By Rachel Williams
During the final years of World War II, Florida played host to approximately 10,000 German prisoners of war (POWs), a fact often overlooked in the state’s history. The influx of POWs to the United States stemmed from overcrowded camps in Europe, which held more than 250,000 prisoners by 1942. To ease this burden, military officials transferred some German POWs from Europe to the United States, where they were put to work addressing labor shortages in essential industries, particularly agriculture. Florida’s mild climate and low construction costs made it an ideal location for these camps, requiring minimal heating resources that were urgently needed on the warfront.
German POWs at outside barracks at Camp Leesburg. Photo courtesy of Lake-Sumter State College Library.
Home to more than 20 camps
The state’s two largest military installations, Camp Blanding near Starke and Camp Gordon Johnston in the Panhandle served as the primary POW camps, with more than 20 smaller branch camps scattered throughout the state. Among them was Camp Leesburg in Lake County, southeast of Silver Lake. It had initially opened in 1942 as an Army Air Forces training facility and transitioned to a POW camp in March 1944. The first group of 126 German prisoners arrived that month and spent their first two days acclimating in a temporary tent camp. Following this period, the prisoners worked to expand the camp’s facilities, constructing barracks, a canteen, a latrine, and a large hall for recreational activities such as film screenings.
The German prisoners also assumed responsibility for camp maintenance, including kitchen duties and latrine cleaning. These tasks, performed with notable efficiency and cleanliness, earned the appreciation of fellow prisoners. According to the 1929 Geneva Convention, POW camps are to mirror the standards of the military bases in the country that holds the prisoners, providing adequate food, shelter, medical care, and religious accommodations. Despite humane treatment, the camp was enclosed by barbed wire fencing and guarded by towers. After two weeks, guards abandoned their posts due to the absence of escape attempts or disciplinary issues.
From fighting for Rommel to picking oranges
Many of the POWs at Camp Leesburg were members of the Afrika Korps, led by German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, which had surrendered to Allied forced in 1943. Despite their reputation as some of the toughest German prisoners held in the U.S., those held at Camp Leesburg proved to be cooperative workers.
Initially resistant to agricultural labor, particularly picking oranges in Florida’s citrus groves, they soon adapted. After realizing they could rest for the remainder of the day once they met their daily picking quotas, the prisoners embraced their work. Each prisoner was assigned a ladder, a picking bag, and 30 boxes to fill, each holding up to 100 pounds of citrus. Working hours were from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until the daily quota was reached. The prisoners were provided bread, tea, and an unlimited supply of oranges during work hours.
During agricultural off-seasons, German POWs were contracted by the military to civilian businesses for other forms of labor. They contributed to local construction projects, including building homes, a bean cannery, and part of the Minute Maid plant. Paul Miller, a Leesburg construction-business owner, described their work as meticulous and thorough. One incident arose, however, in which the prisoners incorporated a swastika into a latticework design, prompting Miller to reprimand them and order its removal.
The enemy at home
Despite the German POWs being labeled as “enemies,” interactions between them and their American guards, and the few residents who came across the soldiers, were often amicable. For instance, prisoners were occasionally permitted to cool off in a nearby lake after a long day of work, with guard supervision. One local recounted seeing the German prisoners and their guards splashing and playing together, a poignant display of humanity and the adversities of war.
The German surrender on May 8, 1945, brought a shift in the treatment in POWs in Florida. As news of Nazi atrocities and concentration camps spread, public opinion hardened, and the U.S. War Department reduced POW food rations in response to widespread outcry. These restrictions persisted until the fall of 1945, when normal rations were restored.
Repatriation of German POWs began in late 1945 but was a slow process, with the last prisoners departing the United States in 1947. By many accounts, the German POWs in Florida were treated better than their counterparts in Europe or even in other parts of the United States. At Camp Leesburg, they worked regular hours, ate well, had daily showers, and engaged in leisure activities. Guards and the few locals who interacted with the German prisoners often had positive opinions of them. For many of these prisoners, their time in Florida left lasting impressions of humane treatment, even during a global conflict.
This largely overlooked chapter of Florida’s history reveals a unique intersection of war, labor, and human connection. The experiences of the German POWs at Camp Leesburg serve as a reminder of the complexities of war and the capacity for empathy, even between declared enemies.