After watching a few German wochenschau I noticed that many times German soldiers who were prisoners of the allies were returned back to the Reich. Were these common occurances, and why was this done? I didn't know there was a policy that exchanged pow's.
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Hi, I am not sure of the exact criteria of these exchanges, but I think that they were administered by the International Red Cross. The soldiers had to go before a medical board made of neutrals. Severe wounds, etc also mental breakdown would allow a POW to be returned home. I know of British soldiers who were returned home like the German soldiers that you mentioned.
Cheers, Ade. -
A.S. is correct. I might also add that the repatriated PoWs were not supposed to be assigned to active units again, but many of them were, at least on the German side. By 1943, the British had discovered enough cases of this subterfuge that complaints were filed with the IRC. I think the rules may have tightened after that.
--LarryComment
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LarryOriginally posted by Larry deZeng View Post
This does not surprise me at all and I imagine it was common place.
This got me thinking. I wonder if there were any examples of the Axis and Allies swopping specific higher ranking officers that each side wanted back and so brokered a deal to get them back by swopping with someone the other side wanted back.
It is not as dumb an idea if you think about it
RaymondComment
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Hi Raymond,This got me thinking. I wonder if there were any examples of the Axis and Allies swopping specific higher ranking officers that each side wanted back and so brokered a deal to get them back by swopping with someone the other side wanted back.
There were a number of cases of them doing that with diplomats and other civilians, but I can't recall of it being done with senior officers. But the tradition of parole against a pledge of one's honour is a tradition among the nobility (i.e., officer class) that extends back centuries. So such an exchange whereby each pledges to sit out the duration of the conflict on return to his homeland sounds entirely possible, especially in the case of very elderly, infirm or well-known officers. There must indeed be cases where that occurred during the war with the IRC acting as intermediary.
--LarryComment
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One such senior officer was General der Panzertruppe Hans Cramer, the last Commading General of the Africa Corps. His health deteriorated in the POW camp and was then through the mediation of Swedish Red Cross sent in May 1944 to Germany aboard the Swedish ship "Gripsholm". I'm not sure if the Germans released any Allied senior officer in return.
http://www.feldgrau.com/search-officers2.php?ID=308
P.S. Larry, congratulations on becoming a moderator, I couldn't imagine a better person for the job.Comment
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Hi Mark! Great to see you! This isn't AHF or Feldgrau, but I hope with a core of good, solid, highly knowledgeable researchers like you that we can make this sub-forum both interesting and informative. --Larry
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it's an interesting question ...Originally posted by Larry deZeng View Post
I have recently taken two wehrpasses of soldiers "exchanged" ... one of these captured in Tunisia, of a "Sanitätskompanie" , released in the great exchange of October 1943, and then He was used enlisted in Italy in the 1944: can it be because he was a health soldier who accompanied the released or an "exemption"?
ciao OrianoComment
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maybe I found the reason in the list of repatriates of the first exchange planned with the active co-operation of Germany, the sixty in october 1943 ..... of the 3867 german soldiers released by Oran in Algeria, 432 were disabled and 3534 "PP's" that is "Protected Persons", medical personnel, protected according to the Geneva ConvenctionsOriginally posted by mufasa View PostComment
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According to the Red Cross, soldiers could be repatriated if their health deteriorated, unless it was deemed medically unfeasible to move them (As was the case with RK holder Major Bach, whose cancer was quite aggressive and it was deemed that his best course of treatment was to remain in hospital in Toronto). As stated, they had to go before a board and be deemed worthy of parole. However, especially with the escalation of hostilities and the war in the Atlantic, politics greatly interfered with the process.
Another noted instance was immediately following the sinking of the Bismarck, a number of the sailors were picked up by the British navy (including my great uncle). Because of the destruction of the Hood, the British government fought tooth and nail to prevent any of the sailors being repatriated to Germany, despite the grievous condition that many of the sailors were in. Most met the Geneva Conventions requirements to be repatriated (the nature of their wounds, their likely inability to return to combat) but they were denied often due to allegations of hostility or being "uncooperative" with British authorities (only according to the officials, not the soldiers or officers overseeing the POWs themselves)Comment
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Here from a NZ site more interesting notices...
http://www.anzacpow.com/Part-5-Other..._repatriationsComment
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