02.16.06
Posted in WWII at 11:34 am by NW Okie
According to a story that ran in The Sunday Oklahoman, July 4, 1982, and written by Carolyn B Leonard, Waynoka Couple Find Murals Behind Walls. — http://okielegacy.org/image/powmuralalva3.jpg
Monte & Rosalind Lopshine bought ten lots and two old ramshackle apartment buildings August, 1981. When they were remodeling in May, 1982 they found 24 paintings painted by a German prisoner of war that resemble tour posters with scenes of Austria and the Berlin area. The paintings were found between the studs of one of the old buildings. The two apartment buildings were originally one long barrack for the POWs held at the Alva Camp during WWII. C. E. Buckner bought one of the barracks, chopped it in half and moved it to Waynoka back in 1945. The property changed hands a few times before the Lopshires bought it in 1981. – http://okielegacy.org/image/powmuralalva2.jpg
The article stated… “Buckner set the the building halves on two separate foundations, added a floor and ceiling and converted the edifice into four apartments. He knew the paintings were there 30 years ago, but he covered them with sheetrock. Buckner said he never thought to mention it when the building changed owners through the years… At the time, we were not impressed with pictures of Germany. We were tired of the war.” Most of the paintings were found in perfect condition with only a few shows of water-stained reminders of a leaking roof and cracked paint on another. – http://okielegacy.org/image/powmuralalva4.jpg
The paintings measured about 19 by 34 inches and were painted on masonite between the wall studs using three colors of oil (burnt sienna, cobalt blue, and white). The article quoted Mrs. Lopshires, “There is one older man who lived around here that said he helped tear the camp down. He said there were some whole-wall murals, but when he tried to save them the supervisor told him there was not time for that. They were just working by the hour and had to get it done, so those were destroyed.” Millard Curtis was quoted as saying, “I haven’t thought about it for ages, but I remember the paintings. They were in the work building, I think it was.” — http://okielegacy.org/image/powmuralalva1.jpg
The article stated, “The Lopshires, who recently converted one of the uildings into a beer tavern, have plans to turn the old barracks into a German beer garden with an outdoor restaurant adjoining. — http://okielegacy.org/image/powmuralwaynka.jpg
Some other art work (sculptures) that the German POWs did was a six-foot, walnut eagle carved from packing crates and stood in the German Officers POW compound during WWII. It now has a home in the Cherokee Strip Museum at Alva, Oklahoma along with other artifacts of Alva’s POW Camp during World War II. – http://okielegacy.org/image/poweagle.jpg
This German, medieval castle was hand-carved from scraps of wood by one of the German POWs from his memory of his homeland. These art collections were created under difficult circumstances and have had a spiritually and romantically value placed on them. None of the paintings were ever signed. The Lopshires and a lot of Woods Countians in NW Oklahoma would love to discover the artist after all these years to fill in the blanks of what is not there anymore. – http://okielegacy.org/image/powcastle.jpg
Rod Murrow found this next POW artwork on Ebay. This shows the front and back sides of a POW piece of art from Camp Alva that he found on eBay, with the desire to donate it to the Cherokee Strip Museum in Alva - which I have not yet done. I’m curious to know if this fellow, or any of his family members, may still be living and if it might be possible to return this artwork to him/them. His name is WILLI EMMERT and the date is 1944.
Werner’s father, Friedrich Wilhelm Rohrlack, born 1918, was a prisoner at Camp Alva 1943-1945. He was also an artist, mostly landscapes and scenery and he was from Berlin. Werner was sent copies of the wall paintings and they could have been painted by his father. One other note: While his father was at the Alva Camp he painted a portrait of a teenage blond girl who was the daughter of one of the prisoners. Werner’s father, before he died, asked that Werner try to find who this person is and send the portrait to her. Werner had tried to get this organized a few years ago, but his mother, who had Alzheimer’s, stopped him from following through. The last that he remember is that the picture was painted from a photograph of the daughter of a German prisoner. Werner’s father’s request was that he try to find the person in this picture, somehow, and Werner would then forward it to them. To, however, ensure that he has the right person, he covered up the neck as this girl was wearing a rather unusual necklace. The person that claims this picture should therefore be able to describe this necklace in detail or provide a photograph that would show who this person is. The actual painting is 21″ X 27″, plus matting and frame. The other matter… Werner would like to pursue, is the inner wall paintings found in the huts. My father was a very good artist, mostly scenery and mostly from German themes. I should note that he was a Berliner, and he understand that some of the art work was from Berlin. His father’s name was Friedrich Wilhelm Rohrlack born 1918, died 1995. Werner knows this could be a long shot, but he would very much like to succeed in this endeavor. Thanks from Werner Rohrlack - Email: w.r.accounting@shaw.ca
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Posted in WWII at 11:22 am by NW Okie
22 January 1945, Daily Oklahoman News Article tells of a Letter to the Editor about the “Battle of Alva.” The Daily Oklahoman first learned of the Alva disturbance in the following letter to the editor. It adds few facts to the Dallas announcement, but we think you will agree it is more graphic.
