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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nJames Malcolm Jacobs of South Wheeling served in the U.S. Army during the Second World War and in the Reserves until 1949. As part of his service, Pvt. Jacobs was with the 436th<\/sup> Military Escort Guard Company stationed at \u201cCamp Aliceville,\u201d a German prisoner of war (POW) camp located in Aliceville, Alabama. He transported prisoners throughout the American South and ran the movie projector for the camp. Jacobs\u2019s grandson, Josh Jacobs, inherited his grandfather\u2019s collection<\/a>, which he has loaned for a display at the Ohio County Public Library. When the display closes, the material will be donated to the Aliceville Museum.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0 436th Military Police Escort Guard Company<\/a> was first activated by the Provost Marshall General of the United States on Feb. 25, 1943 at Fort Custer Michigan. The 436th\u2019s chosen motto was \u201cWe Police for Peace.\u201d The primary mission was guarding and escorting prisoners of war, but the men also received ready combat training. By March of 1943, First Lieutenant (promoted to Captain a few months later) Joseph A. Dionne was made permanent company commander. The Company was divided into four sections with a sergeant in command of each.<\/p>\n Most company recruits, including Pvt. James M. Jacobs, were sent to Fort Custer from Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio. Unlike typical raw recruits, most of these men were older (avg. age 28) married men with established careers and skill sets. These included office workers, shop foremen, farmers, two professional entertainers, and an engineer. Pvt. Jacobs, for example, was a 29 year old married (Jane) machine operator and truck driver who lived at 3440 Chapline Street in Wheeling. All were recruited through selective service and underwent basic training, which included specialized military police training, at Fort Custer. All were, at minimum, qualified as rifle marksmen when training was complete. Several gained the rank of sharpshooter.<\/p>\n Military police training included firing of the \u201cThompson sub-machine gun, automatic pistol, the carbine, and the 12-gauge riot-type shotgun, instruction in the guarding of prisoners, Judo training, practice in interior guard, and instruction in the rules of land warfare governing treatment of prisoners of war, conduct on town patrol, [and] conduct on riot duty\u2026\u201d [Company History.]<\/p>\n After seven weeks of basic training, the Company was sent to Fort Devens, Massachusetts on an emergency mission to escort a large group of newly arrived German prisoners of war by train from Boston Harbor to Camp McAlester, an interment camp in Oklahoma. The 436th then returned to Fort Custer.<\/p>\n In a letter to his father Zack<\/a>, Pvt. Jacobs, a German-speaker, offered this description of the German prisoners he encountered on the mission:<\/p>\n \u201cOur prisoners were mostly Germans. There were some Italians. Hitler\u2019s crack troops were these. All ages \u2014 17 to 35. Hard as nails, brown and clean cut. They were seemingly gentle and mannerly. Many of them spoke English. They adhered to all the rules and regulations and kept themselves well shavened [sic] and well washed. I didn\u2019t see one there without a comb, handkerchief and tolit [sic] articles. They never missed a thing inside the car or out, and many of them knew exactly where they were in our Country. When we crossed the Mississippi River, one of them caught my attention (which wasn\u2019t hard) and asked me \u2014 \u2018Missouri River?\u2019 I said \u2018No, Mississippi.\u2019 \u2014 He said then \u2018St. Louis?\u2019\u2013I said \u2018Yeah. East St. Louis.\u2019 You could tell they knew their maps but they just couldn\u2019t get used to the bigness of this U.S.A. I asked one boy what he thought of America. He wasn\u2019t very talkative but he did say\u2013\u2018ok.\u2019 said there wasn\u2019t much difference in the people. (Cause he hasn\u2019t seen anyone, only us)\u2013Started to say something about \u2018War\u2013no good.\u2019 I agreed and said that war wasn\u2019t good for anyone. Real quick he said \u2018But we need Russia, Germany doesn\u2019t have enough room, Russians no dam [sic] goot.\u2019 \u2014 I could only make out half of what he was saying so I didn\u2019t detain him any longer than it took to get a drink of water.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The 436th was also called to police a \u201crace riot\u201d in Detroit<\/a>, but fortunately, were never actually employed. A common occurrence in Jim Crow America (and after), so-called race riots<\/a> were typically tools of oppression defined by often extreme violence used by whites to oppress African Americans, not just in places like Tulsa, Oklahoma<\/a> but all over the country, including northern cities like Detroit and Chicago. Troops were often deployed, ostensibly to quell the violence. But during the segregated military era, one can surmise the typical result. See, for example, the 1919 \u201cRed Summer.\u201d<\/a> As for the 436th on this occasion, despite not actually being used to stop the violence, the men did learn to live \u201cout of their helmets\u201d while staying in a \u201ctent city\u201d for a few days.<\/p>\n Overall, the 436th did itself proud at Ft. Custer, receiving numerous commendations and being given the honor of leading several regimental parades.<\/p>\n On July 1, 1943, the 436th departed by train for Aliceville, Alabama, arriving two days later. Aliceville, population 1,300 was the All-American small southern town of the 1940s, offering mules and wagons, general stores, a pool room, Friday night lights, two \u201cmoving picture theaters,\u201d and a bowling alley.<\/p>\n The 436th took up residence at the newly minted Aliceville Internment or Prisoner of War Camp under the command of Lt. Col. William Waite, where they merged with a few other Companies. Camp features included \u201ca post theatre (where Pvt. Jacobs would end up working as the projectionist<\/a>); a main post exchange\u2026: an Officer\u2019s Club; a Non-commissioned officers\u2019 Club, a large Enlisted Men\u2019s Recreation Hall; a Station Hospital with a separate dispensary\u2026adequate barracks, and quarters for the officers and enlisted men, and numerous warehouses and other maintenance buildings.