The Prisoners Of War And German High Command

Based on archival research in Germany, Great Britain, the USA and Canada, this study provides the first complete examination of the relationship between the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (German Armed Forces High Command), and Anglo-American prisoners of war. German military policy is compared with reports of almost one thousand visits by Red Cross and Protecting Power inspectors to the camps, allowing the reader to judge how well the policies were actually put into practice, and what their impact was on the lives of the captured soldiers, sailors and airmen.

"When the conference of 47 countries in Geneva wound up its proceedings on 27 July 1929 by adopting a new international Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, it seemed that one chapter in the history of war -- the brutal treatment of those captured in battle -- had come to a close. The road covered over the centuries had been a long one : the wholesale slaughter of prisoners and the ruthless exploitation of their slave labour had gradually given way to respect for the captives' human dignity and, eventually, the elaboration of international legal rules to govern their treatment ... During the Second World War, Germany trampled upon all the rules of international law, including those concerning war prisoners"--Page xv-xvi.

The book explores the extraordinary story of Jewish POWs in German captivity during the Second World War - extraordinary because of the contrast between Germany's genocidal policy towards Jews on one hand, and its relatively non-discriminatory treatment of Jewish POWs from western countries on the other. The radicalization of Germany's anti-Semitic policies entered its last phase in June 1941 with the invasion of the Soviet Union; during the following four years, nearly 6 million Jews were murdered. In parallel, Germany's POW policies had gone through a radicalization process of their own, resulting in the murder of millions of Soviet POWs, of Allied commando soldiers, and of POW escapees, with Adolf Hitler eventually transferring in July 1944 the responsibility for POWs from the Wehrmacht to Heinrich Himmler, in his role as head of the Replacement Army. And yet, despite all that, Jewish POWs from western countries were usually not discriminated against and were treated, in most cases, according to the 1929 Geneva Convention. Focusing on the experience of American and British Jewish POWs, the book analyses their story from two points of view: bottom-up - from the Jewish POW's personal experience; and top-down-from the German High Command and the German POW Office's - and addresses the following questions: what was it like to be an American or British Jewish POW in Nazi captivity; how were these POWs treated by their captors; and why were they treated in that way? Its conclusions will help to reshape our understanding of the Holocaust and of Nazi Germany.

One of the darkest passages in German history is examined in this book (originally published in 1986) by five leading German historians of the Third Reich. The authors establish that a direct link existed between the widespread deaths of Soviet prisoners of war and the extermination of Jews and implicate the German army in the policies of genocide to a far greater degree than was previously thought. The situation of the inmates of camps is analysed and evidence provided of resistance action even among those facing death.

An innovative study of empathy, sex, and love between prisoners of war and German women during World War II.

“The cement slabs and decaying fountains obscured by vegetation at the site of Camp Hearne echo a time forgotten of a bustling city of nearly 5,000 men brought together by world conflict.” The oral histories, archival research, and archaeological data compiled by author Michael Waters and his team of researchers tells the story of 5,000 German soldiers held as prisoners of war in rural Texas during World War II. Camp Hearne, located on the outskirts of Hearne, Texas, was one of the first and largest POW camps in the United States. Between 1943 and 1945 nearly 50,000 German prisoners, mostly from the German Afrika Korps lived and worked at seventy POW camps across Texas. The story of Camp Hearne told here offers the first in-depth look at one of these camps and includes an archaeological study of the treatment and conditions of the German prisoners. Drawing on newspaper accounts and official records from the time, and the recollections of surviving POWs, guards, and local residents, Waters and his team have constructed a detailed description of life in the camp: educational opportunities, recreation, mail call, religious practices, work details, and the food provided. Also revealed are the more serious issues that faced the Americans inside the POW compounds: illegal alcohol distillation, suicides, escapes, hidden secret shortwave radios, and the subversion of postal services. Fascinating artifacts recovered from the site and from the collections of local residents add concrete details. Waters also discusses the national policies and motivations for the treatment of prisoners that prescribed the particulars of camp life. The shadow world of Nazism in the camp is revealed, adding darkness to a story that is otherwise optimistic and in places humorous. The most sinister and brutal example of Nazi activity was the murder of Corporal Hugo Krauss, a German-born New York–raised volunteer in the German army. Captured in North Africa after service in Russia, Krause was attacked seven months later by six to ten fellow prisoners and beaten with clubs, nail–studded boards and a lead pipe. The dramatic recounting of the murder and the ensuing investigation illustrate much about the underlying political tensions of camp existence. This book makes a unique and notable contribution to Texas history. The narrative is enriched by numerous photographs and drawings. It will engage those interested in Texas history and World War II and hold particular interest for avocational and professional historical archaeologists.

The only book available that tells the full story of how the U.S. government detained nearly half a million Nazi prisoners of war in 511 camps across the country.