January 15, 1945 — Yesterday began and ended “The Battle of Alva.” To our knowledge this was the only engagement fought between American and German forces on this continent. The fighting was brisk and bloody, but there will be no campaign ribbons issued; no battle stars displayed. Casualties were broken heads and smarting eyes, as 64 American soldiers accosted 1,400 “supermen,” former members of Rommel’s famed Afrika Korps.
Nazis Retreat As Planned… Armed solely with riot clubs and weak concentrations of tear gas, into the valley of death marches the fighting 64 to storm the Nazi bastion. The battle was joined as clubs flew and splintered; gas flowed freely, mingled with Nazi tears and blood dripped from many a lacerated scalp.
Gradually began the famous strategic retreat, the oft-heard Teutonic expression for a battle lost. When the smoke had cleared 1,400 supermen stood with a new respect for these unpredictable American soldiers ground into their grimacing faces and the fighting 64 reformed and marched out. Righteous anger and malice were no more.
Prison Guarding Is Hard… If a 2-day restriction and Nazi stubbornness can bring such a change to men — most of whom are wounded, overseas veterans and limited service men — how then can we lose? Note: The trouble started when one compound refused to move out for a routine shake-down. They were asked again and again.
Finally, as a last measure, they were given the only treatment they can understand. Brute force and bestiality is all these men will ever understand. I doubt if the American public will ever understand how difficult it is to treat these POW’s with kid gloves, while our boys are treated as war criminals, Geneva convention notwithstanding. Serviceman’s name withheld by request.
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Posted in WWII at 10:58 am by NW Okie
POW Camp Water Tower… Looking SW across field. http://okielegacy.org/image/powtoweralva.jpg
POW tower & VFW Post - Alva’s German Prisoner of War & POW, Alva, Oklahoma, Woods County Hitler’s Hard-Core Troops Held in Alva. This military looking building and tower to the left are the Old Officers Quarters & Club and which now is used as the VFW Post. The Quarters of American Personnel and camp administrative buildings were north of the POW’s compounds and east of Washington Avenue. All buildings were considered temporary and constructed of wood in those days during WWII. This building left was the Officers Club and Quarters and stood across the street and to the east of the prisoners compounds. – http://okielegacy.org/image/powtowervfw2.jpg
POW Camps Dot Oklahoma in WWII – http://okielegacy.org/image/powpittsburgcamp.jpg
POW tower & VFW Post… Alva’s WWII Prisoner of War Camp looking south down Washington Ave. South of Alva (Photo taken October, 1999) Operational &; Located 1942-1945 - South of Alva, Oklahoma, Woods County — http://okielegacy.org/image/powmainst.jpg
POW chimney/smokestack… Little remains except for a lonely chimney that some proclaim to be a bakery chimney and others say was the smokestack of the POW hospital. BUT… I’ve found in other articles that the POW Hospital was west of the main street, Washington Avenue, that ran to the POW camp. Whatever the case, it stands amongst the VFW Post and the old concrete water tower that remain as reminders that Alva, Oklahoma was home of a German POW camp during WWII from the Summer of ‘42 when it was authorized to November of ‘45 when it shut down after the WWII. This picture was taken October, 1999 and shows the Woods County Fairground buildings in the background. The Concrete Water Tower sets across another road to the south and east while the VFW Post sets just east (or to the right) of this picture. The road you see running by the westside of the alleged smokestack was the main street called Washington Avenue that ran south from the Section Line Road to the POW camp. — http://okielegacy.org/image/lonelychimney.jpg
Oct. 1999 Water Tower & Chimney… Here is a better view of the smokestack and water tower. The water tower used to hold a large wooden tank on the top and the four POW compounds for the prisoners set back south of the water tower. The camp was authorized on June 30, 1942. September 15, 1942 it was under construction by civilians. November 15, 1942 the Army took over from the civilian contractors and the American troops started to arrive. – http://okielegacy.org/image/powtowerchimny.jpg
Map of POW Camps in Oklahoma… Prisoner of War Camps in Oklahoma, WWII - Copy of Map printed in the Daily Oklahoman, 16 November 1987–
http://okielegacy.org/image/pow15nov1987map.jpg
