Behind Enemy Lines? German Prisoners-of-War and German-American Communities

Often, accounts of and reflections on World War II keep the division across the Atlantic binary. There were Americans, and there were Germans, identities separated from one another especially as the atrocities of the Third Reich continued to come light. But what about those Americans with German ancestry witnessing the current events of their time? Or those Germans captured in battle, navigating the life of a prisoner-of-war and a new land? Their experiences represent a more realistic view of the conflict between identities as American and German forces fought against one another. Charting the movement of German prisoners-of-war through the United States during and after the war sheds light on the power of identity and the notion of "home." A German prisoner-of-war has just been freed from an American camp at which he spent years of his life: where will he go next?

Hosted by Maria Scannell:

Maria Scannell is a senior history student at Carroll University interested in local and German history. She won the 2026 Pioneer Scholar Summer Research Scholarship, which is currently funding her first history research project. She plans to incorporate some of this work into the capstone paper which will complete her history degree.

Contact the host of August 2026 History After Dark

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