Most People In Connecticut Don’t Know About The Old German POW Camp At Bradley Field

There's so much rich history in Connecticut, and while some of it is relatively common knowledge (most Nutmeggers know the hamburger was invented in Connecticut!), other facts are not quite so well-known. One spot with something of a secret history is Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, CT. It's the second-largest airport in New England, and many of us have flown out of or into it during our travels, but did you know it was also once home to an old German POW camp in Connecticut? Let's check it out:

Bradley International Airport is one of the East Coast's busiest airports, annually serving more than 6.75 million passengers.

Bradley International Airport got its start in 1940, when the state acquired 1,700 acres of land.

However, the land was almost immediately turned over to the federal government in preparation for the U.S. entry into World War II.

By 1944, the land at Bradley Field had been turned into a German POW camp. Approximately 250 German prisoners of war would remain there for just under a year.

The prisoners were treated well, and were used for a variety of tasks, like vehicle maintenance and lumber salvaging. In some areas, they were even loaned out to local farmers who needed help with all their usual employees away at war. The camp had arts and crafts, games, and hundreds of books for the prisoners to read.

In all, there were over 500 prisoner of war camps in the United States during World War II, housing more than 425,000 prisoners of war. Every state except North Dakota, Nevada, and Vermont had a POW camp.

The above photo is from a POW camp in Arizona.

After the war, some of the POWs wanted to remain in Connecticut, but according to international law, they had to be returned to their home countries.

By 1948, control of Bradley International Airport had been returned to the state of Connecticut. Most of the buildings and remnants of the POW camps were destroyed in the 1979 tornado that damaged the airport, and no remnants of the POW camp in Connecticut remain today.

Have you ever heard stories about this POW camp in Connecticut? Share your thoughts in the comments!