Letter dated 22 December 1943… Headquarters Prisoner of War Camp, Alva, Oklahoma – http://okielegacy.org/image/pow22dec1943.jpg
2nd page of Letter above – http://okielegacy.org/image/pow22dec1943b.jpg
An Aerial Shot of Alva’s WWII POW Camp… South of Alva, Oklahoma. The water tower (painted white) in the center of the camp? The POW’s compounds are on the south half (right side of photo). The administration & army barracks on the north half (left side of photo).– http://okielegacy.org/image/powaerial.jpg
Basic Layout of POW Camp Facilities…
This is a photo and layout of the Alva POW Camp with large nail used. The upper part was the prisoner’s compounds (non-commissioned officers & enlisted men on the left side; German Officers on the right side). Main Street (or Washington Ave.) separating the two compounds and 3rd street running east and west and on the north side of the prisoner’s compounds. The theater, Officers Club & Quarters, and the Hospital sat across the street from the non-commissioned officers & enlisted prisoners compounds. The lone Chimney, the Officers Club and the water tower are only reminders of the camp during WWII. Only memories and artifacts held at the “Cherokee Strip Museum” are what keep the Alva POW Camp fresh in our minds. Chapel - post exchange (100ft. by 20 ft.); Also barber shop and Latrine; Theater - 100 ft. by 20 ft. Production of plays, musicals art exhibits. Seated 250. School - (100 ft by 20 ft.). Three room building for education; Workshop - (100 ft by 20 ft.) Camp maintenance; Gymnasium - (100 ft by 20 ft.); Company dayrooms - 72 ft. by 20 ft. Games, reading, lounging, writing letters; Carpenter Shop - (100 ft. by 20 ft.); Tailor Shop - (20 ft. by 20 ft.); Libraries - 236 Bed Hospital - 4 Orchestras Barracks - 20 ft by 120 ft. and faced with sheet rock and covered with tar paper. — http://okielegacy.org/image/powlayou2t.jpg
After the WWII the buildings were sold off and this barrack was moved to the 900 block of W. Flynn Street in Alva, Oklahoma. It sets on the north side of the street and approximately a half block west of the Middle School (where the Old Jr. High School used to be.) – http://okielegacy.org/image/powbarracks1.jpg
This old barracks was moved to the northeast corner of Center & Eleventh Street in Alva, Oklahoma. There was another building moved to E. Flynn and used as a storage building. There was also a building moved down to Waynoka and turned into a “Beer Joint”, but it was torn down and that is where the POW’s Painted murals were discovered, removed and put permanently in the Santa Fe Depot Museum in Waynoka and the Cherokee Strip Museum in Alva. If anyone out there has any “Old” or “New” photos of the “Old POW buildings that came from the Alva POW Camp after World War II, please send me a copy to share with everyone. I would love to see it.– http://okielegacy.org/image/powbarracks2.jpg
Southeast of Alva, Oklahoma on the Harold Fox farm, in Alfalfa County, was a home with one of the POW compound buildings. It was located 3-miles south of AShley Elevator and 1/4-mile east. It burned down about 8 to 10 years ago.
Ronald McMurphy has one of the POW buildings that is still used as a home. It is located off of the 5th Street Road (Dacoma Blacktop) West of Cherokee, Oklahoma.
The building that housed the Hilltop Gas & Grocery, located 11 miles west of Alva, Oklahoma, on the hilltop was a part of the Old Alva POW WWII Camp? Leslie and Golda “Goldie” Lyon owned and ran the Hilltop gas and grocery and motor shop from 1946 to 1970 where later they did motor rewiring jobs that came into the shop. Today if you drive west out of Alva it would require your imagination to see what might have been. There is just a grass, fenced pasture with a gravel pull-off area with a view looking down the hill, east towards Alva. I found it very interesting to learn that in the old days… that the reasons stations along highway 64 were at the top of the hills were because the old cars were usually steaming by the time they got to the top and needed water.
According to Marty Myers, “The Community Building in Kiowa, Kansas is the gym that was moved from Alva’s POW camp to Kiowa, Kansas. It has been kept in good shape and is used frequently for all kinds of functions.”
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Rod Murrow found this next POW artwork on Ebay. This shows the front and back sides of a POW piece of art from Camp Alva that he found on eBay, with the desire to donate it to the Cherokee Strip Museum in Alva - which I have not yet done. I’m curious to know if this fellow, or any of his family members, may still be living and if it might be possible to return this artwork to him/them. His name is WILLI EMMERT and the date is 1944.
