Figure 1.-- These Soviet POWs taleb vy the Germna are laboring in winter. We think that the photogrph was taken during 1943 in Silesia. After the winter of 1941-42 the Germans began caring for Red Army POWs somewhat better, in part becaise of the developing labor shortage in the Reich. The boy looks to have been only recently taken prisoner. As far as we know, the Germans did not make any destinctions based on age for the POWs.

What we do not know at this time is how these younger and older indviduals were treated if captured as POWs. Here we are looking for policies of the different beligerent countries, including America, Britain, France, Germany, and the Soviet Union. We have not yet been able to find any specific regulations if any issued by military authorities to deal with this problem. We have read that American GIs in the front lines disarmed and sent the younger boys home. Thus was most likely for the preteen boys caughtbup in the War. Older teenagers were probably processssed as normal POWs. This depended on the attitudes of individual soldiers. We also note some teenage HJ boys being caught spying and engaged in espionage. Some were apparently tried and executed. There were no summary executions We have not been able to find any actual regulatiins on this. A reader writes, "I am not sure about how young POWs were treated by the British/Canadian military. I think I have read that they were placed in regular POW camps at first but most of them were the 1st to be released after the war. I believe the same treatment was done for the old age troops the Germans used in final months of the war." We have no informtion at this time on Soviet policies. But we do not yet have any real evidence shedding light on this question.

America

We have read that American GIs in the front lines disarmed and sent the younger boys home. Thus was most likely for the pre--teen boys caughtbup in the War. Older teenagers were probably processsed as normal POWs. This depended on the attitudes of individual soldiers. We also note some teenage HJ boys being caught spying and engaged in espionage. Some were apparently tried and executed. There were no summary executions. And as far as we know the youngest boy shot for spying was 17 years old. We have not been able to find any actual regulations on this. It would have been something that the Western Allies only began encountering after they actually entered the Reich. There were youths in the regular Wehrmacht And Waffen-0SS units, but these were older teenagers. Omv thevfighting moved intothe Reich, the Allies vegan encountring younger boys, manyyoungervteeagers abd even pre-teens. We have heard that the general Anerican approach to German POWs aged 15 and younger was to disarm them and send them home, but have no reliable source. This would have been possible when the boys were mobilized close to home. But this was not always the case, espeially for Volksstrum units. Sending the boiys home vwould have been mostly iikeky by front line units. The boys involved in mass surrenders would have taken some time to process and arrange for a safe way of getting the youmger boys home.

Britain/Canada

A reader writes, "I am not sure about how young POWs were treated by the British/Canadian military. I think I have read that they were placed in regular POW camps at first but most of them were the 1st to be released after the war. I believe the same treatment was done for the old age troops the Germans used in final months of the war."

German

As far as we knowe, the Germans made no destinction on captured emeny combatantants based on age. The only boy soldiers they would have encountered in numbers would have been in the Soviet Union. There were a sibstantial of boys serving in the Red rmy. The youngest were the Sons of the Rehiment. but manys biys below the legal induction ge were allowed to join. An exceotion here was the Polish Home Army uprusing in Warsaw. The Hermans did not recohnize them as kegal conbatantabts dring the ipriing. But as apart of the surrender nehotiations. the Gerams agreed to treat them as POWs.

Japan

Most of the boy soldiers the the Japanese would have encountered would have been in the Chinese Army. We habe no information about special treatment. The normal Japanese treatment of Chinese POWs was to murder them. At the end of the War, the Japabese did not have Chinese POWs to tuen over even thougg thy had taken more than a million POWs.

Soviet Union

We have no informtion at this time on Soviet policies. But we do not yet have any real evidence shedding light on this question.

Created: 11:15 PM 6/19/2014
Last updated: 1:08 AM 5/19/2020