Prisoners of War in World War II

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Prisoners of War in World War II

If you have never been a Prisoner of War (POW), you are extremely

lucky. The prisoners of war during the World War II, (1939-1945) were

treated poorly with no respect or consideration and were given the living

conditions worse than animals. It was an extremely bad situation that no

human being could survive. They were mistreated, manhandled, beat and even

shot defending their country. No one wanted to go to war, but for those

men who did, and for those who survived as POWs will always regret it.

The Prisoners of War were kept in concentration camps, where it was

day to day constant dying and suffering and separation of the family with

unconditional weather. 1 They had no real shelter, and kept busy by

working, and the odd time even got a chance to play baseball, soccer or

some athletic game to stay in shape. 2 They were surrounded by twenty-four

hour guard surveillance in the middle of nowhere, so it would be quite

useless to attempt to escape, especially at the risk of being gunned down

at any given time. The POW were always having to turn their back and keep

an eye out for one another. They were considered to be "hostages" and were

treated like the enemy.

The concentration camps were not very large but were numerous. They

contained about 500-600 warriors and were divided into groups of under

sixteen, older than sixteen, and of course by gender (Male and Female). 3

This caused many problems with the POWs as they were split from their

families, and in a lot of cases, never saw one another again.

The Prisoners of War were killed by the hundreds as malnutrition and

hygiene eventually caught up with them. They were put to work for lengthy

periods of time, and we treated harshly for volunteering to go to war. Once

caught, they were taken and placed in a camp, and it was the beginning of

the end for the ally. It is not like a prisoner in today's society. The

prisoners had to live with leftover scraps of food, dirty water, and no

hope of exiting, plus the constant shooting. They were not prisoner whom

had committed a crime, rather brave warriors whom stood up to defend us. 4

It is a life no one wants to encounter, and we pray no one does, and we

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