Camp Ruston facts for kids

Camp Ruston was a very large prisoner-of-war camp in the United States during World War II. At its busiest in October 1943, it held 4,315 prisoners. It was the main camp, also known as a "base camp," and had 8 smaller work camps connected to it.

Camp Ruston: A Big POW Camp in World War II

Camp Ruston was one of the biggest places where prisoners of war (POWs) were kept in the United States during World War II. It was located in Louisiana. These camps were built to house enemy soldiers captured during the war. Camp Ruston was special because it was a "base camp," meaning it was the main center for several smaller camps nearby.

Inside Camp Ruston: How It Was Organized

This large camp had different sections, called "compounds." There were three big compounds just for the POWs. It also had a modern hospital area and a separate section for the American soldiers who worked there.

Living Areas for Prisoners

One of the POW compounds was in the far northwestern part of the camp. This area was for officers, who were higher-ranking soldiers. Their living spaces, called barracks, were built to hold fewer people. This gave the officers more privacy and room.

The barracks for the regular soldiers, or "enlisted men," were different. These buildings were designed to hold up to 50 prisoners. They had two rows of bunk beds running along each side of the room. Restrooms, called latrines, were in separate buildings located at the end of each prisoner compound.