Back on March 7th, I wrote about the demise of the German POW camp in this town. If you had to become a prisoner of war, I guess this is where you would want to be sent. But things were always not wonderful here.
The March 6th Toronto Star also had a sidebar about Thanksgiving weekend 1942 when the Germans seized control of part of the camp when plans to shackle 100 officers were learned. The Canadian government ordered this in retaliation of Hitler's orders to shackle Canadian troops captured in the Allied raid on Dieppe.
Both prisoners and guards battled without firearms. Canadian guards used baseball bats. The three day standoff ended when the Germans were hit by high-pressure water hoses. Dozens were injured on both sides.
One inmate, however, was shot through the stomach by a tower guard after prisoners dragged a Canadian officer into the mess hall. The bullet hole is still there.
Very few German and Axis prisons remain in the US and Canada. It would be a shame to lose this one.
Save That Old Prison. --Da Coot
No comments:
Post a Comment