Distribution & Reach
Held in Minnesota: Untold WWII POW Stories
Platform
Reach (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025)
Premiere Date: May 26, 2025 Format: 1 x 60-minute documentary
Broadcast Streaming
1 episode broadcast | 2 hours broadcast
1 episode available | 1 hour available | 149,533 streams
Description
Social Media
3 posts | 7,055 video views | 4,350 engagements
A 60-minute broadcast documentary. World War II left a severe labor shortage on Minnesota’s farms, threatening the state and nation’s food supply at a critical time. When men who worked the fields left to fight overseas, that labor void was filled by over 3,000 German and Italian POWs. Held in Minnesota: Untold WWII POW Stories is a Pioneer PBS documentary film about the forgotten history of 21 POW labor camps in Minnesota during WWII by way of a major POW camp in Algona, IA. This documentary explores the stories of these communities coming to bumpy terms with the enemy, not only on their soil but tilling it, during an extraordinary time in the history of both Minnesota and the world.
Events & Engagement
Mille Lacs County Historical Society hosted a theatrical screening of the film this summer. 200+ people attended. The mayor of Princeton led the color guard and a band for the event. Many in attendance had no idea this history was in their neighborhood. Several shared their childhood memories and stories they’d had handed down from farm family to farm family.
An audience in a theater in Princeton enjoys a screening of Held in Minnesota: Untold WWII POW Stories
Impact
Over half a million people have tuned in to YouTube to watch Held in Minnesota: Untold WWII POW Stories in just four months, leaving 1,250 comments! Many related their own memories from POW camps across America. Many also pointed out how they didn’t know about this Minnesota history until this program. In the reporting period the first month it was available it had nearly 150,000 views!
Greater Good: Mission of a MN Family
Premiere Date: November 11, 2025 Format: 1 x 30-minute documentary
Description
A 30-minute broadcast documentary. As United States Army veterans, Bud and Paul Nakasone exemplify a life dedicated to national service. Their experiences bear
Bud and Paul Nakasone
witness to significant historical events, deeply shaping their perspectives and careers. Bud Nakasone was present in Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Decades later, Paul Nakasone found himself at the Pentagon on the morning of September 11, 2001. What followed these defining moments were impressive military careers, each marked by distinction and leadership. The enduring bonds between father and son, coupled with strong Minnesota traditions, consistently informed their dedication to service.
Prisoners of war camps across the region
Prisoners of war mingling with the farm families they worked for in Minnesota
Impact
This documentary has not yet aired but was completed in the timeframe of the Special Project funding. It will premiere on Veteran’s Day 2025. This documentary was a partnership between Pioneer PBS, Lakeland PBS, and the Minnesota Military Museum.
“What a fantastic, detailed and accurate account of some of the Iowa and Minnesota families, people, and German & Italian POWs of that era. Exceptionally well done and edited.” - @jamesnorris1272
“I’ve lived in Minnesota for over 40 years and I had no idea!!! Wonderful documentary!!” - @rnupnorthbrrrsm6123
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