What happened to Japanese and German soldiers after the surrender of their countries?
Website 1: The History Channel
The history channel is also another reliable source. The website includes (1) an up to date year for the copyright on the bottom of the page, (2) up-to-date articles being posted daily, and (3) all working hyperlinks.
Website 2: Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a well known and somewhat reliable website. This site has several examples of credibility, such as (1) the .org in the URL, which means that its a non-profit organization. (2) The website contains many different hyper links, all which are working. (3) The website also has up-to-date articles being posted and has a works-cited section of the article.
Website 3: Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a well known and somewhat reliable website. This site has several examples of credibility, such as (1) the .org in the URL, which means that its a non-profit organization. (2) The website contains many different hyper links, all which are working. (3) The website also has up-to-date articles being posted and has a works-cited section of the article.
My Findings
Website 1:
During the war, the treatment of prisoners of war was supposedly governed by the Geneva Convention, a document formulated in 1929 in Switzerland and signed by the major western powers including Britain, Italy, the US and Germany. The armies of the Western Allies were under strict orders to treat Axis prisoners in line with the convention, something which generally occurred. Some abuses, however, such as the shooting of German POW'S by US troops, did take place. (Website 1). According to this article, any POW's under American control were supposed to be treated with fairness, which isn't how the German soldiers treated the Jewish prisoners during the holocaust, so some may argue that fair treatment is really unfair. Although escape from German camps was almost impossible for Allied POWs, inmates did stage several famous breakouts. (Website 1). The escape from German POW camps was extremely difficult, because many German soldiers were protecting these camps. For the German POW's living in Allied POW camps, it was also difficult to escape.
Website 2:
By the end of World War II there were from 560,000 to 760,000 Japanese POWs in the Soviet Union and Mongolia interned to work in labor camps. Of them, about 10% died (50–60,000), mostly during the winter of 1945–1946. (Website 2). Most of the Japanese soldiers during WW2 had either fought to the death of commited suicide instead of being a prisoner of the enemy. Of those who didnt, these soldiers were held captive and were forced to work in labor camps. The majority of Japanese who were held in the USSR did not consider themselves as "Prisoners of War" and referred to themselves as "internees", because they voluntarily laid down their arms after the official capitulation of Japan, i.e., after the end of the military conflict. The number of Japanese prisoners captured in combat was very small. (Website 2). The Japanese soldiers that were captured refused to be considered POW's because they would rather die than become a prisoner of the enemy. The number of Japanese prisoners was small because most of the soldiers either died or committed suicide.
Website 3:
The Office of the Provost Marshal General (OPMG) supervised the 425,000 German prisoners. They stayed in 700 camps in 46 states, although a complete list may not exist because of the small and temporary nature of some camps and the frequent use of satellite or sub-camps administratively part of larger units. Other than the barbed wire and watchtowers, the camps resembled standard United States or German military training sites;the Geneva Convention of 1929 required the United States to provide living quarters comparable to those of its own military, which meant 40 square feet (3.71 m²) for enlisted men and 120 square feet (11.15 m²) for officers. (Website 3). The purpose of the POW camps was to keep the enemy's soldiers held prisoner while using them for useful labor. Although some could argue that these camps were unfair, the POW's were treated pretty well given their circumstances. Prisoners could not be used in work directly related to the military work, or in dangerous conditions. The minimum pay for enlisted soldiers was $0.80 a day, roughly equivalent to the pay of an American private. In 1943 the government estimated that prisoner labor cost 50 to 75% of normal free labor. While language differences and risk of escape or unreliable work were disadvantages, prisoner workers were available immediately on demand and in the exact numbers needed.(Website 3). The POW's were used for work that would help the Americans recovery from the war. One of the biggest advantages of being a POW was the fact that they would get payed for their work.