Australian POWs
POWs captured during WW2
There were lots of horrors that came along with World War 2, as in any war but the treatment of POWs was one of them. The Japanese took an estimated 27,000 Americans as prisoners of war and an estimated 40% died in captivity, which was found through a study done by the American Congressional Service. Compared to an estimated 1% of Americans that died in German captivity, it's a relatively large figure. However, the Germans treatment of POWs was largely based on ethnic background and where they were from. The six million Russian prisoners of war experienced German POW camps much differently. Jewish and suspected communist soldiers were shot immediately and most of the rest ended up in different parts of the German POW camps where they were beaten and starved, because they were thought to be racially inferior to the Nazis. Nearly 3 million Russians died in the German camps.
In Japan, prisoners were routinely beaten, starved and abused. They were also forced to work in mines and war related factories, which was a clear violation of the Geneva convention, which had previously established the rules regarding the treatment of prisoners of war. The Japanese had never signed the treaty established at the convention but the Emperor did agree what was outlined in it. The prisoners of war found themselves not just in Japan but also in Japanese territories. The majority of prisoners were forced to work in Japanese mines, fields, shipyards and factories for nearly 12 hours a day, their diet would consist of very little fat or anything high enough in calories to maintain health while working that hard. Their diet would consist of foods as simple as seaweed, soy beans, vegetables, rice or fish. Common diseases would be ulcers, malnutrition and cholera. Punishment for trying to escape was harsh, usually they were shot and sometimes the person and 10 others as well.
Meanwhile in Europe and Africa, more than 170,000 British POWS were taken by German and Italian forces were held in Nazi occupied Poland, casualties of the defeats the Allies suffered in France, North Africa and the Balkans. In the United States, there were lots of POW camps which house roughly 425,000 POWs, mostly German but also some Italian and Japanese. They were located all over the country, but mostly concentrated in the South, because of the lower energy costs. The experience of being captured by the could be humiliating and many felt ashamed at being forced to surrender, weathering on land, sea or air.
Sources:
https://time.com/3334677/pow-world-war-two-usa-japan/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_the_United_States
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/prisoners-of-war-of-the-japanese-1939-1945
https://www.historyonthenet.com/world-war-two-japanese-pow-camps
In Japan, prisoners were routinely beaten, starved and abused. They were also forced to work in mines and war related factories, which was a clear violation of the Geneva convention, which had previously established the rules regarding the treatment of prisoners of war. The Japanese had never signed the treaty established at the convention but the Emperor did agree what was outlined in it. The prisoners of war found themselves not just in Japan but also in Japanese territories. The majority of prisoners were forced to work in Japanese mines, fields, shipyards and factories for nearly 12 hours a day, their diet would consist of very little fat or anything high enough in calories to maintain health while working that hard. Their diet would consist of foods as simple as seaweed, soy beans, vegetables, rice or fish. Common diseases would be ulcers, malnutrition and cholera. Punishment for trying to escape was harsh, usually they were shot and sometimes the person and 10 others as well.
POWs in Japanese Camps
Meanwhile in Europe and Africa, more than 170,000 British POWS were taken by German and Italian forces were held in Nazi occupied Poland, casualties of the defeats the Allies suffered in France, North Africa and the Balkans. In the United States, there were lots of POW camps which house roughly 425,000 POWs, mostly German but also some Italian and Japanese. They were located all over the country, but mostly concentrated in the South, because of the lower energy costs. The experience of being captured by the could be humiliating and many felt ashamed at being forced to surrender, weathering on land, sea or air.
Sources:
https://time.com/3334677/pow-world-war-two-usa-japan/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_the_United_States
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/prisoners-of-war-of-the-japanese-1939-1945
https://www.historyonthenet.com/world-war-two-japanese-pow-camps
Although created in 1864, the Geneva Convention was updated in 1929 in order to address prisoners of war. One interesting to note is that Germany HAD signed the convention in 1929 which dictated the civil treatment of prisoners of war. Well obviously, this didn't happen with the Holocaust in which a staggering 11 million total people were murdered. Also sadly enough, Germany itself was never really punished for this war atrocity although some Nazi leaders were put on trial and executed. This was probably because soon enough, the Allies began to occupy Germany thus leading to the Cold War and the creation of the Berlin Wall.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/geneva-convention