WW2-era letter captures life of Nazi soldier at Colorado prisoner-of-war camp

"My dear little Erika, my little Wolfgang!" reads the opening line of a World War II-era letter written by a prisoner-of-war in Colorado, according to a translation from Reddit user Heartfeltzero.

The letter was penned on December 28 of 1943 by Werner Poenitzsch, a German soldier likely captured in North Africa and transported to Camp Carson near Colorado Springs according to u/Heartfeltzero.

The letter, uploaded by Heartfeltzero to Reddit in recent days, details Poenitzsch's Christmas experience at Camp Carson, in which he reported a festive atmosphere, a variety of food, a choir, and gift-giving.

"Yes, the evening passed in a flash and it will never be erased from our memory," wrote Poenitzsch, as he told of poetry readings, Christmas cake, and the "beautifully decorated" dining hall.

The full translation of the letter can be found below:

As noted by Reddit user Heartfeltzero, many German and Italian prisoners-of-war were housed at what's now known as Fort Carson through the end of World War II.

The prisoner camp at now-Fort Carson first opened in May of 1943, with prisoners spending much of their time on agricultural work, according to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum . Prisoners were also given "ample" time off and were actually paid for their labor, opposed how many other prisoner-of-war camps around the world functioned at the time. The Colorado Springs-area camp has been described by the Pioneers Museum as more of a "community" than a prison, with those held at the location able to set up stores, participate in extracurricular activities, and publish a German-language newspaper.

By the end of the World War II, more than 10,000 Germans were housed at the camp, with around 5,000 of those prisoners opting to return to the United States at the conclusion of the war, three of which landed in Colorado Springs, according to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum .

As noted by the museum, the city of Colorado Springs was heavily involved in World War II, with new military installations popping up in the region and food and clothing rations in place. World War II ultimately played a major role in the heavy military influence still present in the city today.

Find the full letter here .

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