news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

the author is a great figure in chinese military websites in the early years. he once served as the moderator of the domestic hardcore military history bbs war salon forum. he is proficient in four languages: english, german, japanese and russian. he has a huge reserve of historical materials and has published more than 300 articles on military history. , many articles previously authorized to be reprinted by this account have an average reading count of over 10,000, and are widely praised by readers.

previous link

all quiet on the western front: the life of allied prisoners of war in german prisoner of war camps during world war ii (poland/belgium/france)

on the western front, as long as they entered a german prisoner-of-war camp, britain and the united states would regularly visit each prisoner-of-war camp through the red cross. at the same time, a certain number of prisoners of war were sent back because of illness, and officials would also regularly write evaluation reports. this article is based on this is "u.s. prisoners of war in germany" written by the military intelligence division of the u.s. department of war in july 1944.

on july 15, 1944, there were 28,867 american prisoners of war held by german prisoners in prisoner-of-war camps, including 8,447 army aviation officers, 8,146 soldiers, 704 ground force officers, and 11,570 soldiers.

(the british and american troops like to give military officer status to aviation troops mainly based on the geneva convention. captured officers and non-commissioned officers have the right to refuse to work, and soldiers have no right to refuse forced labor.)

according to reports, american prisoners of war were held in 57 permanent camps, transit camps, and hospitals, but the vast majority were held in 8 main camps. among them, 4 pilot prisoner of war camps are managed by the luftwaffe; 3 ground force prisoner of war camps are managed by the army; no. 8 prisoner of war camp is responsible for air force non-commissioned officers and is jointly managed by the luftwaffe and the wehrmacht.

treatment:

it is difficult to answer dogmatically the question "how did germany treat american prisoners of war?" compared with the treatment of the japanese army, the treatment in germany was much better. germany's treatment of american prisoners of war was poor compared to the united states' treatment of german prisoners of war.

looking at the terms of the geneva convention, germany's behavior can best be described as: fair.

germany has generally complied with the spirit of the convention, but it is also subject to some restrictions, some of which are not entirely within the control of german officials.

the restrictions include food and clothing rationing, segregating prisoners based on nationality and moving prisoners away from risk areas. in germany, food and clothing for civilians were strictly rationed. proper detention of the six million prisoners of war in germany became increasingly difficult, and as air raids intensified it became difficult to establish prisoner of war camps in areas protected from allied bombing.

food:

the german authorities did not provide the prisoners with rations of the same quantity or quality as the german troops. after examining official camp menus submitted by switzerland, a u.s. military nutritionist concluded that the food was insufficient to sustain normal human life. until now (july 1944), the prisoners of war had been living on weekly food parcels distributed by the red cross. however, the erratic reception of these parcels complicates the situation and could become more critical by the end of july.

a week's ration for a german prisoner of war camp: 10 ounces of meat, 5 pounds of bread, 11 pounds of potatoes, 5 pounds of vegetables, 5 ounces of salt, 6 ounces of sugar, 2 ounces of cheese, 6 ounces of jam, 8 ounces of vegetable butter

on may 5, the 17th main battalion (bstalag 17b) depleted its stock of red cross food supplies. the german commander, who in january had halved the rations he was due to distribute "due to sufficient red cross food supplies", said he would start distributing "normal" rations again on june 5.

as of may 10, the luftwaffe pow camp stalag luft 6 had also run out of red cross food supplies. stocks at main camp 3b (stalag 3b) were so sufficient that american pows smuggled large amounts of food to russian pows, and the germans confiscated "surplus" food held by individual pows.

luftwaffe prisoner of war camp no. 6

due to the lack of food parcels, a rumor circulated in the camp that armed german civilians had robbed a red cross truck on the way to the camp and made off with food. many people complained of hunger.

