03/06/2026
Medicine Hat's WWII Prisoner Of War Camp: Acknowledging The Legacy And Ties To The N**i Party
Edit: article updated for accuracy based on follower comments and input
When Medicine Hat was only 60 years old in 1943, it became home to a massive, 50-hectare compound that would permanently mark the local landscape. Camp 132, which operated on the current Stampede grounds from 1943 until 1946, wasn't just another internment facility. It was one of only two purpose-built camps in Canada specifically designed to house high-ranking N**i officers and dedicated SS prisoners.
The decision to place thousands of the Third Reich's most fervent supporters in the Gas City was no accident. Military officials chose the site for its strategic isolation and its proximity to the Canadian Pacific Railway, making it an ideal prison in the prairies. At its peak, the facility held a staggering 12,500 prisoners of war.
However, not everyone behind the wire was a card-carrying party member. Many were conscripted soldiers, including members of the Afrika Korps, who were simply caught up in the gears of the German war machine. Under the strict protections of the 1929 Geneva Convention, Canada was required to provide adequate food, clothing, and medical care. This adherence to international law meant that many POWs lived in conditions that were sometimes better than those of the local civilians facing wartime rationing.
To maintain order, the camp was patrolled by approximately 1,200 Canadian soldiers, but the Canadian guards largely allowed the German officers to run their own internal administration. This led to a "camp within a camp" where a shadow Gestapo enforced N**i loyalty through intimidation. The tension turned deadly on two documented occasions. In 1943, August Plaszek was beaten and hanged by fellow inmates who labeled him a traitor. A year later, Karl Lehmann met a similar fate for questioning the German war effort. These murders eventually led to Canada’s last mass ex*****on in 1946, when several conspirators were hanged for their roles in the killings.
Outside the barbed wire, a different story was unfolding. Through a government labor program, many POWs were sent to work on local farms and at businesses like Medalta Potteries. These men often formed close bonds with local families who were desperate for help during the labor shortage. These relationships were so strong that after the war and the mandatory repatriation of all prisoners to Germany, many chose to immigrate back to Medicine Hat to build new lives.
The legacy of Camp 132 didn't vanish when the gates closed. While many former prisoners became valued members of the community, the darker ideological roots of the camp have lingered in the shadows. As late as 2009, residents reported seeing individuals who resembled stereotypical skinheads with N**i flags openly flying in their homes.
Today, buildings like Rhine Hall still stand as a direct link to a time when Medicine Hat held some of the most dangerous ideological figures of the 20th century. It serves as a reminder that history is complex, and the line between a soldier and an ideologue is one we are still navigating today.
sources: Michael O'Hagan, David J. Carter, City of Medicine Hat Heritage Resources,
