With this page, we intend to publicize the history of the DCA (German Concentrates Deposit), located in Forte de S. João Batista, on the island of Terceira in the Azores Archipelago.
Between 1916 and 1919, 763 civilian prisoners of German, Austrian and Hungarian nationality passed through this Deposit, following the declaration of war on Portugal by Germany on March 9, 1916.
Pressured by the British government, Portugal abandoned its neutrality in the First World War on February 23, 1916, seizing 72 German and 2 Austrian ships that were in Lisbon and other colonial ports. In addition to the crew and passengers of the vessels, subjects of these countries of military age, residing in Portugal and in the colonies, would also be confined in internment camps created for this purpose. Concentrate or Intern deposits are established in Angra do Heroísmo (Azores), Peniche and Caldas da Rainha (mainland Portugal), as well as in overseas colonies, namely Angola, Mozambique (Lourenço Marques and Macequece), Guinea and Goa (Bicholim, Aguada and Panjim). The detention continued for almost a year after the war ended, awaiting the resolutions of the Treaty of Versailles. The DCA detainees were finally released in October 1919.
A place of death for some and of life for others, the German Concentrates Deposit in Angra do Heroísmo was a reflection of its time and the difficulties that the young First Republic experienced. It would be guided by the Geneva conventions, leaving a positive image to this day for the way the country and the Portuguese Army treated its prisoners.
It is up to us, therefore, to preserve the memory of this historical fact by disseminating it at a regional, national and international level, also seeking to establish contact with the descendants of the prisoners of war, as well as the military and the civil population of Terceira who lived with them. inside and outside the DCA.
More than ever, it is important to chart paths of harmony through mutual knowledge and constructive dialogue that can sow hope in a future where the hatred that fuels wars gives way to the peace that we all desire and deserve!