German Child Soldiers Refused to Drink Coca-Cola — Thinking It Was “Black Poison”
# The Unexpected Bonds of War: Corporal James Henley and the German Boys of Camp Shelby
On July 18, 1944, the sun beat down relentlessly on Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Corporal James Henley walked the wire carrying a wooden crate filled with ice-cold Coca-Cola. As he approached the fence, he could see a group of young German boys, prisoners of war, watching him intently. Their eyes followed the crate, filled with curiosity and apprehension. Henley stopped at the gate, pulled out a bottle, and offered it through the wire. The reaction was not what he expected.
## A Moment of Fear
The boy nearest to him recoiled, whispering a word that sounded like “gift” but carried the weight of suspicion—”poison.” The other boys backed away, their faces reflecting a deep-seated fear. Henley stood there, confused. This was just soda, a simple drink, yet it was viewed as a potential weapon. In that moment, he realized the profound chasm between two worlds at war, a divide shaped by propaganda, fear, and the harsh realities of conflict.
These were not hardened soldiers; they were boys—some barely old enough to shave—who had been raised on a steady diet of Nazi ideology. They had been taught that everything American was dangerous and that surrender meant death. Now, faced with an American soldier offering them a cold drink, they could only see a threat.
## The Context of Camp Shelby
The prisoners at Camp Shelby were not supposed to exist in the American imagination. By mid-1944, over 370,000 German prisoners of war were held in camps across the United States, mostly in rural areas where labor was needed and questions were few. Camp Shelby, in particular, housed veterans of the Africa Corps, but a new wave of younger boys began arriving—members of the Hitler Youth, aged 15 to 18, who had been conscripted during Germany’s desperate last months.
These boys had never known a world without swastikas and propaganda. They had been raised to believe in the invincibility of the Reich, and now they found themselves in a foreign land, stripped of their uniforms and ideals. The reality of their situation was stark; they were prisoners, and their captors were offering them kindness instead of cruelty.
## The First Taste of Coca-Cola
As Henley stood at the fence, the realization of their fear struck him. He didn’t speak German, but he understood enough to know that these boys were terrified of what he represented. Then, Sergeant Mike Rossy approached, explaining that the boys thought the Coke could be poison. In response, Henley took a sip from the bottle, letting the cold liquid refresh him. He then offered it again, this time with a smile.
The first sip was a revelation for Hans Erdman, one of the German boys. The carbonation stung his tongue, and the sweetness was overwhelming. It was nothing like the watered-down beer or ersatz coffee he had known. For Hans and the others, this simple drink became a symbol of something greater—a glimpse of a world that contradicted everything they had been taught.
## The Transformation of Perception
As the days passed, Coca-Cola became a form of currency among the prisoners. They traded cigarettes for bottles, and soon, the boys who had once been suspicious were eagerly lining up for their share. The guards, amused by the transformation, even began to join in on the fun, asking for songs in exchange for drinks. The atmosphere in Camp Shelby shifted from one of fear to a surprising camaraderie.
The boys began to question everything they had been told. The propaganda that had once instilled fear now began to crumble under the weight of their experiences. They realized that the Americans were not the monsters they had been led to believe. Instead, they were human beings offering kindness in a time of war.
## The Psychological Impact
However, the psychological toll of their upbringing weighed heavily on the boys. Many still struggled with the idea that their families back home might not believe their letters describing their new reality. When Otto Vber wrote home, his mother responded with disbelief, convinced that he was being forced to write lies. She had been conditioned to think that surrender meant torture and death, and now her son’s safety seemed like a betrayal of everything she had believed.
Dr. Samuel Brener, the camp psychologist, noticed the change in the boys’ demeanor. Initially cooperative and respectful, they became withdrawn after receiving letters from home. Brener, a Jewish refugee, understood their pain. He recognized that these boys were victims of a system that had devoured their innocence. He sought to help them confront their fears and doubts.
## The Collapse of Lies
As the war progressed and news from Europe grew darker, the boys at Camp Shelby listened to the radio. They heard reports of Germany’s impending defeat. The realization hit them hard; they had been fighting for a regime that was crumbling. The propaganda that had once fueled their fervor now felt like a heavy burden.
For Hans Erdman, the moment of clarity came when he shared a Coke with Corporal Henley. He understood that they had fought on the wrong side, and the enemy was not what they had been taught. The realization that their beliefs had been manipulated was both liberating and devastating.
## The End of the War
When the war officially ended in May 1945, the atmosphere at Camp Shelby was one of confusion rather than celebration. The boys had survived, but at what cost? They had been raised to believe in a powerful Germany, yet they now faced a reality that was entirely different. The realization that they had been lied to about their enemy and their own nation left many of them feeling lost.
As the boys returned to Germany, they were confronted with the ruins of their homeland. Otto Vber, who had endured the war and its aftermath, found himself in a city that was a shadow of its former self. His mother, once filled with pride for the Reich, now stood before him, a woman transformed by the truth.
## A New Beginning
In the years that followed, Otto and his mother began to rebuild their lives. They had both been victims of the same propaganda, and now they faced the challenge of reconciling their past with their present. Otto became a teacher, sharing his experiences and the lessons he had learned about the power of truth and the dangers of propaganda.
The story of Corporal James Henley and the German boys of Camp Shelby serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of war on the human spirit. It highlights the capacity for kindness and understanding in the darkest of times and the profound effects of propaganda on belief and perception. In a world often divided by conflict, it is the shared humanity that ultimately prevails, bridging the gaps created by fear and mistrust.
### Conclusion
As Otto Vber reflected on his journey, he understood that the greatest battles are not fought with weapons, but with words and beliefs. The lessons of Camp Shelby remained with him throughout his life, reminding him that truth, no matter how painful, is always worth pursuing. The story of these boys, their struggles, and their eventual awakening serves as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of deception and despair.
