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Nazi POW ReturnsTo Artesia For VisitAHTESIA lt;AP Erich Valentin was 18 when he was drafted into Hitler's army A vear or so later, after his unit was captured by Allied forces at the small Italian town of Cistevena, Valentin was a prisoner of war at a now forgotten POW camp near Artesia in southeast New MexicoValentin returned to Artesia recently to visit members of awNew Mexico family he learned«rto call friends and to w-alk through what is left of the old Artesia Internment Camp, located about one mile north of her* off U S 285 Little remains of the camp that once held nearly 500w ^ .German POWs: only a . Wremodeled barracks building, a decaying wooden structure used for bathroom facilities and some barbed wire fencing Valentin, w ho now lives in the West German town of Kassell with his wife and two sons, returned to Artesia earlier this month for the first time since his release in October 1945 In the years since the war,wValentin has written regularly to the Glen O’Bannon family, owners of the farm where Valentin worked as a POWHe spoke English before he was captured, and like many of the English-speaking prisoners he made friends with his enemies’’ and maintained the% *ties after the war Speaking with a heavy German accent, he described his capture Valentin, who worked as an electronics and com munications technician in the German army, said his unit was surrounded and put up arms after two days of heavyfightingHe said that since he was one of the youngest soldiers captured. the Americans took pictures of him and. he believes, made a film of his surrender Valentin was marchedwasthrough Africa then shipped to the United States Traveling by train from Norfolk, Va., Valentin arrived at the New Mexico camp on Aug 13, 1944 According to newspaper accounts and the fading memories of local residents, the interment camp at Roswell was the largest in the area Prior to October 1944, other camps were set up in Artesia and CarlsbadA crumbling copy of the Artesia Advocate, dated Aug 19, 193, quotes Artie McAnally, then manager of the Artesia Alfalfa Growers Association, as saying Congressman Clinton P Anderson had authorized the association to enter into a contract with the War Department to set up a POW camp at Artesia.The AAGA and the Cottonwood Gin Co. requested 1,050 POWs be hired out to local farmers to pick cottonNewspaper accounts say the POWs were to be given the same rations as American soldiers and accorded fair treatment under the Geneva Convention accords TheGerman soldiers were to be paid for their employment, although Valentin said the money went to the camp, not to the men, and was used to pay for foodFor most of his stav at Artesia, Valentin worked at the O’Bannon farm Unlike the horror stories recounted bvwAmerican POWs in German and Japanese camps, Valentinsaid things weren’t so bad He tells of rabbit hunting trips with O’Barmon and of taking dips with other men in the work detail on a small lake on the O Bannon propertyBut it wasn't all pleasantValentin said the food situation worsened progressively during his stay and the daily quota for picking cotton climbed from 80 pounds to 120 But he said area farmers tried to help the prisoners by giving them food andsometimes honev He said the prison camp for some time was under the command of a Jewish captain, whom he said made it hard onthe men Valentin said there were some escape attempts, but said the men were always returned and locked in little rooms ’’ Valentin said he never tried to escape, because there was now here to go Newspapers of the day reported two escapes from the Roswell camp Three German soldiers were captured by a local fanner who said the prisoners tried to steal his car One of the prisoners was shot and killed, the others held at gunpoint The farmer later was cleared in the shooting by of ficials who commended his actions in time of war Some farmers here sav thev remember using POW labor Valentin remembers the details He said the men would leave the barracks for farmI *jobs every morning at 7 and work until 5 p m They spentSundays with visiting clergy men and played baseball or football on Sunday afternoonsThe Artesia Advantage reported the POW baseball team was quite good and threatened to take the city title Valentin was set free in October 1945 after 17 months ofimprisonment He said the men w ere shipped back to Germany through France, where French officials took most of the items the men had accumulated in the United SatesValentin returned to Kassel where he took a job in the post office, a position he still holds But he said much of the town was rubble More than 20,000died in Kassel’s “great storm offire in 1943While visiting the area, Valentin and his family took in Carlsbad Caverns, which he called wonderful. But he jokingly suggested park officials put in some German pamphlets The former prisoner also chuckled over another turn of events on his visit — the fact his German marks were worth more in dollars than dollarsIilIi1((3(Ir(tI'1cIcFaliFLCnVIs8ITSISIT0rITs5AwSftbC
Newspaper Details
Clovis News Journal
Clovis, New Mexico, US
Mon, Apr 30, 1979
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 25 Aug 2019
Other Publications Near Clovis, New Mexico
The Clovis News
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Clovis New Mexico Evening News Journal
