Tunnel Harry

[Rogue]

Stalag Luft III Escape Tunnel (http://www.kerman94.com/tunnelharry.html)

Just awesome. These guys were amazing. The Germans actually treated most POWs pretty well, compared to the Japanese who were very cruel. Not to say the POWs in Germany had it easy, far from it.

[Harry Beanbag]

http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2004/18/images/great_escape.jpg

[Frozen Sooner]

The Germans actually treated most POWs pretty well, compared to the Japanese who were very cruel.

I'm not saying that Nazi Germany was particularly good at honoring treaties, but Germany was a signatory to the 3rd Geneva Convention, while Japan was not. Might have had something to do with the disparity of treatment of POWs.

[Harry Beanbag]

I'm not saying that Nazi Germany was particularly good at honoring treaties, but Germany was a signatory to the 3rd Geneva Convention, while Japan was not. Might have had something to do with the disparity of treatment of POWs.


Because of a piece of paper? I doubt it.

[Rogue]

Most POW seminars I've attended attribute it to a few things:
1) The Bushido Code - being captured was considered dishonorable and
the Japanese took this to the extreme and dehumanized POWs,
making some of the horrendous things they did somehow OK in their
minds.

2) Germany revered the LuftWaffe and the Army Air Corps. Most POWs
in Europe were wayward paratroopers or bomber crews forced to bail.

My own theory includes those two plus the notion that American POWs
"looked like us" to the Germans. To the Japanese, not so much. Amazing
what part race and appearances can play in man's ability to commit atrocities
to his fellows.

[Kels]

A lot of our guys in German camps complained of near-starvation rations during their time in the klink.

Still, it was a lot worse on the "Hell Ships" and subsequent horrors of being a POW of the Japs. Same song, second and third verses for being a North Korean or North Vietnamese POW as well.

The bottom line: don't get captured by an Asian. Probably a good idea to avoid capture in the Middle East too.

[Rogue]

Yup, you're right Kels. Malnutrition and frostbite were common in WWII German prison camps. Some of the POWs I've known believed the German guards weren't eating much better themselves.

Seems there won't be any more wars with "humane treatment" of prisoners. The hope that wars are temporary and will, eventually, end doesn't seem as prevalent in these modern times.

[bluedogok]

Speaking of Nazi era tunnels....
The condensed version: German Bunker in my Garden (http://gardenbunker.blogspot.com/2008/06/background.html)
The long version: PistonHeads.com - Secret Room 2 ....... "Nazi Bunker" (http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=141&t=543304&i=0)