First Sunday Lecture Series: Georgia POW Camps in World War II

Thank you, Dr. Roe Coker, for today's very informative presentation about Georgia POW Camps in World War II at the Smyrna Public Library.  

Lecture Summary

During World War II, many Georgians witnessed the enemy in their backyards. More than twelve thousand German and Italian prisoners captured in far-off battlefields were sent to POW camps in Georgia. 

With large base camps located from Camp Wheeler in Macon and Camp Stewart in Savannah to smaller camps throughout the state, prisoner reeducation and work programs evoked different reactions to the enemy. 

There was even a POW work detail of forty German soldiers at Augusta National Golf Course, which was changed from a temporary cow pasture to the splendid golf course we know today. Join author and historian Dr. Kathryn Roe Coker as she explores the daily lives of POWs in Georgia and the lasting impact, they had on the Peach State.

Speaker: Dr. Kathryn Roe Cocker, author of Georgia POW Camps in World War II

Speaker Biography

Dr. Kathryn Roe Coker received a doctorate in history from the University of South Carolina. She served for thirty years as a historian for the Department of the Army (DA). Her interest in World War II POWs began at Fort Gordon while serving as the deputy command historian. She has published various articles in professional journals like the Georgia Historical Quarterly. While a DA historian, she published numerous books and pamphlets, including A History of Fort Gordon, World War II Prisoners of War in Georgia: Camp Gordon’s POWs and The Indispensable Force: The U.S. Army Reserve (1990–2010). She now resides in Richmond, Virginia, with her Miniature Schnauzer and Puggle.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.