Pathways Presentation Focuses On World War II Prisoners In America
In early 2020, Donna J. Stoltzfus, author of the young adult book "Captive," was beginning to make presentations about the fictional tale of a young boy living on a farm in Lancaster County during World War II. The arrival of COVID-19 restrictions in March of 2020 delayed those events, but on March 21, 2022, Stoltzfus addressed more than 30 people gathered at Landis Homes as part of the Pathways Institute of Lifelong Learning program.
Donna's story of John, a young teen who goes to live and work on a Mennonite neighbor's farm in the 1940s, was inspired by Christmas cards and a poem given to Donna's grandparents by a former German prisoner of war (POW) named Karl Demmler. Demmler worked for Stoltzfus' grandfather Reuben G. Stoltzfus at Glick's Tomato Farm in Smoketown during the summer of 1945. The poem read, in part, "The little piece of home we found here / Keeps our memories forever here / God be with you and keep you from danger / All of you that became precious to us."
In her presentation, Donna said that few Americans realize that POWs were housed in the U.S. during World War II. "Eventually more than 500 camps holding more than 425,000 POWs were spread throughout the country," Donna explained, adding that 370,000 POWs were German, 51,000 were Italian, and about 5,500 were Japanese. According to Donna, the U.S. government hoped if it treated enemy soldiers well, POWs abroad would be treated fairly, and the government wanted to show the benefits of a strong democracy. Camps followed the Geneva Convention of 1929, an agreement between 47 governments about how POWs should be treated. POWs took part in concerts, sports, and classes. Demmler was held at the Reading Army Airfield, where he and other prisoners were picked up by one of the Glick's sons and transported, along with a guard, to the farm in Smoketown to work weekdays.
Donna's research also brought her into contact with Ernst Rinder of Lititz, whose friendship with a guard eventually brought him back to Lancaster County to live. Rinder was captured near Florence, Italy, in 1944. He was brought by ship to Norfolk, Va., and moved to Fort Indiantown Gap for safety reasons. Donna explained that about 25% of POWs were hardened Nazis, who could pose a danger to less-loyal POWs. "The U.S. government attempted to separate Nazis," Donna noted.
Donna reported that Demmler visited the U.S. several times after returning to East Germany following the war. She showed pictures of him playing his accordion at Landis Homes and relayed email messages she had exchanged with him. "He said, 'My stay in Lancaster County was the event of my life. This friendship without any prejudice was worth all the trouble,'" noted Donna.
"I worked diligently at capturing a glimpse of that time on a Mennonite farm in 1944 in Lancaster," said Donna. "This story of friendship (during that time) is not that unusual. There are other stories of POWs working on farms who formed friendships."
Donna is available to give presentations for other groups. More information about her is available at http://www.donnastoltzfus.com.
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