We know that when many German soldiers were captured by Americans later in 1944, they were herded into open air camps that had no facilities. The prisoners were treated much in the way that they (the Germans) treated Soviet Army prisoners in that nothing was done for them. Many perished from starvation, disease and exposure to the elements.  These camps were west of the Rhine (hence Rheinwiegenslager)

The lucky Germans who were captured earlier were sent to America or Great Britain where they sat out the war. The unlucky ones who were captured later could be starved or die of disease. Some who were captured were very lucky in that they got jobs with the American Army. They ate regularly, wore GI unforms with white "PW" painted on the back.

Only when the Morgenthau Plan (permanently destroy German industry and make it an agricultural nation) was abandoned in favor ot the Marshall Plan (rebuild destroyed nations) did things change.

So my question is did the US have the resources to build real camps and feed those PoWs? I know that it would take up resources to get lumber, set up facilities with proper kitchens, latrines, hospitals (to delouse, prevent dysentry, chlorea, typhus or other diseases) and this would draw from any offensive effort.  Red Ball probably couldn't do both.

BTW, in my research I learned that everybody deliberated killed certain PoWs especially if they were thought to be snipers. No nation is innocent in that regard.  To be fair, I also acknowledge that the Germans starved many of our guys and put them to work too.  They got bread that also had "wood flour" (sawdust) and very watery soup.  Herb Sheaner's book A Prisoner's Odyssey's gives a real good PoW account.  Another is A Tale of Two Soldiers where a Jewish American sniper managed to conceal his Jewish heritage, was sent to a remote camp set up in a farm (to work as a farm laborer) where he was befriended by a recovering Luftwaffe lieutenant who conspired with him to escape the war with the German escorting "his" prisoners towards American lines and the American getting the German safely taken in as a prisoner (it worked they did).  

Thoughts on Rhinewiegenslagers?

Only guessing here, but have also spent a lot of time in Germany with ex-ww2 people and heard some stories.

The US camps were probably quick and dirty set ups as things were either bogged down and very cold or moving dam fast, no resources for that sort of thing.  This would be end of 44 to end of war 45.

I think right after the war in 45 most germans were moved back, however I was told there was very wide spread famine for a couple years  and it was pretty rough. I can find out more and should before the last of them is gone.  

Only SS and Gestapo were killed on site. but I am sure if a US solider was pissed off would take matters in hand on regulars too.

My Opa was at Andernach from April 17-August. He talked about having no food. He met his future wife while in the camp. He said the local population would try to bring them food. Many men died of disease and malnutrition. Every possession he had was robbed from him by the Amis when he was captured, so he didn't have any spare clothes. Some men were able to construct small shelters with Zelts but the majority had no shelter to sleep in.

While the vast majority of Americans would think "good, let them suffer," I believe more could have been done to help the German pows. Even if given raw materials, the Germans would have built everything they needed. I don't see the need to take revenge on the common soldier. It's my understanding that the allied pows were treated pretty fairly by the Germans. Of course there are cases of poor treatment, but I think that was the exception. The book Other Losses by James Bacque is a really good look at this subject.

After the war, there wasn't much for most men to do for work. Opa bummed around selling religious articles. He was Bavarian, so naturally it was all catholic. It wasn't much, but it made him a bit of money.