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Byron Nelson - fireman |
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Newly built
prisoner of war base camps all were constructed to similar specifications.
The barracks were nearly identical for both the U.S. military personnel
and the German prisoners. The Corps of Engineers considered the ideal base
camp to be an area of about 320 acres with relatively level ground providing
good drainage. This would be one-half mile by one mile in rectangular size,
to give some perspective.
The best location for a POW camp was at least five miles from a railroad. In the interest of seclusion, the camp was not to be located closer than 500 feet to any important boundary or public thoroughfare. The Atlanta camp missed on the first of these distance specifications,. It was very close to the main line Burlington Railroad, which was scarcely more than four city blocks away, and the camp was even closer to U.S. Highways 6 and 34, which paralleled the railroad siding for the camp. Atlanta was divided into three main prisoner compounds with a capacity of approximately 1,000 men each. The compounds, in turn, consisted of several barracks buildings as well as a mess hall, workshop, canteen, infirmary, administrative building and recreation hall. the barracks buildings were designed for utility rather than comfort. They were 20 x 100 feet and consisted of a concrete slab floor, a cheaply built 2 x 4 framing structure and a covering of 4 x 8 tar-based sheeting for the exterior walls. A layer of one-inch thick fiber material comprised the interior walls. The buildings were not constructed for long-term use. |
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