Prisoners of War

The following are stories from post war interviews with WW1 veterans:

James Thomas Ward, Co. B, 102nd Reg., Infantry, Decatur County, Indiana

Indianapolis Star

"James T. Ward of Letts, Indiana, says a book in his pocket stopped shrapnel.

"Held by Huns Six Months.

"Young man, who ate horse meat and cow beets is back in Indiana home.

"GREENSBURG, Indiana, May 4, James T. Ward of Letts, one of two Decatur County men captured by the Huns in the world war, has arrived home and told of six months spent in two prison camps at Laon and at Camp Rastatt. He ate horse meat and cow beets once a day as prisoner at Laon. Coffee made of acorns was the only breakfast given to the men and a cup of tea for supper, with sometimes soup for dessert. At Camp Rastatt he fared better, but the food with unwholesome, and he lost flesh. But for the fact the Red Cross sent food from Switzerland would have starved, he said.

"Ward enlisted in Paris, Illinois were he was employed with two other men. The three remaining together, even going over the top, and all were captured. Ward was taken prisoner five days after entering the front lines, and for six months, he was in the Huns prisons, being released December 6, 1918. He was wounded at the battle of Chateau-Thierry and taken prisoner.

"Bible Saves His Life: He said the German surgeon dressed his wound, inflicted by shrapnel in the chest, only twice. Ward said that one of the steel particles struck a Bible in his inside pocket. He said he could hardly walk when released Camp Rastatt. He is apparently in good health now. Ward stated that he received no letters while overseas, and learned when coming home his father had died while he was still in France.

"Frank Wilmer, another Decatur County boy, who was taken prisoner, was released the same time, but his division is not returned from France.

"After being released from prison, Ward went into Switzerland. It was cared for by the Red Cross. He has high praise for this organization and the Salvation Army. He has one brother in the Marines was still overseas."

 

Vanderburg County News June 1, 1918

George Norris Williams of Evansville of the 15th Field Artillery, missing since May 2 in France. His parents live at Henderson, Kentucky although young Williams had been working at the local Mercantile for years.

"Dear Mrs. Elliott:

In reply to your letter of the fifth asking for information concerning George Norris Williams. He enlisted in Battery E., 15 th Field Artillery, Regular Army in Evansville, Indiana on May 2, 1917. Sailed for France, December 12, 1917. After two months of active service, was captured while on observation duty, by eight German soldiers disguised in French officer’s uniforms; on the night of May 2, 1918. Was taken to Limburg, Germany but remained there only a short time; was transferred to many different camps. It was from Darmstadt that he was released on December 8, 1918. After spending about seven months in various hospitals in France; he landed in Newport News, Virginia. He received his discharged at Camp Taylor, Louisville, Kentucky. He then returned to the home of his family in Henderson, Kentucky. He is now in Evansville, Indiana.

Sincerely, his sister, Elizabeth Williams"

 

 

POWs Captured Engineers

National Archive Photo courtesy of Indiana War Memorial Archives

 

 

Russell Caldwell Harrison, Private, Ambulance Corps, Tippecanoe County, Indiana

Entered service Aug. 1, 1917. Stationed at Allentown, Pa. Sailed for France in May, 1918. Was taken a prisoner by the Germans while in active service on the 28 th of May, 1918. Was in prison camp almost seven months. Through the kindness and efficiency of the Red Cross he was kept from starving until his release in the late fall of 1918. Born at LaFayette, Ind., June 26, 1895, son of Mrs. Rose Harrison. Home is LaFayette. Ind.

George Swenson, Pvt., Army, Howard County, Indiana

Served in France and was taken prisoner to Germany early in the war. He was only 21 years of age, but when he was released after the armistice that he was said to look as old as a man of 50 years. He claimed the prison horrors were indescribable.

Harry Frederick Gortemiller, Ripley County, Indiana

“On the 20 th day of September we broke through the Hindenburg line and opened the road to final victory. On that day we took Bellicourt and Nauroy and sustained the desperate struggle for Bony. After that day, through three weeks of almost continuous fighting, we advanced from one success to another, capturing several thousand prisoners and many guns and took Preurant, Busigny, Vaux-Andigny, St. Souplet and Mazingheim.”

David Persfield Freeman, Pfc., Co. K, 3 rd Infantry, Grant County, Indiana  

Received 6 Divisional citations for bravery in action.

Battles:

• Cantigny April 25 through July 7, 1918
• Soissons Operations
• Marne Counteroffensive June
• Sazerais Sector August 7-25
• St. Mihiel September
• Argonne-Meuse October 1-12
• Operation against Mouzon November 5-6
• Sedan November 7-8

Wounded:

• High explosive shrapnel wound in right hip, Soissons, 7/9/1918
• Mustard gas 9/6/1918
• Trench knife wound in left cheek 5/28/1918
• Chlorine gas 5/25/1918
• Hospitalized at base hospital #20; Field hospital #12; Camp Hospital #44 and Vanderbilt hospital in Paris France, for shrapnel gas and trench knife wound
• “In Soissons operations, was taken prisoner by Germans while doing night patrol and held for one day and a half. Released by advancing American troops.
• While in dressing station #2, it was held by German aviators, 26 wounded men being killed. The rest, with myself, narrowly escaped death.”

