Weixian Internment Camp

Type   170 Prison Camp
Historical Name of Location   Wei, Shandong, China
Coordinates   36.691582000, 119.135381000

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe Weixian Internment Camp was located in Shandong Province, China, in present day Weifang city. The buildings of the complex were originally built for an American Presbyterian mission. In turning the complex into a prison camp for American, Australian, British, and Canadian civilians, the Japanese installed walls, barbed wires, electrified fences, and guard towers around hte perimeter. Notable internees at the camp included Arthur Hummel, Jr. (who would become the US Ambassador to Communist China in the 1980s), Eric Liddell (1924 Olympic Games Gold Medalist), and Mary Clabaugh Wright (first woman to gain tenure in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Yale University in 1959). Living conditions in Weixian was poor, with little food and medicine. Toward the end of the war, the Japanese threatened reprisals if the camp was attacked. On 17 Aug 1945, six US Office of Strategic Services operatives (Major Stanley Staiger, Ensign James W. Moore, 1st Lieutenant James J. Hannon, Sergeant Tad Nagaki, Sergeant Raymond Hanchulak, and Corporal Peter Orlich) and one interpreter (Chenghan "Eddie" Wang) arrived at the camp by parachute via the B-24 Liberator bomber "The Armored Angel", liberating about 1,400 prisoners.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Update: Oct 2016



Weixian Internment Camp Interactive Map

Weixian Internment Camp Timeline

17 Aug 1945 B-24 bomber "The Armored Angel" took off from Kunming, Yunnan Province, China with six OSS operatives and one Chinese interpretor on board. They were parachuted over the Weixian Internment Camp, Shandong Province, China for the libration of about 1,400 civilian prisoners at the camp.




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Wayne Cochrane says:
22 Jun 2020 02:59:35 PM

Do you have any location information for the camp - in particular, the latitude/longitude? Thank you.

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Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name Wei, Shandong, China
Lat/Long 36.6916, 119.1354
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