The Fifteen

William Geroux's "The Fifteen" uncovers a compelling yet largely forgotten chapter of World War II history that took place not on distant battlefields but within the borders of the United States. The book centers on a brutal murder that occurred at a prisoner of war camp in rural Oklahoma and the subsequent investigation and trials that revealed the dark undercurrents of Nazi ideology persisting even behind barbed wire on American soil.

At the heart of this narrative is the killing of Corporal Johann Kunze, a German POW who was beaten to death by fellow prisoners at Camp Tonkawa in 1943. Kunze's crime, in the eyes of his fellow inmates, was being perceived as a traitor to the Nazi cause. The murder was carried out by a group of fanatical Nazi prisoners who sought to maintain ideological control within the camp and eliminate anyone suspected of cooperating with American authorities or showing weakness in their devotion to the Third Reich.

Geroux meticulously reconstructs the events leading up to the murder, the killing itself, and the complex legal proceedings that followed. The author draws on military records, trial transcripts, newspaper accounts, and other primary sources to piece together a detailed account of this dark episode. His research reveals the extent to which Nazi ideology had taken root among certain POW populations in American camps, creating shadow governments and kangaroo courts that terrorized prisoners who did not conform to their extremist standards.

The book explores the broader context of the POW camp system in the United States during World War II, a vast operation that housed hundreds of thousands of German, Italian, and Japanese prisoners across the country. Many Americans living near these camps had little understanding of the ideological battles being waged within them. The prisoners often worked on local farms and in other labor-intensive roles, and their presence became a familiar, if somewhat surreal, aspect of wartime life in many rural communities.

Geroux pays careful attention to the legal and moral complexities surrounding the prosecution of the fifteen men charged with Kunze's murder. The case raised difficult questions about jurisdiction, military justice, and the application of American legal principles to foreign combatants held on U.S. soil. The trials took place in a highly charged atmosphere, with military prosecutors seeking to hold the perpetrators accountable while navigating the unprecedented nature of trying enemy POWs for crimes committed against each other in captivity.

The author also examines the individual backgrounds and motivations of the accused men, revealing a range of characters from hardened Nazi true believers to younger soldiers caught up in the fervor and fear that pervaded the camp. Some of the defendants showed remorse, while others remained defiant supporters of Hitler's regime even as the war turned decisively against Germany. These personal dimensions add depth to what could have been a purely procedural account of a military trial.

Throughout the narrative, Geroux demonstrates how the murder at Camp Tonkawa was not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of violence and intimidation in POW camps across America. Nazi prisoners established hierarchies, punished dissenters, and in some cases carried out additional killings or assaults. American military authorities gradually became aware of these problems but often struggled to respond effectively, balancing security concerns with international law obligations regarding the treatment of prisoners of war.

The book also touches on the postwar fates of the convicted men and the broader question of how American society grappled with the presence of so many former enemy combatants on its soil. Some of the sentenced prisoners were eventually executed, while others saw their sentences commuted or reduced in the years following the war's end. These outcomes reflected changing political winds and evolving attitudes toward defeated enemies in the early Cold War period.

Geroux's writing style makes this complex historical material accessible without sacrificing detail or nuance. The narrative moves steadily through the chronology of events while providing sufficient background and context for readers unfamiliar with the POW camp system or the specific circumstances of wartime Oklahoma. The author avoids sensationalism while still conveying the genuine drama and moral weight of the story.

"The Fifteen" serves as an important reminder that World War II's impact extended far beyond combat zones and that the ideological conflicts of that era played out in unexpected places. The book recovers a significant story from obscurity and presents it with the thoroughness and respect it deserves, offering readers insight into a little-known aspect of American wartime history and the enduring challenges of justice in extraordinary circumstances.