Feeding the prisoners
The Geneva Convention required that prisoners be fed with the same caloric and nutritional intake as their captors received. This was to be confirmed by a protecting authority, a neutral party which monitored the conditions in POW camps in the United States and Germany. For the Germans captured by the Americans, this meant that their daily rations were better than those they enjoyed while serving in the German Army. The earliest arriving German prisoners were so surprised at the quantity and quality of the food they received that they could not consume all of it.
Concerned that their rations would be reduced if they did not eat all of the food provided, German prisoners in the earliest camps took to burying or burning what was left. Nearly all of the German prisoners gained weight in the American camps, and though many of their favorite foods from home were unavailable, there were ample substitutes. Throughout the war there were complaints about the American white bread, which they found unpalatable and tasteless. They also complained about American coffee and American beer, which they could purchase by the bottle, though limited amounts were allowed.
Officers were allowed wines with their meals, which they purchased from the canteen which was allowed at nearly all camps. Cigarettes and cigars were also sold at the canteens, for prices much lower than those paid by civilians. Chocolate, crackers, and other snacks were also available. It was not unknown for German officers to invite their captors to share their meal, a practice officially frowned upon by the War Department, but tolerated because of its information value regarding camp activities and its potential for assisting re-education efforts.
The diet provided to the Germans and the interaction with the local communities led to some resentment from the latter. Rationing of food was by 1943 a major thorn in the side of most Americans trying to put healthful and appetizing meals on their tables. The purpose of the rationing was to ensure that the American troops were provided all that they needed and the Americans were bound by Geneva to provide the same fare to their prisoners. Thus German POWs in the United States routinely enjoyed foods which were unavailable to the American population on a regular basis. American resentment was soon being heard in Washington.
The War Department continued to provide German prisoners the same amount and quantity of food available for American troops stationed in the United States for three announced reasons. One was the Geneva Convention so demanded. The second was that it discouraged attempted escapes. The final reason was that it was hoped that the Germans would be encouraged to do the same for the Americans being held in German custody. The Germans were so well fed that many wrote home telling their families not to send food (as they were allowed to do) since their own supplies were so scarce and expensive.