Remembrance
The headstones of German POWs buried in national cemeteries are constructed with the same white marble and design used for American dead. The stones are inscribed with name, rank, “German Army,” date of birth if known, and date of death. Some of the headstones have crosses inscribed in a circle to indicate the man’s Christian faith. Similarly, American veterans have personal data including name, rank, military branch, war/conflict name, vital dates, and brief epithet and/or symbol of faith if requested by person or their family on their grave markers.1
In 1953, the Fort Custer Cemetery was the site of the first official German-American ceremony honoring the lives of Axis POWs after World War II. Volkstrauertag, or German National Day of Mourning, continues to be held at the cemetery each November. The German Consulates of Chicago and Detroit typically send a representative to deliver the memorial address. German clubs and choirs from across the region are regular participants.
Initially the POWs' next of kin did not participate in recognition events. Despite being contacted by the neutral Swiss delegation immediately following a prisoner's death in the 1940s and by German-American club members in 1983, none of the families responded or became involved with Volkstrauertag.2 That is, until 1987 when Peter Allmann visited the grave of his late-grandfather, Philipp Allmann, during his high school exchange program in the Midwest.3 He started the Allmann-Grabwache Beautification Fund, which provided the financial support to create a ceremonial area with a memorial plaque. The plaque, which was installed in 1991, reads:4
From 1943 to 1946, Fort Custer housed German prisoners of war. A truck/train collision resulted in the deaths of some of the 26 German soldiers buried here. Others died of natural causes. Since 1953, German American communities and veterans organizations have sponsored an annual memorial service to honor those who are resting here.
Dedicated: Volkstrauertag 1991
Your German and American friends5
In Tennessee, instead of communal Volkstrauertag commemorations, a representative from the German Consulate lays a wreath at the German World War I monument at Chattanooga National Cemetery. Erected in 1935 during the height of German national pride in the form of an Iron Cross, the monument includes the names of the deceased and the inscription: “Waehrend der Kriegsjahre starben hier fern der Heimat” (“During the war years they died here far from home").6 This pre-existing monument colored the community's perception of the German POWs who died during World War II. Consequently, Chattanooga has a striking absence of local involvement when compared to the ceremonies at Fort Custer.
Klara and Elisabeth Hausmann visited the grave of their late father, Franz Pfeiffer, here in 2000. According to Klara, Pfeiffer’s conscious weighed heavily on him during the war and he was relieved at being captured because it meant he would not be responsible for someone’s death.7
1 “Types of Headstones, Markers, and Medallions Available,” National Cemetery Administration, accessed April 25, 2019, https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hmm/types.asp.
2 “16 PWs, Soldier Killed by Train,” Battle Creek Enquirer, November 1, 1945, Newspapers.com. The Swiss government served as the neutral mediator between the U.S. and West Germany during the war.
3 Stan Kaufman, “German POW’s Grandson Raises Funds for Gravesite Project Here,” Battle Creek Enquirer, November 29, 1987, Newspapers.com.
4 Trace Christenson, “German Family Visits B.C. Grave of World War II POW,” Battle Creek Enquirer, August 31, 1992, main edition, Newspapers.com.
5 Transcription based on photograph of plaque held by the National Cemetery Administration.
6 John Shearer, “The German Connection At Chattanooga’s National Cemetery,” Chattanoogan, August 29, 2008, https://www.chattanoogan.com/2008/8/29/134127/The-German-Connection-At-Chattanooga-s.aspx.
7 “German sisters visit father’s grave after 55 years,” Daily News-Journal (Murfreesboro, TN), May 30, 2000, Newspapers.com.