“You Can Go for a Walk If You Want” — German POWs Couldn’t Believe Canada’s Camps Had No Fences

Franz Wesper was a German soldier who was sent to a POW camp in Lethbridge, Alberta in June 1940, believing he was to be persecuted and starved. What he had been told by Nazi propaganda was that the Allies were weak, cruel savages. Instead, Franz entered into a camp without any fences, heated quarters, superior medical care, or more than 3,000 calories of hot meals daily. As news of the growing hunger and devastation in Germany trickled in, German prisoners in Alberta went to work on Alberta farms, played soccer and enjoyed the highest standard of living that could be imagined to defy the Nazi ideology. When local townspeople gave gifts to prisoners and guards joined them to sing Silent Night in two languages on Christmas Eve 1943, Franz knew that the war was over. They had been defeated by Canada not through the breaking of their bodies, but by the brilliant demonstration of radical human decency by its leaders, which they had been deceived by all along. The story of the way kindness and abundance was the ultimate weapon of the Second World War. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction: The Camp with No Fences We have been over that ground before, haven't we?We've seen that before, haven't we? 04:12 - Culture Shock: 3,000 Calories and Real Beds 06:30 - Working on Prairie Farms and Unlikely Friendships 08:45 - Christmas Eve 1943: Silent Night in Two Languages 11:20 - Repatriation to the Ruins of Germany (1946) The last lesson is “The Ultimate Defeat”, which is about overcoming hatred with humanity, and takes place at 13.40. Historical sources and further reading. This is the Canadian Encyclopedia: Prisoner of War Camps in Canada during WWII: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.c... Online resource: Canadian War Museum - Internment and POW Operations in Canada (1939-1945): Library and archives Canada - Directorate of internment operations records (RG24 / RG13): https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/ The Historical analysis of Camp 133 Lethbridge, is an expanded version of Behind Canadian Barbed Wire: POWs in Alberta, by David J. Carter. John Melady - Escape from Canada The Untold Story of German POWs in Canada 1939-1945 SUPPORT CANADIANS AT WAR For those who enjoy thorough, respectful accounts of Canadian military history and the stories of the people behind the uniform, please think about: Liking the video Putting your ideas in the comments In addition to subscribing, you should also activate notifications.Besides subscribing, enable notifications. Disclaimer: All use of historical accounts, records, and narrative dramatizations are for the purpose of education and preservation of history. #CanadianHistory #WWII #CanadiansAtWar #MilitaryHistory #AlbertaHistory #Lethbridge #POWCamp