Joachim Kulenkampff, a Bremen, Germany native, discusses his service in the German Army during World War II, including his experiences as a prisoner of war. Kulenkampff touches on his family and education, and he states he didn't join the German Army until 1942 because he had medical problems with his feet. He touches on having reconnaissance duty and requesting a transfer to Rennes (France), where his brother was stationed. Kulenkampff details his capture by American soldiers and being interrogated at a provisional camp by an officer fluent in German. He describes the hardships endured while being transported by truck and boxcar to Camp 404 in Marseilles, and he reveals some prisoners suffocated in one of the boxcars. He speaks of being put to work in an office of the Salvage Depot, interacting with Black soldiers, and witnessing some tents accidentally burn down. Kulenkampff tells of seeing a German camp doctor about getting orthopedic shoes. He explains that he was sent home to Uenzen (Germany) by an American doctor who was a fan of Kulenkampff's violinist uncle. He comments on treatment by American soldiers and once being beaten for refusing to exercise due to illness. Kulenkampff reflects on life in the German Army before his capture, including food and equipment, and he states that once, after they ran out of ammunition, they had a snowball fight with the Americans. He relates his mixed feelings about the end of the war and talks about his father, who was a colonel in the German Army and an area commander of a town. Kulenkampff speaks of his activities after the war: learning the mercantile business, doing bookkeeping, opening a lingerie store with his wife, and taking care of the children while his wife ran the store. He relates some interactions he had with American soldiers during the war. At the end of the interview, he reads a written note about being drafted, even though his father could have postponed it, and states the food supply was worse during the Allied occupation than during the war.
