Page "Vandenberg Air Force Base" Paragraph 50

As the war progressed, German and Italian prisoners of war ( the latter organized into Italian Service Units ) were quartered at Camp Cooke.

Both groups were kept separate from each other in accordance with the Geneva Convention, and worked on the post at various jobs including mechanical and civil engineering services, clerical positions, food service, and the main laundry.

To help relieve the severe labor shortage in the commercial market created by wartime exigencies, the Germans also worked in local communities-mostly in agricultural jobs.