Some Good in a Necessary Evil
POWs in South Holland

Jason R. Straton
Thornwood High School, South Holland

During the World War II era, the village of South Holland bore little resemblance to the present. It consisted of acres of fields of onion sets (immature bulbs planted as seed, harvested, and planted the following year), onions, corn, and various other crops that generated farm revenue. Today, real-estate subdivisions have displaced an overwhelming portion of it with houses of brick surrounded by trimmed and fertilized lawns. Likewise, the entire world differed as well, particularly in international relations. These affected the local agricultural economy of South Holland.

South Holland is located approximately fifteen miles south of Chicago. Had government authorities not selected a site in Thornton for the Civilian Conservation Corps and later soldier training, this article could not have been written. At the abandoned sites mentioned above, a camp for German prisoners-of-war was built.

The German POWs were held there from January 1945 to February 1946. The Department of Defense assigned personnel to control the inmates. Camp Thorn Creek, as it was called for the small stream flowing through it, was, like other such sites, noted for providing a healthful, reasonably comfortable living environment. The prison camp population grew from 115 at first to 415 by June 1945. Though supervised by camp guards, the POWs were not idle or bored. They had recreational activities available to them, and they were leased out to local farmers as laborers for a fee of about $1.50 per day. The prisoners kept about $.80 of it, recalls Robert VanDrunen, then an adolescent on whose family farm eight to ten prisoners worked each day.

The concrete remnant of the World War II POW Camp in South Holland is now largely obscured by vegetation. (Photo courtesy Jason R. Straton)

VanDrunen remembers well that the men possessed a remarkable work ethic and already knew the details of many of the jobs they performed. "They were always polite and good-natured, worked hard, and you didn't have to really watch them very closely, even." He recalls three of the men very clearly. One was a very knowledgeable college professor in his forties who even helped the family improve their farming techniques. Another one was well regarded by the Nazis as a fine example of Aryan youth. There was also a friendly and very talented blacksmith. All were fluent in English, but could also comprehend the dialect of Dutch that the VanDrunens spoke.

VanDrunen says that the German workers bolstered the local economy with their labors. Many young local men had gone to fight the Axis powers, frequently vacating roles the Germans could play. Some, of course, never returned. Thus, because farmers could obtain good laborers for a moderate cost, it enabled the VanDrunens and others to remain productive. The VanDrunens enjoyed considerable profit from marketing their goods in the recently rejuvenated market. There were about 371,000 German POWs in similar camps performing similar jobs across the country. Therefore, their labors aided many and may have even saved a few farmers from bankruptcy.

When the POWs' stay at Camp Creek ended, they were temporarily housed at Fort Sheridan. From there, they were returned to Germany. South Holland, Illinois, thus experienced an unusual episode in its history. Some members of the community, as illustrated in the VanDrunens' interview, remember this page of local history.—[From Michael K. Stake, Before the Girls Came; student historian's interview with Robert VanDrunen, June 1999.]

ILLINOIS HISTORY/ APRIL 2000

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