American pilots suffered at Swiss prison camp

During World War II, everyone thought that Switzerland was completely neutral, but that didn't turn out to be the case completely. 

Most Swiss supported the Allied cause and opposed Nazi takeovers, but there was a dark side. It was called the "black hole of Wauwilermoos." It was a prison camp in Switzerland.

American pilots who were shot down over Germany and had escaped to Switzerland were put in this prison. They were not helped to get back to Allied lines. American Dan Culler was one of these prisoners. 

When he arrived and was put in Barrack Nine and was shoved through the door, he nearly passed out from the stench. The wooden floor was covered with filthy straw, which the prisoners slept on and used as a toilet after they took a dump. 

A group of Russian prisoners held him down and violated him. This was repeated the next morning. He complained, but no one understood him, no one spoke English, and they threw him out the door. Within days his entire body was covered with boils from the lice and rats in the feces-contaminated straw. The International  Red Cross said there wasn't any abuse at the camp, just "iron discipline."

American generals were told of the camp, but didn't believe it existed. Meanwhile the rapes continued. He almost died and was finally put in a Swiss hospital, where he finally recovered and then escaped into France. Later, Sam Woods, a former Marine pilot who was the American Consul General in Zurich, set up an escape network on his own that helped over 200 internees reach France. 

Roger Gregory is a Vietnam veteran and business owner in Priest River.