Differences Between Pow Camps Essay Example for Free

Differences Between Pow Camps Essay These prisoners would be sent to camp where they would be forced to do different kinds of work. Depending on what country you got captured by, what would happen to you would differ. This essay will focus on three of the different kinds of camps, the Germans, the Japanese, and the Allies. In Germany, before being taken away to a camp, prisoners had to pass an interrogation. Because of the Geneva Convention prisoners only had to give their name, rank, and serial number. German camps were usually rows of barracks enclosed by a barbed fence, lined with guard towers. These towers contained guards that would shoot any escaping prisoner. POWs were given two meals a day consisting of soup and bread, though this was not enough, and most had to coop with hunger. Sometimes the Red Cross would bring items such as butter, chocolate, or condensed milk. Only some of men had to work while the others had to survive from the boredom. When weather was nice the prisoners were allowed to play a wide variety of sports and sometimes they even got to enjoy concerts put on by German bands. Out of the 140,000 Prisoners of war in Japanese camps, about one third of them died from starvation, punishment for disobedience, and disease. The POWs were treated very poorly because the Japanese did not follow the rules set in place by the Geneva Convention. The POWs were forced to work in mines, fields, shipyards and factories for twelve hours a day. If any disobedience was sensed in a prisoner, they would be beaten. The little food they were given included soy beans, seaweed, rice, and once a month, fish. Escape from Japanese camps was very rare. When somebody was caught trying to escape they would be killed in front of other prisoners. In some camps ten prisoners would be killed for every one prisoner that was caught escaping. You would be treated either poorly or nicely in allied camps, depending on whether you were captured by Soviets or by English and Americans. If sent to Russia, POWs were given little food and were forced to take aggressive classes on communist ideals. Of the 90,000 Germans captured, about only 5,000 returned from Russia, and most of them were only let out ten years after the war had ended. Prisoners in America and Britain got it much better. Never short of food, were Prisoners always well fed. Medical supplies were always available and POWs were always taken care of. Though little, Prisoners were paid for the work they did for the Allies. Thousands of them attempted to escape, but all were recaptured. There is only one known escape in North America.