How were the prisoners of war in ww2 treated?

The treatment of American and allied prisoners by the Japanese is one of the abiding horrors of World War II. Prisoners were routinely beaten, starved and abused and forced to work in mines and war-related factories in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions.

How badly did the Japanese treat prisoners of war?

The Japanese were very brutal to their prisoners of war. Prisoners of war endured gruesome tortures with rats and ate grasshoppers for nourishment. Some were used for medical experiments and target practice. About 50,000 Allied prisoners of war died, many from brutal treatment.

How were Australian POWs treated?

The most common form of punishment was face-slapping, often done with a hard instrument, such as a bamboo stick or a shovel. More severe beatings were also common.

What did the Allies do with POWs?

As World War II raged, Allies, such as Great Britain, were running short of prison space to house POWs. From 1942 through 1945, more than 400,000 Axis prisoners were shipped to the United States and detained in camps in rural areas across the country.

What were the worst conditions for POWs in WW2?

Forced labour camps. If double forced labour wasn’t bad enough, during their time as POWs Soviet soldiers were among the worst treated in WW2. For example, when the food available for use in camps became incredibly scarce, Colonel Eduard Wagner issued an order to let prisoners starve to death.

Which countries treated POWs humanely during WW2?

The United States, the UK, and Canada treated POWS humanely. The Germans treated western POWs humanely most of the time but not Soviet POWS. The Japanese mistreated POWS almost all the time.

What was it like in Japanese POW camps during WW2?

Japanese POW Camps During World War Two. Prisoners of war and Asian labourors worked side by side to build the 260 mile railroad by hand. They were expected to work from dawn to dusk, ten days on and one day off, moving earth, building bridges, blasting through mountains and laying track.

Why did the Vietnamese break the will of POWs?

Horror stories about the treatment of POWs by the Vietnamese are all too common. But a fact that’s commonly left out is why the Vietnamese actually did it. The reason was simply to break the will of the soldiers they’d captured.