the american red cross's standard prisoner of war food packages are almost all canned, including corned beef, salmon, luncheon meat, pork liver pate, milk powder, cheese, coffee, concentrated orange juice, chocolate, biscuits, milk powder, sugar, raisins, vegetable butter, cigarettes and soap

food package for sick and wounded prisoners of war, including dried plums, pork rolls, eggs and ham, pork liver pate, broth powder, vitamin c tablets, cheese, natural butter, milk powder, chocolate, biscuits, coffee, concentrated orange juice, instant soup powder

statistics are based on official lists, state department and international red cross data, and confidential reports. these included approximately 1,500 pilots captured in june but not yet reported, and approximately 3,000 ground force prisoners of war captured in normandy.

with the arrival of 42,264 packages from geneva in may, food shortages at the 17b main camp may have been alleviated. whether other refugee camps have received similar relief is unknown because geneva has failed to provide the american red cross with food distribution lists through march.

the outlook is grim anyway, as the wehrmacht has stopped delivering red cross food parcels to marseille and then onward by rail to germany without explanation. it is speculated that the condition of the railways in southern france was responsible for this.

the international red cross is studying alternatives, including using the free port of geneva in switzerland and direct shipping to german baltic sea ports. in the meantime, shipments to lisbon and barcelona are continuing with a view to building up reserves for quick dispatch when traffic reopens.

please pay attention to the wording of the us military. "they do not have the same quantity and quality of rations as the german troops." a bunch of people doing nothing to bask in the sun actually demand the same treatment as enemy soldiers...

the german government provides a daily ration of 1,928 kcal per person. this standard is the same as the daily ration for german adult civilians who do not have a job.

healthy:

the health of the prisoners was generally good. apart from small skin infections caused by infrequent bathing and an unbalanced diet, few people get sick.

germany's medical treatment of prisoners injured during capture was prompt and efficient. however, many people are ignored during transportation. the group arrived at the permanent camp with dressings and bandages from two weeks ago. once inside the camp, the prisoners received the best possible treatment from german or american doctors.

serious cases were transferred to well-equipped german hospitals. less serious cases were treated by american doctors in the camp infirmaries, which were generally overcrowded and inadequately equipped. most camps also lack american dentists and dental equipment.

prisoner of war medical kit issued by the american red cross, including aspirin, ammoniacal mercury, fungus inhibitor ointment, yellow mercury oxide, soda ash, sulfur ointment, burn ointment, band-aid, antidiarrheal tablets, boric acid powder, tweezers, medicine dropper, sponge gauze , ready-to-use bandage

all americans held in the main camp were x-rayed for tuberculosis. an alarmingly high proportion of british prisoners of war had tuberculosis, but few americans contracted the disease.

clothing: the germans provided american pows with almost no clothing. in individual cases where pows lacked uniforms, they were issued british, french or italian "trophy" uniforms, or german camouflage uniforms. in camps such as air force transit camp (dulag luft) and stalag 7a (stalag 7a), prisoners of war were provided with clothing from the red cross's inventory. after they arrived at the permanent camp, only the red cross provided them with clothing from underwear, shoes, everything from uniforms to coats.

prisoner of war camp 7a

australian soldier-level prisoners of war, well-dressed

the reverse side of the photo has the stamp of the prisoner of war camp and can be mailed back to the country.

morale: morale is high, but can fall due to two main reasons: failure to receive mail and news of a strike in the united states. news of the domestic strike reached the prisoners of war through german newspapers and radio stations. prisoners were outraged by the news, and many doubted whether the spirit of the american people was strong enough to win.

in oflag 64, prisoners of war complained bitterly about the delays in censorship. although the prisoners were grateful to the red cross for providing them with food and clothing, they resented those who described their lives as "ease and idleness" rather than "monotony and hardship."

officers' battalion no. 4

colonel thomas drake, the american representative of the 64th battalion, was annoyed that a german camera crew was allowed to film american prisoners of war, so he wrote to norman davis, president of the american red cross, suggesting that the red cross in the future, send more clothes instead of photographers.

