Table of Contents
How many German POWs stayed in the UK?
Some 25,000 German prisoners remained in the United Kingdom voluntarily after being released from prisoner of war status.
What was the worst German POW camp?
Stalag IX-B
Stalag IX-B (also known as Bad Orb-Wegscheide) was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp located south-east of the town of Bad Orb in Hesse, Germany on the hill known as Wegscheideküppel….
| Stalag IX-B | |
|---|---|
| Type | Prisoner-of-war camp |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | Nazi Germany |
| Site history |
When was the last German POW released?
The POW were employed as forced labor in the Soviet wartime economy and post war reconstruction. By 1950 almost all had been released. In 1956 the last surviving German POW returned home from the USSR.
Where were German POW camps in UK?
The camps where the PoWs were imprisoned have largely (but not all) disappeared. At one time hundreds of them were spread across the UK. The best known was Island Farm in Wales – scene of a ‘great escape’ in 1945, with some German POWs getting as far as Birmingham and Southampton.
What was the best POW camp?
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III had the best-organised recreational program of any POW camp in Germany. Each compound had athletic fields and volleyball courts.
How did Germans treat their POWs?
Although Allied prisoners of war complained of the scarcity of food within German POW camps, they were treated comparatively well. Hiding behind the (legally invalid) pretext that the Soviet Union had not signed the Geneva Convention, the Germans treated Soviet prisoners with appalling brutality and neglect.
How did Germany treat British POWs?
Germany and Italy generally treated prisoners from France, the US and the British Commonwealth in accordance with the convention. The Germans were obliged to apply this humane treatment to Jewish prisoners of war who wore the British Army’s uniform, thus sparing them the horrific fate meted out to other Jews.
What happened to German prisoners of war (POWs)?
Sheffield Hallam University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK. Nearly a year after the end of World War II, a large number of German prisoners of war (POWs) were still being detained in post-war Britain.
Where can I find information about POWs in World War II?
Visit the International Red Cross website for information on requesting access to their records of PoWs and civilian internees in both World Wars. Visit the Imperial War Museum website for information on accessing photographs of PoWs in both World Wars.
Are German prisoners of war still detained in the UK?
Nearly a year after the end of World War II, a large number of German prisoners of war (POWs) were still being detained in post-war Britain. In March 1946, angry that the government had not announced when they could be repatriated, the Labour MP Richard Stokes said the Germans were entitled to know their expected date of release.
What did Harold Nicolson say about German POWs?
In May 1946, the politician and writer Harold Nicolson argued that the repatriation of German POWs should begin immediately. His point was that as war-ravaged Europe looked for leadership and while the Soviet Union had ample physical strength, Britain, in contrast, had “ enormous moral power ”.