 

 

German POW Camp locations

Dallas Anderson Kelley, Ripley County, Indiana

“Captured by Germans on July 10, 1918 at Champagne and held prisoner of war until November 12, 1918. Gassed a number of times.“Hospital treatment: France, November and December 1918, weakness due to starvation in German prison.“ Toul Sector, 9 days; Lorraine Front, 110 days; Champagne Front, June 20, 1918, Champagne, Chateau-Thierry.”

For more information on American YMCA and US POWs see: http://www.gutenberg-e.org/steuer/steuer.ch14.html

Mahlon Ortman Davis, Battalion Sergeant Major, Grant County, Indiana

“Transferred from Headquarters Troop, 38 th Div. to A. S. C. November 12, 1918 and assigned to Prisoner of War Escort Co. 215, at Marseilles, France. Co. moved to Romorantin, France February 19, 1919 in charge of 450 German prisoners. Moved to Montienchaume, France June 1919 with the prisoners. Turned prisoners into headquarters at Tours, France, August 20, 1919 for repatriation and was then assigned to Headquarters Detachment,Central Prisoners of War Enclosure #1, as Battalion Sergeant Major. Moved to Gievres, France to repatriate more prisoners. Finished repatriation in Gievres about September 16, 1919 and sailed for the US, September 23, 1919.

Homer M. Johnson, Sergeant, Infantry, Tippecanoe County, Indiana

Entered service March 16,1915, a member of the 2 nd Infantry, Company I. Sent to Ft. Shafter, Honolulu. Returned to California with first German prisoners captured at Honolulu Harbor, in May, 1917. Returned to the Islands May 19, 1917 to June 30, 1917. Sent back to California. Transferred to Camp Dodge, Iowa, where he remained for the duration of the war. Born at Lafayette, Ind., Aug. 5, 1895, son of Benjamin J. and Hannah Johnson. Graduate of Cook’s Training School, Honolulu, and also a graduate of Lafayette schools. Home is Lafayette, Ind.

Karl William Detzer, Allen County, Indiana,

Captain, Co. D, 333 rd Infantry: Captain Karl Detzer’s experience is without parallel in the cause. Much that happened is still missing and this only partially explained, but which will perhaps be made public before any great length of time.

Captain Detzer began military service as a color Sergeant with Co. E., enlisting in the Indiana National Guards when the call came for troops for Border service in 1916, under Captain Ray McAdams and Major Dreisbach. Company was recalled about the last of February or first of March, and were for the greater part, in Ft. Wayne when the war with Germany was declared. Company was at once reassembled and dispatched to Jeffersonville Indiana, at guard duty over the Ohio River bridges. While at this point, he was selected from the regiment with others, to attend the first Officers Training Camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison. At the close of the training period, he was commissioned a Captain, only a few days previous to his 26th birthday, being the youngest man in camp to receive a Captain's commission, and also one of the youngest men in the country to be so commissioned.

Captain Detzer was assigned to duty at Camp Zachary Taylor, remaining there until the early summer of 1918, when he was transferred to Camp Sherman, and finally being sent across with latest Company, in August, 1918, arriving in Liverpool and France early in September.

Went into intensive training at Bordeaux; was hospitalized with influenza during part of the time, and was on the march to the front the armistice was signed.

Remained in France with the Army of Occupation, Captain Detzer was transferred to the Military Police Department, and later appointed Chief of Criminal Investigations in the LeMans area, a region infested with the worst element of the whole army, and also with a great number of French of the criminal class. Crime was rampant and arrests were frequent, with a large percent of convictions.

Captain Detzer had received high commendation for his success in the conduct of the difficult office, and had been recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross, besides receiving publicity in the Army publications which may have excited envy, but in all events, the malice of many convicts, taken advantage of by unknown enemies in official positions, resulted in a charge of cruelty to prisoners being brought against him, and his arraignment before a Court Marshall.

He was returned to the United States late in October, and remained at Governors Island until after the trial, which began before Judge Advocate Kelley, on the 10th of December, and lasted, a bitter contest, until the 10th of February, resulting in a complete repudiation of all 28 charges filed, an honorable acquittal and exoneration of any and all offenses ascribed to him.

Why the Court Marshall could ever have commissioned as the case of evidence was so base and flimsy, is the chief mystery, which attracted the attention of the whole country, and has done an incorruptible injury to an innocent young officer, whose record had been without blemish from the date of his first enlistment, and was chosen for the appointment of the C. I. D. because of his spotless record and known kindness and moderation.”