The Enemy in Our Midst with John Pepin
Memorial Weekend Movie and Speaker
Friday, May 27, 2022 at 7p CST
Come as you are, pay what you can – donations accepted in the lobby.

From 1944-46, roughly 1,100 German prisoners of war were held in the remote north woods at five prisoner of war branch camps in the U.P. The Enemy in Our Midst preserves this little known history. Intro and Q&A with producer John Pepin of Ishpeming.

The Enemy in Our Midst documentary, locally produced by Jackie Chandonnet and John Pepin, first aired on WNMU Public TV 13 in August 2004.

About the Program:

From 1944-46, roughly 1,100 German prisoners of war were held in the remote north woods at five prisoner of war branch camps in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Across the United States, there were about 375,000 German POWs at more than 655 camps. But despite these staggering numbers, sixty years after the fact, the story of their captivity remains largely untold.

This documentary reveals the story of the U. P.’s POW camps in great detail, capturing an aspect of World War II history that many feared would fade into obscurity without being recorded.

“From what we can tell, not many people in the Upper Peninsula even know there were German prisoners in this area,” Chandonnet said. “It’s an unknown story that we felt should be preserved.”

This event has been brought to our community in part by the generous contribution from: Crystal Falls-Iron River Masonic Lodge #385