Hoping it will not be too far off topic I will relate a story told me by my Grandfather, who took me in as a partner on the farm at about the age of 22, despite my youthfulness and inexperience.
During WWII there were German and Italian prisoners of war housed in Waynesboro, GA, our county seat. They were allowed to leave for the day and work on farms in the county. Grandaddy would drive to town, pick up a truck load of them, and work them all day before returning them to camp in the evening. He related that the Germans were all former soldiers from Rommel's Afrika Corps, and were very handsome and physically fit men. They kept themselves very clean, worked hard, had great attitudes and were in "heaven" if they were assigned to work around or on a piece of machinery. They traded cigarettes to Grandaddy's hands for soap. He said they could never get enough soap.
The Italian prisoners (apparently German sympathizers) were just the opposite. He related how they were lazy, complained of thirst constantly..... crying out "Acqua! Acqua!". They would not do their work properly. One result was that the peanut vines they were stacking would not be shaken free of the dirt before stacking on the poles and when it rained the peanuts would sprout and ruin. Grandad soon got enough of the Italian POWs, but always spoke very admirably of the German ones.
SRH
