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Axis Prisoners of War in Kentucky

Behind Barbed Wire in the Bluegrass State, 1941-1946

Antonio S Thompson author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:McFarland & Co Inc

Published:1st Jan '24

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Axis Prisoners of War in Kentucky cover

During World War II, Kentuckians rushed from farms to factories and battlefields, leaving agriculture throughout the state--particularly the lucrative tobacco industry--without sufficient labor. An influx of Axis prisoners of war made up the shortfall. Nearly 10,000 German and Italian POWs were housed in camps at Campbell, Breckinridge, Knox and other locations across the state. Under the Geneva Convention, they worked for their captors and helped save Kentucky's crops, while enjoying relative comfort as prisoners--playing sports, performing musicals and taking college classes. Yet, friction between Nazi and anti-Nazi inmates threatened the success of the program. This book chronicles the POW program in Kentucky and the vital contributions the Bluegrass State made to Allied victory.

ISBN: 9781476681689

Dimensions: 254mm x 178mm x 12mm

Weight: 408g

226 pages