Georg Gärtner was a German World War II soldier who was captured and held as a prisoner of war by the United States. He escaped from a prisoner of war camp, took on a new identity as Dennis F. Whiles, and was never recaptured. He revealed his true identity after staying some 40 years in the United States.
Dennis Whiles at the age of 88 (Independence Day 2009)
German prisoners of war in the United States
Members of the German military were interned as prisoners of war in the United States during World War I and World War II. In all, 425,000 German prisoners lived in 700 camps throughout the United States during World War II.
Entrance to Camp Swift in Texas, August 1944
A current (2013) sign outside the Owosso, Michigan, WWII P.O.W. camp where German soldiers were held. The site had been and is currently the Owosso racetrack.
Dennis Whiles, aka Georg Gärtner (July 4, 2009)
Dos Palos POW Branch Camp (Firebaugh, California) Final Report