Figure 1.-- |
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The British treatment of POWs was correct. Mail service was arranged through Portugal. The food rations for the Axis POWs were the same as for British soldiers. The first POWs were Luftwaffe crews participating in the Battle of Britain an U-boat crews. Much larger numbers of Axis POWs resulted from the North African campaign. British took large numbers of Italian POWs in North Africa and Sicily, smaller but substantial numbers of Germans. Very few Axis POWs died in British custody. Overall the British took 420,000 Italian POWs. They repatriated 415,000 men (98.6 percent). They also took German POWs in North Africa and later after D-Day in France. The largest number were taken at the end if the War after crossing the Rhine (March-May 1945). There were difficulties handling the large numbers taken in 1945. The disposition of the Axis POWs varied. Some were held in Britain. Others were held at sites in Arica, Australia and North America. POWs were used for agricultural labor. By the end of the War there were several hundred POW camps. The status of the Italian POWs changed after the Italians surrendered to the Allies (September 1943). The German POWs taken at the end of the War were held at camps in Germany.
The British Government with the outbreak of World War II set up the Prisoner of War Information Bureau (PWIB). The PWIB was assigned the task of keeping track of and answering enquiries concerning POWs held by Axis forces. The PWIB
was set up in London, but as the War spread, there were problems answering enquiries about POWs in the many camps set up around the world. The British eventually used the London office to deal with POWs held in Britain, Northwest Europe, and the Central Mediterranean (1942). The PWIB establishef sub-bureaus overseas to deal with inquiries on POWs held in other camps. The military operated a bureau in Cairo, Egypt for POWs taken in Middle East, principally North Africa. A bureau in Nairobi, Kenya handeled inquiries for the mostly Italian POWs taken in East Africa. A bureau in New Delhi, India was set up for POWs taken in the Middle East nd transferred to India. Bureaus were also established by the governments of Australia, Canada, and South Africa to deal with POWS taken by the British forces (which of course include Dominion units) and transferred to those countries. These Dominion Bureaus fillowed guidelines established by the Brritish, but communicated directly, rather than through London, with local representatives of the protecting power and the International Red Cross Committee.
The PWIB continued to function until the last POWs were repatriated to their home country (1948).
Britain declared war on Germany (September 1939). Italy declared war on Britain (June 1940). The Japanese attacked America and Britain before a formal declaration of war (December 1041). The Germans and Japanese forced their Axis allies to also declare war. Most of the POWs taken by the British were Germans and Italians. The Japanese with few exceptions refused to surrender, but after Japan surrendered (August 1945), Japanese units in Southeast Asia did surrender.
Some Latvians joined the German forces after they drive out the Russians in the opening phase of Barbarossa. Itis diddicult to generalize about motives. Latvia and the other Baltics were in the unfortunate position of being located between two of the most vicious dictatorships in history. Many did what they had to do to survive. Most probably were anti-Soviet because of Soviet policies after invading and occupying the country (1940-41). Some were Fascist sympathizers. Some even served as guards at the Death camps. They fought as part of SS units. Knowing what awaited them in Soviet hands, the Latts atempted to get as far west as possible so they would be in the hands of the Western Allies. Most Latvian soldiers were held in British POW camps. They were moovdd to POW camp 2227 at Zedelghem in Belgium (fall 1945). They hoped that the British would understand why they had fought with the Germans. Reports indicated thst they were roughly treated at the camp as NAZI sympthizers. Their SS uniforms did not help. They were not, however, turned over to the Soviets. While the Yalta Agreement required Soviet citizens to be turned over, the llies did not recognize the Soviet annexation of the Baltics. They were eventually released (fall 1946).
Some Russians were recruited to fight with the Germans. Most were recruited from POW camps. The effort could have been substantially had not the Germans pursued genocidal policies toward the Slavs. And Hitler had an antimpathy toward arming Russians, even abti-Bolshevik Russians. After the War under the terms of the Yalta Agreement weree handed over to the Soviets.
