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From 1944 to 1946, over 3,517 prisoners of war, mostly Germans, were utilized on Oregon farms. Although they constituted a small percentage of the total number of farm labor placements, they provided valuable assistance throughout the state. In Malheur County alone, they were largely responsible for the 7,500 acres of potatoes, 3,500 acres of onions, and 3,000 acres of lettuce planted and harvested in 1945. That same year they harvested nearly a half million bushels of pears in Jackson County and 3.8 million pounds of hops in the Willamette Valley.
The U.S. Army operated six POW camps from which farm workers were obtained. Jackson, Benton, Marion, and Polk counties each housed a camp, while Malheur County maintained two.
In his unpublished memoirs, Willi Gross, a former German sergeant and prisoner of war, reflected positively on his experience harvesting crops in Oregon during his imprisonment. While stationed at Camp Adair, Gross “took every opportunity to seek work details outside the camp,” where he was expected to fill a harvest quota, but was able to enjoy scenery “very much like Germany.” When Camp Adair closed, Gross suffered from “a certain amount of sadness,” yet continued working the land in Nyssa, Oregon. While Gross was sent to many POW camps throughout his time in the United States, like many other POWs, he spent most of his time stationed in Oregon, living in relative ease, and helping to keep not only Americans, but Germans in American-occupied territories, fed.
