Evening star., 1943-06-18
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES
Star Staff CORRESPONDENT.

| Oy NfAxt Gke 1AtOOkAE VOANxI0D
Star Staff Correspondent.
CAMP BLANDING, Fla, June 18
The gate Of the double fenced,
barbed-wire compound swung open,
we'll attended by armed M. P.'s.
A tall, 1.-the figure emerged from
a hut. He saluted precisely. He
was clad only in extremely short
trunks. His body was sun-var-
nished . mahogany hue. The rear
of his trunks showed the letters
"P. w." as If he were advertising
something He was barefoot.
But somehow, despite the strange
ness of his attire, the supposed dis
advantage Of his ear-nakedness,
emphasized by contrast with the
neat summer uniforms of the three
American officers he saluted, a GER
tain dignity chung to him-this pris-
oner of war who recently COM
manded segment Of Hitler's forces.
Leads Officers on Tour.
The Americans returned his sa-
lutte, explained their mission, and
the senior prisoner officer led the
way on a tour of the prison camp.
He speaks English f1uently. He
chatted affably with the acting pro-
vost marshal of Camp Blanding, the
officer in immediate charge of the
prisoners, lieutenant from head
quarters and a provost sergeant.
The correspondent was not al
lowed to talk to him or to any of
the prisoners he supervises under
the guidance of his captors. War
Department orders. But the visitor
could observe everything, and the
Americans could explain.
The senior officers prize-fight cos
tune was nothing imposed on him.
1t was of his choosing, out of defer
ence to the 99-degree heat that
blistered this camp where thousands
of American soldiers are in train
ing. He could have worn sum-
mer uniform, OF the material Amer
leans wear, but dyed blue and bear
ing "P. W. in orange.
The other prisoners-commis-
stoned, warrant and noncommis-
stoned officers and enlisted men
doing various things about their
camp were dressed the same way,
with trunks their sole concession
to convention. The "P. w." in
sigma had been sewn at various
rakish angles-some, like their sem
ior officers, at a rear elevation,
others in front or along the sides.
Wear "P. W." Honorably.
They don't mind having to sport
the letters that mean prisoner of
war, the M. P. captain explained.
In fact, they're proud of this brand.
1t means they're not imprisoned for
being bad soldiers, but were cap
tured in combat-an honor, they
feel.
In front of the hut which the
senior officer shares with another
officer the commissioned Nazis have
rigged up what they call an officers
club. They've stretched an old
awning across the porch" built a
crude table and made some chairs
There in the evenings when the
coolness may tempt them to put on
their summer uniforms they sit over
a bottle of PIX beer (32 brew from
the American post exchange) and
mul! over heavens knows what.
The noncoms and enlisted men
have formed little groups they call
clubs" The clubs entertain one
another. in turn, Saturday nights,
when the camp chores are done.
They, too, have their beer if they
want it, though many prefer our
soft drinks to the beer, which they
consider a rather weak imitation of
the breWs of Munich and Pilsen.
Anxious for Work.
The huts in which the prisoners
live-all pretty much alike-are no
worse and no better than the tenn
porary buildings in which American
soldiers on the post are quartered.
In most of the 81 prisoner of war
camps scattered over the country,
the Germans and Italians and a few
Japanese have been allowed to work
outside the camp under guard,
building roads, bridges and other
improvements or clearing forests
The group at Camp Blanding has
not yet been assigned to such tasks.
Some arrived recently. Others may
be transferred elsewhere, though
this is a mere conjecture. A work
program will be devised here if the
camp keeps a substantial number
of prisoners for an indefinite time
But Blanding's prisoners are re-
ported eager to work, to put in
their time" Meanwhile, they're not
idle. They find something to do all
the time They spend hours keep
ing their camp spotless, and we
found them engaged in numerous
and various other ways, in spite of
the MONDAY heat.
The provost lieutenant paused
and pointed to a patch of ground
shaded by an old strip Of canvas
Victory garden" he explained. 1t
wasn't clear, though, to whose VIC
tory it was dedicated.
Watered Twice Daily.
The prisoners water this patch
twice day. and green things were
neutrality-suspicious., tomatoes, let
tuce. They tried to SOW watermelons
in another patch, but there was nc
way of shading it, and the sun was
too much-nothing came up.
We found one small barrack f1ttec
up as a work shop. There a petty
officer who used to be guide in the
Alps carries on a hobby at which he
is master-ship modelling. Using