The disposition and the location of POW camps followed the ebb and flow of the War. The first POWs taken by the British were naval crews (U-boats and surface ships) taken in the Battle of the Atlantic and the aircraft crews involved in the Battle of Britain. The first two POW camps were established in Britain (1939). One camp was at Grizedale Hall in Lancashire for officers. Another camp was set up at Glen Mills Camp in Oldham for the enlistedmen. As the war orogressed many additionl camps were estnlished. Eventually the British operated about 500 POW camps. The fiirst large numbers of Axis POWs were taken in North Africa. The British shipped them out of the theater to camps in India, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Rhodesia, Tanganyika, Uganda, and other locations. Mostt of these POWs were Italian although beginning in mid-1941 there were small numbers of Germans. The British El Alamin offensive (October 1942) coupled with the Anglo-American Torch landings (November 1942) changed the dynamic of the North African campaign. Both Italtian and German POWs were taken in large numbers. The Axis forced surrendered in Tunisia (May 1943). Hitler had rushed German reinforcements to Tunisia and thus substantial numbers of Germans were taken for the first time. As a result of Tirch, the Americans and British shared responsibilities for the POWs.
The British sent 130,000 POWS, mostly Italians, back to Britain. Large numbers were also sent to camps in Canada. From 1943 the US also had its own camps, including transit camps within the UK. The United States opened camps (1943) who took substabtial numbers of POWs. The Italians surrendered as the Allies landed in Italy (September 1943). This changed the status of the Italian POWs. There were no more Italians taken in large numbers as POWs. (Italian Fascists continued to fight with the Germans.) British authorities asked Italian POWs they would like to work in Britain as 'cooperators'. Those who refused were held separately in 'non-cooperator' camps. The cooperators were designated as
as members of Italian Labour Battalions. While they were no longer offucially POWs, many of the conditions and restrictions continued.
After the Itaian surrender, most of the POWs taken by the British were Germans. The Germans in Italy very skillfully handeled their retreat north. Thus relatively small numbers of POWs were taken ever after the retreat north from Rome. This changed with the D-Day landings (June 1944). The British POWs were transported across the Channel. The POWs taken by the Americans were shiped to camps in the United States. Upon arrival in England they were transported in special trains to nine holding camps called 'Command Cages'. Here they were interogated and screened.
The British screened POWs to determine their political affiliation. hey established a colored code and the POWs had to wear a patch on their uniforms indicating the color coded assigned. White patches ('A') were given to POWs no loyalty or affiliation to the NAZIs. Grey patch ('B') indicated that the POWS while not strongly afflilated with the NAZIs had no real objections to them. They were called Mmitläufern. The real ardent NAZIs were given black patches. Automatically included in this group were most Waffen SS and U-Boat crews. They were wore a black patch ('C' or 'C+'). Most of the POWs given black patches were assigned to camps in the north. This all of course took some time. The British reported 208,000 German POWs being held in Britain (November 1945). There were not very many whites. The results of the screening were white (19,448), grey (85,380), and black (50,205). There were another 53,000 yet to be screened.
The British allowed but did not require the white and grey category POWs to work. They were payed with Lagergeld (script good only in the camps). They were used in farm and construction work. Some worked maintaining roads. By far the largest number worked on farms.
Living conditions were generally good in the British POW camps. Camp authorities arranged lectures, concerts, gardening, handicrafts, sport and games. Quiteca number of POWs signed up for classes in English or other subjects. Some camps published magazines. The POWs without regard to their color designation received the same weekly food rations as British soldiers: 42 ozs of meat, 8 ozs of bacon, 5½ lbs of bread, 10½ ozs of margarine as well as vegetables, cheese, cake, jam and tea. British authorities sligtly increasedcthe amounts after VE Day (June 1945).
An Australian reader writes, "You claim the British treatment of Prisoners of Wars during World War II was 'correct'. Could you please provide evidence and your sources. Your claim is in fact incorrect. I know 'history
belongs to the victors' however: My grandfather (an Italian POW) returned from a British run prisoner of war camp in India very ill from starvation and abuse. He was to die early, at the age of 59, as a result of his treatment." Correct of course does not mean luxurious or even pleasant or that every POW was treated correctly. In World War II there are many examples of incorrect behavior by the British and Americans as well as correct behavior by the Germans. However you can not look at examples to accurately describe a country's POW policies. The best evidence, and easily accessible in the historical record, of correct behavior is POW survival rates. This is not as our reader suggests, the history of the victors. This is documented data compiled by the Internation Red Cross (IRC). The vast majority of POWs taken by the British and Americans returned home. Most in excellent condition. Usually they were better fed than Whermacht soldiers. Here we are talking about survival rates of 99 percent. Compare that to the chance of survival of POWs taken by the Germans. Very few Polish and Russian POWs survived. The German policy was pure and simple genocide. The chances of American, British, and French POWs in German hands surviving was much higher, but still well below the very high survival rates of German POWs in Allied hands. These are well document facts which can not be refuted by isolated individual cases.
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