German POWs Worked American Farms - And Saw America’s War Machine Up Close

During World War II, the United States faced severe farm labor shortages as millions of men entered military service and wartime industries pulled workers away from agriculture. In Grand Island, Nebraska, German POWs from Camp Atlanta were housed at the old Dodge School and sent to local farms to thin sugar beets, harvest crops, and fill critical labor gaps under Army supervision. This documentary follows how the POW labor system worked, what prisoners encountered in the American Midwest, and how daily exposure to mechanized farms, abundant resources, rail networks, and wartime production revealed the logistical power behind the Allied war effort. It also explores the strict rules of captivity, the 80-cent-a-day POW labor system, tensions between prisoners and civilians, and the unexpected relationships that survived long after the war ended. Sources: https://history.nebraska.gov/german-prison... https://history.nebraska.gov/marker-monday... https://history.nebraska.gov/marker-monday... https://nebraskastudies.unl.edu/en/1925-19... https://history.army.mil/portals/143/Image... #WWII #WorldWarII #GermanPOWs #POWs #NebraskaHistory #AmericanHomeFront #MilitaryHistory #WW2History #AmericanHistory #WarHistory #GrandIsland #CampAtlanta