Tempe, Arizona

German prisoners of war at the Papago Park POW camp north of Tempe, AZ. 1942-1945.

American World War II Heritage City

Camp Papago Park near Tempe was established in 1943 by the U.S. military largely to house prisoners from the German Navy (Kriegsmarine). The camp had a capacity of 3,000 prisoners. Unlike Axis and some other Allied POW camps, prisoners at Camp Papago Park were not compelled to work or study. In December 1944, 25 German POWS attempted to escape through a 176-foot tunnel they had dug but were foiled by the harsh Arizona environment; most of the escapees returned to the camp within a few weeks. As some prisoners stated, the attempted breakout was more of a prank than a real escape attempt, and they were not treated harshly on their return to Papago Park, an unimaginable circumstance in an Axis POW camp.

Tempe also grew cotton during the war years which had many uses in war production such as uniforms and sheets. Aside from agriculture, local universities helped train members in college for jobs in their respective military branches.