POW Camps

[Graebarde]

Originally Posted by Canadian Army

Here is a list I composed of possible NATO POW Camps.

Do like the list, but as Web points out I think it is too short. I will say I KNOW of two of those camps first hand.. Grafton is about 20 miles as crow flies from where I grew up. Devils Lake (the lake) would bound it on at least two sides at that period, but three now in '09 and half underwater from the lake rise in the past 15 years.

I was in 191 Co (Guard) of the NDANG at Grafton (actually unit was out of Mayville/Hillsboro). We went to ARTEP for summer camp at Ripley the year I was with them. Funny as one of our war time tasks was guarding EPW camps. And there is/was a camp set up at Ripley then. Only one section was acutally wired, and there needed to be some more work done at the location, BUT it would be put into service in maybe two weeks with hard work and an engineer battalion. The towers were there as well as the admin building.

One of our 'tasks' at the ARTEP was make plans for camp security, both internal and external. It was a good unit, too bad they reorganized to a water purification unit. We had guys from three states in the unit and guys that FLEW to drills just to be in the unit. (this was 1977-78 BTW)

[Jason Weiser]

We in DC working group had discussed this in a few phone conversations. Grae, sorry if you're just hearing this now..I agree the list is too short, and there's no camp for the real hard cases (dedicated communists, Spetsnaz, suspected informers, KGB MRR and Border Guard types, Zampolits..etc.). Trust me, there would be one. Also, a little idea Fighting Flamingo had was to put Western cable TV into the day rooms...something to show the POWs the truth about the war...It's simple, easy and hey..they all know the reputation of the western media.

As for guard forces, we hadn't discussed it...at all, but handing it off to State Guardsmen with little to no training....not good. I like Web's ideas, and they'd probably work very well, along with the recruitment by CIA and others of dissatisfied EPWs.

I also think that once NATO enters the war, China will ship the POWs it has to the US as well. So, there might be a sizable EPW population in the US before long. You also need to remember, that the biggest problem these POW camps are going to have is the nature of the Soviet army, where time in service, not rank, determine functional, if not actual seniority. Most Sergeants in the Soviet Army were men chosen by virtue of political reliability or academic standing to be NCOs from that current conscript class. They simply don't have the institutional experience to be decent NCOs. They can learn...but in a POW camp where things are breaking down anyhow? Many of these Sergeants are going to have a hard time maintaining control of their men...