WWII Prisoners of War in Ogden
The Prisoners of War at Defense Depot Ogden oral history project is the documentation of the lives of the Italian and German prisoners that were held at DDO during World War II. The Ogden Defense Depot, designated as a POW camp on October 11, 1942, was one of the first ten camps in the country. An estimated 5,000 Italian prisoners and approximately 4,000 German prisoners were sent to the facility. The prisoners worked in local warehouses, farms, and orchard. After Italy surrendered in 1943, Italian Service Units were created which allowed the Italians greater freedom than the Germans, including visits to downtown Ogden. The camp closed during the summer of 1946 after the 10,000 prisoners were shipped home. This project contains interviews from people who had interaction with the Italian and German POWs, including the community of Weber County and POW widows. They discuss they daily lives of the prisoners which includes conditions at the camp, work related issues, and the feelings of the community surrounding the POW camp.
