POW DEATHS IN OKLAHOMA

Approximately five miles west of El Reno, OK is the Old Fort Reno Military Cemetery. Located on the rolling plains, not far off the nearby highway, this gravesite commerates the years when Fort Reno served as a remount station and sometimes headquarters to Lt. General Philip Sheridan. Seventy officers and enlisted men are there.

Discreetly, to the back of the cemetery away from the American soldiers, lie the graves that form a page of Oklahoma and World War II history. Fort Reno was one of the sites chosen by the government in 1943, to confine Axis enemy soldiers. This was one of over 400 prisoner of war camps located across the country. The enemy soldiers buried here are from camps all over the country, not just Oklahoma

Oklahoma Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol. 11, No. 2, June 1966.

Read in June 1964 by Mrs. John A, Ashworth, Jr., Mrs. John Witherspoon Ervin, and Julia and Woods Ervin, her daughters.

GERMANS

Allendorf, Anton (German. Pvt. Aug. 22, 1944)
Arnhold, Johann (German. Cpl. July 23, 1945)
Askarow, Osman (German. Pvt. May 21, 1945)
Baumgartner, Karl (German. Pvt. June 29, 1945)
Baur, Karl (German. Capt. Aug. 15, 1945)
Beckmann, Hermann (German. Cpl. Feb. 5, 1945)
Beyer, Hermann (German. Dec. 6, 1942)
Beiling, Guenter (German. Pvt. May 10, 1945)
Bork, Klaus Eberhard (Feldwebel. German. Aug. 24, 1944)
Castellon, Georg (German. Pvt. 1st Cl. April 27, 1945)
Chlebek, Otto (German. Major. Nov. 24, 1944)
Czapaj, Zagal (German. Pvt. May 19, 1945)
Distler, Johann (German. Cpl. Dec. 28, 1944)
Englader, Frantz (German. Gefreiter Infantry. Feb. 9, 1945)
Ernst, Dieter (German. Major. Nov. 30, 1945)
Esemann, Henrich (German. 1st Lt. Dec. 8, 1944)
Galinski, Johannes (German. Pvt. Oct. 28, 1944)
Gaschka, Heinrich (German. July 18, 1945)
Genath, Harry (German. Sgt. Jan. 29, 1945)
Goertz, Karl (German. Corpl. Oct. 18, 1945)
Goetz, Artur (German. Pvt. May 19, 1945)
Goertze, Hermann (German. Sgt. Apr. 16, 1945)
Grams, Erwin, (German, November 17, 1944)
Grundowski, Paul (German. Pvt. Nov. 18, 1944)
Grundwald, Johann (German. Sgt. Nov. 25, 1944)
Halscheidt, Werner (German. Unter-Offizier, Inf. Sept. 24, 1944)
Hemmann, Guenther (German. Pvt. Feb. 13, 1945)
Hille, Reuben (German. Pvt. Mar. 20, 1946)
Hinz, Franz (German. 1st Lt. April 6, 1945)
Hornung, Eugen (German. L/Cpl. Dec. 20, 1944)
Karl, Michael (German. Tech. Sgt. Jan. 20, 1945)
Kauffmann, Englebert (German. Civilian stone with an iron cross. July 13, 1944, May 23, 1918. Erk. Nr. 3 Inf. Ers. Bat. 36-144. Gef. Nr. 45938)
Kirsten, Richard (German. Cpl. Jan. 30, 1945)
Koeller, Werner (German. Gefr. March 22, 1946)
Kunz, Paul (German. Gefreit. Jan. 22, 1944)
Kunz, Johann (German. Gefr. Died Jan 22, 1944, executed by prisoners for treason)
Liebman, Heinz (German. Sgt. Feb. 20, 1945)
Maege, Erich (German. 1st Lt. Aug. 4. 1945)
Marganus, Werner (German. 2nd Lt. Apr. 11, 1945)
Mayr, Engelbert (German . Pvt. 1st Class, April 23, 1945)
Messenberg, Werner (German. 2nd Lt., July 20, 1945)
Messinger, Friedrich (German. Cpl. Nov. 19, 1944)
Metzger, Karl (German. Pvt. July 4, 1945)
Minotti, Emil (German. Feldwebel. July 6, 1944)
Moebius, Bernhard (German. Mar. 24, 1945)
Obegfr, Johann Kaup (German. May 18, 1945)
Piacsek, Johann (German. Pvt. 1st Cl. October 7, 1944)
Polte, Karl (German. Pvt. 1st Cl. Apr, 20, 1945)
Raffel, Ewe (German. Sgt. Dec. 15, 1944)
Redemann, Karl (German. Unter-Off. Ersatz Bn. Jan. 16, 1944)
Reiser, Georg (German. Nov. 21, 1944)
Scharf, Heinz (German. T/Sgt. Nov. 25, 1944)
Scharidov, Gado (German. Pvt. Jan. 2, 1945)
Schindler, Eric (German. Sept. 17, 1945)
Schmidt, Paul (German. Gefr. Jan. 14, 1946)
Schneider, Gustave (German. Nov. 3, 1942)
Schwoebel, Karl (German. Gefreiter. Mar. 18, 1944)
Siefert, Hans (German. Oct. 9, 1945)
Smytschek, Paul (German. Cpl. Jan. 14, 1945)
Soldat, Erwin Grams (German. Nov. 17, 1944)
Stang, Bruno (German. Unter-Off. Luftwaffe. Jan. 12, 1944)
Wodelzki, Ferdinand (German. Pvt. 1st Cl. Nov. 5, 1944)

ITALIANS
Evaristo, Fava (Italian. 2nd Lt. Oct. 17, 1944)
Francisco, Erriquez (Italian. Pvt. Jan. 13, 1944)
Giovanni, B.O. (Italian. Cpl. Mar. 22, 1944)
Grassotti, Carlo (Italian. Sgt. Sept. 5, 1945)
Ortelli, Innocent (Italian. Pvt. Aug. 2, 1943)
Pierluigi, Berticelli (Italian. Cpl. May 8, 1945)
Renzo, Benzi (Italian. Capt. July 26, 1945)
Zamboni, Guilio (Italian. Sgt. M. Oct. 11, 1945)

According to area papers, these POWs died in Oklahoma, also.:

Reyemkalow, Okubai, buried at Fort Sill, OK
Wendt, Herman, buried at Tulsa, OK
Leonhardt, Kurt, buried at Tulsa, OK
Theurer, Albert, (committed suicide) buried at Tulsa, OK
Frank, Josef, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonia, TX
Frederich, Hans, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonia, TX
Farthofer, George, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonia, TX
Hemmer, Heinrich, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonia, TX

On July 10, 1945, the following prisoners were tried and executed at Fort Leavenworth Military Prison, KS. They were tried for the murder of Johannes Kunze at Camp Gruber. They are buried at the Fort Leavenworth Military Prison Cemetery.

Beyer, Walter
Demme, Hans
Scholz, Willi
Schomer, Hans
Seidel, Berthold

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