“The original prisoner of war convention, with 97 articles, was so seriously violated in World War II that 46 articles were added in 1949 to make the language clearer and infringements immediately apparent.”
– Rules of War Closely Checked by Red Cross Los Angeles Times
– Rules of War Closely Checked by Red Cross Los Angeles Times
World War II
By WWII only 40 nations had signed the 1929 Geneva Convention, and many never ratified.
Treatment of POWs was cruel and inhumane.
Soviet prisoners were starved to death and died from disease-ridden prison camps. Desperate to stay alive, some volunteered to serve in the German Army. In addition, concentration camps were set up all over Germany where millions perished, especially the Jews. On the other hand, German prisoners were sent to labor camps and marched long distances only to end up in facilities with little food and lodging. They were often worked to death mining and building roads, and had a mortality rate of over 50%. Eventually the number of prisoners was too much of a burden for the Soviets. They began releasing German prisoners in 1947, but they were not all freed until 1956. |
“The hatred, tension, and upheaval inherent in armed conflicts, particularly civil wars, has led to the
murder or ill treatment of prisoners of war throughout history.”
– United Nations
This pamphlet, written before the revision of the Third Geneva Convention, shows that POWs were given rights during WWII. However, few countries followed these laws. (Slide 3 is the most important, stating the essential rights of POWs.)
“The happiest moment ever experienced by an Allied POW was his
first sight of a British or American soldier at the gates.”
– American Heritage: New History of World War II
“The happiest moment ever experienced by an Allied POW was his
first sight of a British or American soldier at the gates.”
– American Heritage: New History of World War II
The US and Great Britain had more humane prison camps and treated prisoners well to set a good example in the hope that the opposing nations would do the same. “Given the labor shortage in the United States because of the demands of the war, many of the POWs went to work, but they were paid for their labor according to rank... By the end of the war... nearly 200,000 were employed in nonmilitary jobs, most of them in agriculture.”
– Spencer C. Tucker and Patricia Wadley “Prisoners of War: World War II” |
Newspaper from the United Kingdom Red Cross that describes the fair conditions of a prison camp
Prisoner of War Newspaper | |
File Size: | 4859 kb |
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