\u201d A lot of the construction was done using prisoner labor. Fortifications included ten guard towers, a double barbed wire fence, powerful search lights, sirens, and machine guns. The camp phone directory<\/a> provides further insights into the camp structure, facilities, and staffing.<\/p>\n Camp prisoner capacity was 6,000, which was reached by September 1943. According to the Co. History, \u201cAll of the prisoners were Germans, captured in the North African Campaign\u201d where the German expeditionary force in North Africa was infamously commanded \u00a0by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.<\/p>\n Descended from German immigrants, Pvt. Jacobs spoke German. He translated the song lyrics below for a song entitled \u201cWe Stand for Germany\u201d for his wife Jane in a letter home. He wrote:\u00a0 \u201cJane. This is the song the Germans sing while they march. It\u2019s really beautiful the way they sing it\u2014 all having harmonious voices.\u201d<\/p>\n According to another letter to Jane, one of the German POWs, Paul Berger, wrote the note below and sent the flower \u201cto Mrs. Jacobs in thankfulness. ..he appreciates and is thankful that I have treated him so kindly \u2014 nicely.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the artifacts from German POWs Pvt. Jacobs brought home were a tile (\u201cmade by German POW\u201d written on obverse); a uniform insignia; a German cigarette pack; Greek currency; and the \u201cAfrika Korps\u201d armband seen above.<\/p>\n Early on at Aliceville, the The company was also sent on special missions such as guarding prisoners at temporary prisoner of war camps and escorting prisoners during transfers from one camp to another. Pvt. Jacobs was a certified truck driver for these missions. In fact, the collection contains several maps and postcards<\/a> Pvt. Jacobs accumulated while transporting POWs all over the American South and elsewhere. His Motor Vehicle Operator\u2019s Permits show that he was authorized to drive cargo trucks in addition to cars.<\/p>\n The collection also includes a wide assortment of menus from all over the country collected by Pvt. Jacobs during these missions. Many contain pro-military slogans like \u201cU.S. Needs us Strong. Eat Nutritional Food.\u201d<\/p>\n When train transport was required, a unique set of rules applied. The collection contains an interesting list of \u201cTrain Rules\u201d governing German POWs, which includes \u201cno spitting\u201d; \u201ca courteous and respectful attitude toward all United States personnel\u201d; \u201cno loud noise or boisterousness\u201d (singing with permission); and \u201cno alcoholic beverages or gambling.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the Company history<\/a>, during these transport missions, no prisoners were lost and no escapes were attempted. The history was written after the company existed for about one year, so probably in early 1944. In December of that year, Pvt. Jacobs became one of numerous men of Co. 436 to be awarded the \u201cGood Conduct Medal<\/a>\u201d for demonstrating \u201cfidelity through faithful and exact performance of duty, efficiency through capacity to produce desired results and\u2026behavior\u2026to deserve emulation.\u201d<\/p>\n In December, 1944, Pvt. Jacobs was granted an industry work furlough<\/a> to act as a U.S. Army Ordnance (ammunition) Representative at the National Tube Company in McKeesport, PA, about 12 miles from Pittsburgh. He was commended<\/a> for his excellent work and exemplary conduct (he was said to be \u201can inspiration to the civilian workers in the plant\u201d), and his work furlough was extended through April 1945<\/a>.<\/p>\n Back at Aliceville on September 19, 1945, Pvt. Jacobs received a Western Union Telegram informing him that his son\u2014who would also be named James\u2014had been born. This item is special to grandson Josh Jacobs, who says it brought him an instant connection to both his father and grandfather.<\/p>\n On an October 1945 furlough request form<\/a>, Pvt. Jacob\u2019s hand wrote, \u201cThis is the furlough I had ready in Sibert when I was shipped\u201d \u2014 Jacobs had been ordered to transport enlisted men to Camp Sibert ( a chemical warfare training center) in late September. Under \u201cReason for Requesting Furlough\u201d he wrote, \u201cVisiting Family \u2013 New Addition.\u201d<\/p>\n After the war, Pvt. Jacobs enlisted in the Reserves, serving until April 1949, when he was honorably discharged.<\/p>\n One of the most endearing aspects of the James M. Jacobs Collection is a series of poems, presumably composed by Pvt. Jacobs, including this one, entitled, \u201cG.I.\u201d, which was seemingly dedicated to his wife Jane (like most of his poems). It ends with the line, \u201cGlad am I, you\u2019re not G.I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n James Malcolm Jacobs died on November 8, 1992 and his wife Jane followed on October 21, 2003. They are buried side by side at Greenwood Cemetery<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ancestry.com database. Accessed through ohiocountylibrary.org.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\u201cWe Police for Peace\u201d<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\nA \u201cRace Riot\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\nAliceville, Alabama<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\n\u201cWe Stand for Germany\u201d<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\n\u201cChasing Prisoners\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n436th found itself spending a lot of time \u201cchasing prisoners.\u201d As expected, the men also served guard duty at the various gates and sensitive facilities inside camp while also providing security by accompanying prisoners on work excursions outside the camp, such as cotton-picking and wood cutting. The 436th also continued its \u201cadvanced training functions\u201d at Aliceville, including bomb reconnaissance, firing of a 1903 .30 caliber rifle, carbine training, and a combat infiltration course under live fire.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n
\nSplendid Son<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\nA Private Poet<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\nSources<\/h2>\n
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