the guilt that plagued other prisoners of war was reflected in american servicemen. they were concerned about america's treatment of prisoners of war. some wrote bitterly that they could not avoid being arrested upon their return. some were outraged by rumors of white feathers being received in the camp, and many resented dorothy thompson's reports that prisoners of war were cowards.

reports of infidelity between wives and lovers also lower morale. however, although the prisoners occasionally suffered from depression, they never came close to despair. in all camps the americans were excellent in discipline and organization. according to repatriated pow reports, the long-awaited news of the d-day landings for all the pows would ensure high morale in the coming months.

labor:

german prisoner of war camp commanders were able to abide by the provisions of the geneva convention, which stipulated that soldiers could only be forced to work. officers and non-commissioned officers may serve in supervisory positions if they wish.

workforces vary in size. the largest plant employed 568 workers to build a power plant. however, a labor team usually consisted of 30 prisoners of war engaged in farm work.

charles w. ronald was recently deported. he and 29 americans were escorted to a large farm 6 kilometers away from stoip, where 12 french prisoners of war were already working without guards.

americans live in a barn. the adjoining area houses pigs, cattle and grain. the prisoners slept in bunk beds, covered with two blankets. the french have their own little buildings. the guards lived in a hut leading to the prison camp.

every working day, i get up at 06:00 and have breakfast of red cross food and milk, soup, bread and hot water (coffee) from the farm kitchen.

at 06:30, the prisoners of war washed the spoons and enamel bowls and cleaned the "barracks". shave and wash in three large washbasins. the water in the washbasins comes from a faucet and only provides cold water. the outdoor toilet is a three-seater.

at 07:00, the americans headed to the potato fields in horse-drawn carriages driven by serious german farm workers.

the prisoners dug potatoes under the watch of armed guards until 11:30, when they returned to the farm by horse-drawn carriage for lunch. includes red cross food and german minestrone soup. at 13:00, we boarded the carriage and returned to the fields to work until 16:30.

dinner at 17:00 consisted of red cross food and farmers' milk soup, potatoes and gravy. after this meal, the prisoners were allowed to sit in the outdoor pen (30' x 8') until 18:30. the guards then locked them in their area for the night.

on sunday, the guards allowed the prisoners to rest or move around in the "yard" all day, but they spent a lot of time scrubbing the "barracks" and doing laundry. sunday dinner usually includes meat, pudding and cheese.

each prisoner of war received a large red cross food box each month, containing the required 4 red cross parcels.

remuneration:

working prisoners received 70 pfennig notes per day, which were almost useless as supplies in the camp canteen were so scarce that there was almost nothing to buy.

until recently, the unemployed soldiers had not received any pay, and to alleviate their plight, officers raised funds and sent them to the ministry of transport for disbursement.

recent reports indicate that germany instituted a policy of paying captured soldiers a monthly salary of 7.50 marks. the prisoners who were repatriated in may did not receive any actual money while in the camp, but when they left they received a "receipt" for 22.50 dm (3 months' wages) that they would receive from germany after the war.

the salary of an officer fluctuates according to the rank. the starting salary of a lieutenant detained in the 64th officer battalion is 60 marks per month. however, 22 marks will be deducted for food and 10 marks will be deducted for order fees. an officer in the luftwaffe's 3rd main battalion who received 80 marks per month had to pay a similar "living allowance" of 40 marks.

the main complaint of the prisoners of war was that the germans did not issue receipts for the money taken from them after they were captured. later, some people were given receipts, but in most cases it was so difficult to verify the details that receipts were never provided and compensation could not be obtained.

postal:

according to regulations, officers can send 3 letters and 4 postcards; for medical personnel and older officers, this number is twice as high. allocations varied slightly between prisoner-of-war camps.

in february, march and april (1944), the distribution of postcards was irregular, resulting in some camps being completely without postcards, and other camps being partially lacking in postcards. camp authorities attributed the shortage to allied bombing of government printing plants.

