FYI – WWII POWs in Santa Barbara: A Compelling Read

In my latest travel book, Santa Barbara Know It All, I ask in a quiz at the end of the book if World War II prisoners held in POW camps here in Santa Barbara were used in harvesting local grapes, and other crops. It’s not a trick question, because it’s actually true. Then, I heard about this book German Prisoners of War at Camp Cooke, California and its very detailed account of the exact POW camp I referenced - Camp Cooke, located in Lompoc, and now part of Vandenberg Air Force Base.

June 16, 1944

The first train load of WWII German prisoners arrived at

Camp Cooke in Santa Barbara.

The interesting and unexpected approach to this book is that it is written in firsthand accounts of 14 German soldiers captured at various places and points during World War II. Author Jeffery Geiger opens up each chapter with his own writing, then lets the German POWs reflect upon their own experiences. Geiger is well versed in this material, as he is the retired chief civilian historian of Vandenberg Air Force Base. Many of the POWs discuss their capture and their subsequent removal from Europe and transfer to America specifically California, but to other states as well. As POW Alfred Schmucker writes: "The greatest day for some of us was when a convoy of American army trucks moved in and picked up about 80% of the German POWs on July 9, 1944. Contrary to what we endured while under French jurisdiction… for the first time in 14 months we could take a shower, receive good food, and were treated like human beings."

After the men reached various camps across the US they were processed, given new clothes and then put to work in the fields picking everything from sugar beets, cotton, to tomatoes, grapes, etc.  As POW Adolf Kelmer mentions, "It was surprising to me that we were paid for our labor. The money had a significant buying power in the camp at canteen. We bought cigarettes, sweets, toilet articles and many other things that for a long time had been unavailable to us in the German army. "

What probably most people don't realize was that these POW camps, including Camp Cooke, were small cities. They had barbers, tailors, even makeshift orchestras. According to Herbert Schaffrath, "In the camp we had both an orchestra and an amateur theatrical group. The song 'Don't Fence Me In' was a popular melody among the POWs in 1945." He goes on to say, “Having a pet dog or cat in our barrack gave each of us a wonderful feeling of homeliness. When we returned from work in the evenings the little dog was always waiting at the door to greet us eagerly." Ultimately though, these were still prisoners. "Despite all the pleasant activities available to us at Camp Cooke, we all had days when our only thoughts were to be reunited with our loved ones back home," wrote one German POW.

This book chronicles 14 people - not necessarily prisoners, not even Germans - but human beings like you and me. It follows the ups and downs, the tedium of prison life, the private dreams and hopes of men living in a confined environment, and the aftermath of the war that placed them there. Werner Blanck summed it up best after Camp Cooke closed and he was released. "If I could have stayed in California when Camp Cooke was closing in 1946 I would have done so. I liked the country and the people. Looking back on my military service and my time as a prisoner of war in America, I learned that there could be no justification to use force against another. I see no reason why disagreements between nations cannot be settled peacefully."

A read of this book will restore your faith in humanity, and given our current global conflicts, we all need to know that throughout history there are good people, quietly making the world a little better; be they prisoners, guards, or simply people caught up in a global conflict not of their own making.

German Prisoners of War at Camp Cooke, California
Jeffrey E. Geiger
272 pages
$19.95
Sunbury Press

Coastal Quakes: The Reality & What You Need to Know

Having lived in California all my life I’ve been through many quakes and while you’re never sure how severe one will be, panicking is a bad idea. With the recent tragedy in Japan, it makes sense to explain the major earthquakes on the Central Coast and, at the end of this post, provide practical advice should a temblor occur. Earthquakes are part of the reality in California, but be ready to respond should one hit.



Mission LaPurisima

Lompoc -1812, about 10 a.m. (7.1) No Deaths. This quake destroyed Mission La Purisima located originally near downtown Lompoc. They rebuilt it and moved the Mission several miles away.

Lompoc -1927, 5.49 a.m. (7.1) No Deaths: This earthquake, located about 10 miles offshore produced a sea-quake so violent it killed and stunned fish near Point Arguello and shook two ships in the area. No serious damage.

Downtown Paso Robles

Paso Robles - 2003, 11:15 a.m. (6.5), Two Deaths. On December 22^nd, 25 miles North-West of Paso Robles, actually near San Simeon, the earth shook. The damage was centered in downtown Paso Robles and caused two deaths when the roof slid off the clock tower building. The dormant underground sulfur springs ripped open causing flooding and a large sinkhole in the parking lot of the city hall, not to mention the town reeked of the smell of sulfur for months. Paso Robles dedicated a new clock tower in memory of the two women who died. 

Santa Barbara - 1925, (6.8) 13 Deaths. At 6:44 a.m. on June 29th all was fine and quiet on the streets of Santa Barbara. Less that two minutes later a thirty square block of the downtown core had been severely damaged. The Sheffield Dam failed plunging water into the city center; a two acre parcel west of the city sunk nearly a foot; the waterfront road (now Cabrillo Blvd.) sustained cracks of 12 inches. The quake had been felt in Anaheim 130 miles south. Much of the sub-standard construction failed and parts of commercial buildings on lower State St., built on landfill, collapsed. Brick buildings and wood construction shattered. The earthquake not only gave the city a chance to reinvent itself, but forced stricter building codes.



State Street



Architect Julia Morgan (Hearst Castle, Asilomar) was in Santa Barbara that morning. She had arrived, blueprints in hand, to meet with the building committee regarding a potential project. As she waited for the streetcar the earthquake struck and she witnessed clouds of dust envelop State Street. She spent much of that morning viewing the damage, noting which buildings survived and taking copious notes. The city faced destruction totaling $8 million, a staggering sum by 1920s standards.
Had the quake struck later in the morning as people were on their way to work the death toll would have been higher. Unlike the 1906 San Francisco quake, Santa Barbara didn’t have fires to contend with therefore damage was mitigated.



The Santa Barbara Mission

What You Need to Know:

If you are Inside: Take cover by getting under a sturdy piece of furniture and wait until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner where the building supports are the greatest. Freestanding walls fall easily. Stay away from glass, windows, anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures. Use a doorway for shelter only if it’s in close proximity, and if you know it’s a load bearing doorway. Stay inside until the shaking stops. Research shows that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location. Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on, or that a gas pipe might have broken. Never use the elevators!

If you are Outside: Stay there and move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires and wait until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside of buildings. Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury.

If you’re Driving: Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires. Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged.