Wednesday 10 April 2013

POW camps in Germany


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Approximtely 9,000 Canadians were captured by Europe and Asia. Most prisoners were kept in German POW camps . Before being sent to a camp, a captured POW passed through a transit camp where the prisoners gave details about themselves. Prisoners only had to give details of their name, rank, and serial number due to the terms of the Geneva Convention, however officers tried tricking them into giving more information out by interrogation and clever questioning. After that prisoners were transported to a POW camp, usually by train. All camps were enclosed with barbed wire, and had guard towers manned by German soldiers ready to shoot any prisoners trying to escape. Prisoners were given two meals a day, usually thin soup and black bread. Prisoners looked forward to  food parcels delivered by Red Cross they contained 'luxury' items such as butter, biscuits, chocolate and condensed milk as well as dried fruits and vegetables. Prisoners would be expected to parade at least once daily for a roll-call. Prisoners were housed in one-storey wooden barracks which contained bunk beds, and a charcoal burning stove in the middle of the room. 



http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW2/german_pow_camps.htm

2 comments:

  1. Sarah, this is a great overview of PoW during WWII. Do you think the Geneva Convention appropriately protects the human rights of PoW?

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  2. What do you think would have happened if the Geneva Convention did not exist during this time period? How do you think that would affect the outcome of the war?

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