Original German WWII Named POW Hand Carved Indian Head from Camp in Kansas - Dated 1943 - Reinhard Guthmann

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely hand carved Indian Head on a wood backing, carved by a German P.O.W. kept at a POW camp in Kansas, possibly Camp Concordia. During World War II, 400,000 German Prisoners of War were interred in the United States. Many of the POWs were confined in Kansas where they worked on farms and other prospects. Typically, the Kansas POWs were housed small camps of 100 or less. Some of these camps were located in the communities of El Dorado, Hutchinson, Cawker City, Hays, and Topeka, Ottawa. Three larger camps were located in Kansas, near Salina (Camp Phillips), at Fort Riley, and just outside Concordia, Kansas. Construction of Camp Concordia began in February 1943 and the POW camp was turned over to the US Army on May 1, 1943. At its peak Camp Concordia 4,027 Prisoners, 880 soldiers and 179 civilian Employees.

The Indian head looks east with a feather in his hair and braids. Along the outer border is carved KANSAS / U.S.A. 1943. The color is very well-retained. The board measures 9¼” in diameter with the feather sticking out past that. The wood is just under ⅝” thick.

The back of the board retains a small hook for hanging, and is inscribed with the name of the German soldier who carved it, Reinhard Guthmann. We have not looked into this soldier, making for a good research opportunity.

A great POW-made item, ready for further research and display.