How did Americans treat German prisoners of war?
The United States agreed to house them, although it was not prepared. Its military had only brief experience with a limited POW population in the last world war, and was unprepared for basic logistical considerations such as food, clothing and housing requirements of the prisoners.
How were the German prisoners of war treated in France?
France’s treatment of prisoners of war was at times ruthless during the conflict – it was prepared to use reprisals in reciprocity if Germany did. However, its combatant prisoner of war camp systems remained under civilian state surveillance and did not become military fiefdoms as occurred in Germany.
What happened to French prisoners of war during ww2?
French POWs were sent to camps in Germany where they were quickly set to work on farms, in industry, mines and on the railways, to replace German men away fighting. But, most prisoners – about one million – only returned to France following the end of the war in May 1945.
Did France have concentration camps in ww2?
French authorities interned thousands of Jews under deplorable conditions in French-administered detention camps—Gurs, Saint-Cyprien, Rivesaltes, Le Vernet, and Les Milles—where at least 3,000 individuals died during the war years.
What happened to German POWs in France?
Seventy percent of them came from POW camps administered by the United States. For the POWs, there was even less food and clothing. It is estimated that 40,000 former German soldiers died. Others perished working in mines or clearing the land mines that Germany’s Wehrmacht had left in France during the war.
What happened to German POW in France?
After Germany’s surrender in May 1945, millions of German soldiers remained prisoners of war. In France, their internment lasted a particularly long time. But, for some former soldiers, it was a path to rehabilitation.
Why did France surrender to Germany?
France surrendered to the Nazis in 1940 for complex reasons. The proximate cause, of course, was the success of the German invasion, which left metropolitan France at the mercy of Nazi armies. But the German victory opened profound rifts in French society.