- FREE ADMISSION
- Saturday, December 16, 2023 5:45pm to 7:00pm+
- Located at 12424 Camp Hearne Road, Hearne, Texas, 77859
- Contact Telephone: 979-314-7012 (leave message or send text)
Camp Hearne, located northwest of Hearne, Texas, serves as the historical backdrop for a former World War II prisoner-of-war camp and an unfortunate crime scene where one of five murders transpired among the 432,000+ Axis soldiers held captive in scattered small towns across America.
Hugo, a robust 25-year-old German soldier, found himself imprisoned at Camp Hearne. Unlike his fellow inmates, he was fluent in English and received visits from his German American family upon his arrival in Texas. Originally a resident of New York City since the age of nine, he returned to Germany as a young adult only to be conscripted into Rommel’s Afrika Korps.
Hugo’s narrative is particularly unique due to his family connections, coupled with the tragic circumstances of his demise resulting from a distressingly common “holy ghost” beating orchestrated by pro-Nazi gangs. Within the confines of America’s POW Camps, the hardcore Nazis wielded significant control behind the barbed-wire fences, resorting to bullying and intimidation as tactics to punish those perceived as lacking sufficient loyalty to Hitler’s Third Reich.
Delve deeper into Hugo Krauss’ poignant story during Camp Hearne’s annual Ghost Walk on December 16, 2023. Visitors will gather at the Camp’s Barracks by 5:45pm where visitors will take part in the Christmas holiday traditions of the 1940s on both the American and German Home Fronts.
As twilight envelops the Camp, participants will hear Hugo’s compelling story and proceed to the Scene of the Crime. Over the years, nature has obscured the location under trees and brush, so it is advisable to wear closed-toe shoes, bring a flashlight, and be prepared for the ghostly presence of Hugo, carrying his message that ultimately led to his untimely demise: “America is winning the war.”
