WWII Prisoner of War Camps

Source 1 - Artifact

German Prisoner of War Snowshoes

1944-45
MSM 72.3.1

In the winter of 1945, three German soldiers tried to escape from the prisoner of war camp at Spencer Lake, Maine. One of the three made these snowshoes to help escape. The man traveled through the forest wearing these shoes, but was eventually caught and returned to camp.

Camp Spencer Lake held more than 1,100 German soldiers during World War II. A “prisoner of war” is a person held captive by their enemy during an ongoing war and conflict. Unlike other prisons that hold a country’s own citizens, camps like Spencer Lake were meant to keep enemy soldiers from participating in the war.

Pay attention to the type of materials used in these snowshoes. Think about how the prisoners adapted to the environmental conditions of Maine. Notice how crude and rough they look. The prisoners of war spent weeks gathering materials from different places to create these snowshoes.

They stole wood from fencing and farming projects. They took leather from the belts that were a part of their prison uniforms. Even though their escape failed, they were still able to use the snowshoes to travel miles in the snowy forest.

Source 2 - Image

Warden Earland Winter Holding Snowshoes

1945
MSM 72.3.2

In this photograph, Earland Winter poses with a snowshoe. He was the warden of a World War II prisoner of war camp at Spencer Lake. The camp held more than 1,100 German soldiers during World War II. A “prisoner of war” is a person held captive by their enemy during an ongoing war.

In the winter of 1945, three German soldiers tried to escape from the camp. They made snowshoes and walked through the forest and along a stream. Because these prisoners were experienced and educated soldiers, they had the skills to hide their travel, move at night, and make shelters from snow and pine trees.

Warden Winter and several American soldiers went into the woods to look for the escaped prisoners. Eventually, they caught up to the unarmed prisoners and forced them to surrender.

You can see Warden Winter holding one of the snowshoes used by the escaped prisoners. Notice his pose and his facial expression. A warden’s job is to supervise a prison, meaning that escaped prisoners were his responsibility.

Source 3 - Image

Painting of Camp Houlton by a POW

1945
Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum (Houlton Museum)

This is a painting made by an unknown prisoner of war at Camp Houlton. Camp Houlton was the biggest prisoner of war camp in the state of Maine and it was active during World War II. The camp was made to hold German prisoners during the war while the main fight happened overseas.

These prisoners of war, unlike prisoners of the Maine State Prison, were not American citizens. They were imprisoned by the military of an enemy country.

This painting shows what a part of the camp might have looked like. It also gives clues about the environment these prisoners lived in. The camps were in a more isolated part of the state, surrounded by the woods.

This painting also gives us a clue about what prisoners of war were able to do in their free time. They had time and materials for recreational activities like painting.

Source 5 -