** World War I First World War : prisoners of war POWs country trends








World War I POW Country Trends: The Allies


Figure 1.--This World War I postcard-back photograph shows unidentified German POWS and their French guard. We suspct that the Germans re on some kind of a work detail. We have no idea who the boy is. Could he be the son of the guard or French officer?

Britain and France as a result of the course of events on the Western Front took relatively few German prisoners. The Germans launched the War by invading Belgium and northern France (August 1914). During this fighting, it was the Germans who took most of the prioners. Once the trench system froze the Western Fint, relatively few POWs were taken on the Western Front (October-November 1914). This did not change until the last few months of the War. The greatest number of Allied POWs were held by the Russians and were mostly Austro-Hingarians (2.9 million). The situation for POWs was particularly bad in Russia. Many were held in Siberian camps. The problems experienced by Russian POWs was not a national decesion to mistrat POWs, but the declining conditions for civilians, particularly food shortages. Poor nutrition eventually turned to actual starvation. An estimated 25 percent of the POWs held by the Russian died. Food was a major problem and bcame an increasing problem as the War continued. Large numbers also perished from smallpox and typhus. Mannutrition and diswease are of course related. Large numbers of the Russian POWs were from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the ethnicity was quite varied. The Russians took fewer German prisoners, largely because for the most part they did not fare as well against the Germans on the battlefield. The British and French used German POWs for forced labor. The French even made Grman POWs work in areas being shelled. The Allies transported some of The German POWs to prison camps in North Africa. The British and French held about 0.7 million POWs, mostly Germans taken in the final months of the War when the Allies launched the war-winning Hundred Days Campaign (August-November 1918). The United States held only 48,000 POWs, also Germans taken in the final months of the War. A few were shipped to camps in America.

America

The United States seclared war on Germany after the war had been raging for 3 years. Thus it had fewer opportunities to take prisoners. And America did not have an army un bing to deploy. It took a year to to transport the American recruits to France and train them. o the United States was only invooved in combat for a few months. The Americans took only 48,000 POWs, almost all Germanss. They were taken in thefinal months of the War aspart of the war0winning Hundred Days Vampaign (August-Nobember 918). A few were shipped to camps in America.

Britain

Britain and France as a result of the course of events on the Western Front took relatively few German prisoners. The Germans launched the War by invading Belgium and northern France (August 1914). During this fighting, it was the Germans who took most of the prioners. Once the trench system froze the Western Front, relatively few POWs were taken on the Western Front (October-November 1914). This did not change until the last few months of the War. The British and French used German POWs for forced labor. The British and French held about 0.7 million POWs, mostly Germans taken in the final months of the War when the Allies launched the war-winning Hundred Days Campaign (August-November 1918).

France

The French Army was primarily deployed on the Western Fromt against the Germans during World Wwr I. As a result most of the POWs taken were Germans. The numbers were relatively small given the dimensions of the conflict. The number was small because the French Army was primarily on the defensive or involved in failed offensives after the War broke out (August 1914). And then after the short mobile phase of the war descended into trench warfare, POWs were no longer taken in large numbers. As the War progressed, the French began using German POWs for forced labor in war zones. It is difficult to tell just who began this practice. The French even made German POWs work in areas being shelled. The French forced German prisoners to work under shellfire for months on the Verdun battlefield. The German retliated in kind. These reprisals marked a significant escalation in prisoner of war mistreatment. The Allies transported some of the German POWs to prison camps in North Africa. The Germans retaliated and began using Allied prisonrs on the Eastern Front. This led to POWs being held in horendous circumstances and unlike the general pattern, considable mortalities. Another problem was widespreas food shortages in Germany. Germany was not self-sufficent in dood productiin and the Allied naval blockade made it impossible to imprt needed food supplies. The French were less depedent on nimprts, but as a result of the War there were food shortages, although not nearly as severe as in Geramny. Rehardless of shortages, the Geneva Convention required beligerant bcountries to feed POWs at the same level as their own militart forces. Rhe situation changed when the Allies laubched the war Winningb Hundred Days Campaign on the Western Front (August 1918). The Allies including the French began taking largre numbers of German prisoners.

Russia

The greatest number of Allied POWs were held by the Russians and were mostly Austro-Hungarians (2.9 million). The war on the Eastern Front was much more mobile than in the Wesrern Front. As aesult far more prisoners weere taken thasn un West until the final months of the War. The situation for POWs was particularly bad in Russia. Many were held in Siberian camps. The problems experienced by Russian POWs was not a national decesion to mistrat POWs, but the declining conditions for civilians, particularly food shortages. Poor nutrition eventually turned to actual starvation. An estimated 25 percent of the POWs held by the Russian died. Food was a major problem and bcame an increasing problem as the War continued. Large numbers also perished from smallpox and typhus. Mannutrition and diswease are of course related. Large numbers of the Russian POWs were from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the ethnicity was quite varied. The Russians took fewer German prisoners, largely because for the most part they did not fare as well against the Germans on the battlefield. We are not sure yet hat happened with the Revolution (1917)..

Sources

Jones, Heather. Violence against Prisoners of War in the First World War: Britain, France and Germany, 1914-1920 (Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare, 2013).







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Created: 4:05 AM 8/11/2010
Last updated: 10:12 AM 9/6/2021