a carriage transporting mail and letters in a prisoner of war camp

all mail sent to airmen, no matter which camp they were in, was reviewed at 3rd main luftwaffe, so it took longer than mail sent to ground force camps, which had their own censors.

first class mail takes 2 to 3 months to arrive in the united states. airmail takes 1 to 3 months. airmail from the united states will arrive at the camp within 5 weeks; surface mail, within 3 months. packages from relatives will arrive at the camp 3 months after being mailed. more and more people are having their packages stolen.

trial:

german interrogations of american prisoners of war followed a consistent pattern: all pilots, regardless of where they were captured, were taken to the luftwaffe transit camp near frankfurt am main; all ground force officers were stationed at luckenvar, 50 kilometers southwest of berlin. they are interrogated at the luckenwalde interrogation center; ground force soldiers are not interrogated except for occasional interrogations immediately after capture. treatment during interrogations is often inappropriate and is gradually becoming more severe.

unless seriously injured, captured officers usually leave these interrogation transit camps within two weeks and head to permanent camps. with the exception of those captured in france and whose whereabouts are unknown, ground force soldiers were moved to permanent camps through a series of transit camps in italy and southern germany.

here, the german way of allocating prisoners of war to permanent camps was consistent and the system well defined: officers were assigned to the 1st or 3rd luftwaffe main battalions, soldiers to the 4th and 6th luftwaffe main battalions, or 17b main battalion. it's unclear whether the recently opened 7th main camp houses air force officers or enlisted personnel.

luftwaffe prisoner of war camp 1

luftwaffe prisoner of war camp no. 4

prisoner of war camp 17b

repatriation:

during three casualty exchanges with germany, 114 prisoners of war were returned to the united states through neutral countries. the places, dates and numbers are: gothenburg, sweden, october 20, 1943, 14 people; lisbon, portugal, february 15, 1944, 35 people; barcelona, ​​spain, may 17, 1944, 65 people.

let’s talk about the situation in the 3rd german air force prisoner of war camp:

this prisoner of war camp eventually housed 2,500 british air force officers, 7,500 united states army air force officers and 900 air force officers from other countries, for a total of 10,949 people.

luftwaffe prisoner of war camp 3

there was a large library with educational facilities, where many prisoners of war studied and took exams in subjects such as languages, engineering or law. examinations were organized by the red cross and supervised by academics such as a prisoner of war who had been president of king's college london.

the prisoners also built a theater that staged high-quality performances every two weeks, including all the shows in london's west end at the time.

the prisoners of war used camp loudspeakers to broadcast news and music, which they named station krgy (short for kriegsgefangener in german), and published two newspapers: circuit and kriegie times. issued four times a week.

recreational activities in luftwaffe camp no. 3 were the best organized of any prisoner of war camp in germany. each compound has sports fields and volleyball courts.

pows competed in basketball, softball, boxing, touch football, volleyball, table tennis, and fencing, with leagues organized for most of the sports. a 6.1 x 6.7 x 1.5 m (20 x 22 x 5 ft) pool is used to store firefighting water and is also used for occasional swimming.

sports meeting held in the camp

cricket score in the camp in 1944

however, the allies, especially the british, believed that officers were paid, so they had the obligation to escape during wartime and cause trouble for the enemy. this allowed the enemy to spend more energy and manpower. this game was transformed into digging tunnels.

the germans also understood this behavior, so many design features of prisoner of war camps made escape extremely difficult, such as: the barracks where prisoners were held were about 60 cm (24 inches) from the ground to make it easier for guards to spot the tunnel; the camp was built on land with sandy subsoil above; the topsoil is dark gray, so it would be easy to spot if someone dumped the bright yellow sand found beneath it on the ground, or even just shook some of it out on their clothing.

loose, collapsed sand means any tunnel will have poor structural integrity. a third defense against tunneling is to place seismometer microphones around the camp that can detect any digging sounds.