Ernst Kohleick was captured by Allied forces near Marburg, Germany on March 29, 1945. He was shipped to America on the USS Henry Middleton, a Liberty ship. He arrived in Algona in May, and remained there for the rest of the war.

 

He worked on farms in the area and also performed maintenance in the camp. He remembered the guards as 'fair and friendly' and generally felt positively about his experience as a prisoner of war. He recalled in an interview an incident on the return to Europe when one of his fellow POWs was unable to carry his sea bag. The American Lieutenant who was guarding them noticed the problem and carried the bag himself. Such actions gave many POWs, including Kohleick, a very positive view of America, despite their imprisonment.

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Kohleick returned to Germany to find his family home destroyed by Allied bombers, but his family was safe, and he was able to return to his studies.