What I mean is, were the gates of the camps just thrown open and the guards said, 'Go on, you're free,'!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
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Position:Home>History> At the end of WW2, were all POWs simply released and set free?Question: At the end of WW2, were all POWs simply released and set free!? What I mean is, were the gates of the camps just thrown open and the guards said, 'Go on, you're free,'!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: No, most POWs were not just released!. A lot depended upon which country you were from and where you were!. 1!. Some POWs, as the war ended, found that guards wandered off or stopped being guards!. This was true for a few US POW camps in Japan, more allied POWs held by Germans!. 2!. Most German POWs were held for extended periods (even if it had nothing to do with war crimes)!. The Russians held almost all of their German POWs for 10 years (those that lived--out of the 90,000+ who surrendered at Stalingrad, fewer than 6,000 lived)!. Some German POWs were never released by the Russians!. 3!. The Japanese did accelerate executions of Allied and Asian POWs as the war ended!. Only 56 chinese POWs were left alive at the war's surrender!. Some allied POWs were even beheaded AFTER the Japanese surrendered!. 4!. Russians liberated some POWs!. But there were also some allied POWs who ended up in the Soviet Gulag (along with Raoul Wallenberg)!. And of course, Russians who had been held as POWs by the Germans were treated as traitors or potential saboteurs by the Soviets and most were sent into the Gulag as well!. The Russians also executed a number of leaders and officers of countries that had been held by Germans (some during the war like the Katyn Forest executions of Polish officers, to killing Czech leaders and officers who'd been held by Germans)!. And in many cases, logistically it was impossible to just say "go on home now!." Hundreds of thousands of German and Italian POWs were held in America and Canada!. The Japanese held as POWs weren't close to Japan!. By the way, there is one incident of a successful escape of a German POW from a camp in North America who eventually made it back to Germany!. Luftwaffe pilot Franz Von Werra escaped from a camp in Canada, made it to Mexico and later died flying in the war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com No, not at all!. Some were released when the war was over, but many were rescued by Allied troops beforehand!. The Japanese, knowing that they were losing, began executing many of their prisoners!. There is a famous battle, called "the Great Raid" in which American Rangers and Alamo Scouts attacked a Japanese prisoner of war camp far behind Japanese lines in order to save the prisoners in it!. Many of the Nazis that were held by the allies were sent to trial for war crimes rather than being released!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Many were kept for years before being allowed home!. Britain (UK) kept some Germans until 1948 & 1951, then allowed some home as their camps were used for the London Olympics or the 'Festival Of Britain'!. Some never went home!. A lot (German & Italian) who were interned in Canada stayed on started new lives there or in the USA!.Www@QuestionHome@Com They were not freed immediately!. There were arrangements to be made for transportation!. Most of the POws came from all over Europe and other places!. Then documents for them had to be arranged because most of Europe was still under martial law!. Usually about 2/3 months to organise all this!. My uncle took 6 months to get home from a Japanese POW camp!.Www@QuestionHome@Com The Russians held their German POWs for up to ten years before releasing them!.Www@QuestionHome@Com give it to Agility ManWww@QuestionHome@Com |