It must have looked like a western ghost town in early 1946 . Empty buildings from Camp Ellis dotted the farm fields north of Route 10 (now Highway 136) between Table Grove and Ipava. There were 2,200 of them, but just a skeleton crew of personnel remained. As the years passed, the Illinois National GuardContinue reading “Where did Camp Ellis go? Why can’t I see it anymore?”
Tag Archives: German POWs
Paul Hantz – American POW?
Several years ago, I read the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center – “Transcript of an Oral History Interview with KURT G. PECHMANN Private, German Army, World War II, 1996.” Mr. Pechmann was a German POW at Camp Ellis. Kurt’s story sounds like a war movie and worth the read alone. This incredible story brought theContinue reading “Paul Hantz – American POW?”
Prisoners of War at Camp Ellis
US Army Camp Ellis was originally built to train soldiers to support the Army – Quartermasters, Engineers, Medical Personnel, and Transportation among them. Many believe it was originally built to house Prisoners of War, but POWs were not housed at Camp Ellis until the late summer of 1943. Camp Ellis did become the largest POWContinue reading “Prisoners of War at Camp Ellis”
WWII Camp Ellis, Illinois 