https://gvwire.com/2022/06/29/its-polk-no-more-trustees-vote-to-strip-slave-owning-presidents-name-from-school/#:~:text=Trustees%20Vote%20to%20Strip%20Slave%2DOwning%20President's%20Name%20from%20School,-Published&text=Malachi%20Suarez%20and%20his%20family,slave%2Downing%20and%20racist%20history.

historian said:

---

KaiBear said:

---

historian said:

---

KaiBear said:

---

Oldbear83 said:

---

While the US was far from perfect during WW2, the known atrocities by both Hitler's Nazis and the Taisei Yokusankai under Tojo were so horrific that stopping them was an absolute need for the world in general. On the Allied side, only Stalin was comparably evil.

---

LOL

Only Stalin ?

After WW2 was over German POW's were held in makeshift prison camps for up to THREE YEARS where thousands died of malnutrition, exposure and disease.

These camps were administered by the Americans, British and French.

The French in particular killed a disproportionate number of German POW's .

---

German POWs tended to be treated very well in American camps. They were scattered across most of the 48 state with several here in Texas. From my limited research on the subject, their biggest problem was the Nazi fanatics in their midst.

---

Not referring to German POW camps in the US.

Rather ad hoc camps established on the European continent by Eisenhower to handle the hundreds of thousands of Germans who surrendered at wars end.

Such POW's died by the thousands from malnutrition and exposure.

Good thing the Allies won the war or those responsible for this tragedy would have been tried as war criminals.

However the winners write the vast majority of the history books.

Always have .

---

After WWII Europe had hundreds of thousands of displaced persons while each country had serious levels of destruction and everyone's economy was precarious at best. England was still rationing coal, for example, several years after the war. There was a real concern that the economies might never fully recover. This was one of the reasons for the Marshall Plan. It also helps to explain why do many people died: POWs, concentration camp inmates, refugees, etc. There may have been some deliberate neglect (Stalin notoriously forcefully moved entire populations in Eastern Europe around) but most of the deaths were inevitable. The sheer numbers and extent of the crisis overwhelmed anyone trying to help.

---

It went way beyond that .

German POW's faced the harsh winter with no barracks or shelters of any kind. Not in all cases but in enough to kill thousands of POW's ( long after the war was over ) of exposure .

The French had their POW's digging up minefields with only their bare hands . Hundreds were blown to bits .

I knew an ex German soldier who was flown out of Stalingrad only because he was an electrical engineer and was therefore considered worth saving .

He was an American POW for 2 years and worked for the Army as an electrical engineer.

His only pay for 2 years was to eat at the army PX and was allowed to scavenge left over food to send to his wife .