Nathan Huegen, a member of the National World War II Museum’s education department, will discuss the German POWs in Louisiana at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 2, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

The presentation is part of the regularly scheduled meeting of the library’s World War II Discussion Group. The meeting is free of charge and is open to the public.

More than 40,000 axis soldiers were housed in Louisiana POW camps from late 1943 through 1946. The Port of New Orleans was the first stop in the U.S. for most of the 400,000 prisoners held in the country.

Most POWs were transferred to camps in north Louisiana, Texas or the Midwest, but about 6,000 stayed in the New Orleans area in a series of permanent and semi-permanent camps. Re-education programs were created so repatriated prisoners would be a force for German democracy.

Nathan Huegen coordinates Louisiana History Day, a student research program at the National WWII Museum. Prior to working for the museum, he taught American history for four years in the New Orleans Public School system. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

For more information regarding this presentation, contact Chris Smith, manager of adult programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us.