Making the Most of a Bad Situation: Coddling, Fraternization, and Total War in Camp Crossville, Tennessee

This study examines the significance of interactions between German prisoners of war and their American captors during World War II. It uses government documents, personal accounts, and newspaper articles to reconstruct various aspects of life in Camp Crossville, Tennessee, as a representative of the national camp system. It also examines the recollections of former prisoners, guards, and Crossville residents to assess the impressions created by prisoner-captor interactions.

These sources demonstrate that camp life created a generally positive impression among both the Germans and the Americans at Camp Crossville. The POW s attempted to use their time in captivity constructively, and their interactions with Americans were usually amiable. While an official "reeducation" policy yielded questionable results, these social contacts triggered a process of reconciliation similar to that taking place in occupied Germany.

If American policy fell short of its goals for "reeducation," it did provide an admirable example of captivity within modern, total war. In contrast to the de-individualization and de-humanization taking place in other camp systems, U.S officials maintained a commendable degree of humanity. American standards of treatment, combined with one-on-one interactions, constitute a positive element to a generally gruesome war.