Table of Contents
Where were Australian prisoners of war kept?
Officers and men were held in separate camps – Oflags and Stalags. In Wolfsberg camp one Australian warrant officer was appointed a kind of de facto commanding officer over 11,000 Allied prisoners of war held captive there. Most of the Australian Prisoners of War endured more than three years in captivity.
Where were prisoners of war kept?
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons.
Did Australia have prisoner of war camps?
At the peak of the war, Australia held more than 12,000 people in internment camps. Over the course of the war, internees included: 7000 Australian residents, including 1500 British nationals. 8000 people from overseas.
Where were Australian POWs kept in ww2 in Germany?
Prisoners were held in over 40 major camps all over Germany, from Lithuania to the Rhine. Officers and men were held in separate camps – Oflags and Stalags.
Where were Australian POWs taken by the Japanese?
In round figures, 22,000 Australians became prisoners of war of the Japanese in camps in Timor, Java, Sumatra, New Guinea, Ambon, Hainan, Borneo, Singapore, Malaya, Thailand, Burma and Manchuria.
How many Australians were captured in Singapore?
15,000 Australian soldiers
For Australia too, the fall of Singapore was a disaster. More than 15,000 Australian soldiers were captured. Of these, more than 7000 would die as prisoners of war.
How were Australian POWs treated in ww2?
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 happened to the Australian POWs in ww1?
Suffering from disease and starvation, four died in captivity. Other Australians were captured during the Gallipoli and Middle Eastern ground campaigns, and Australian airmen were also captured in what is now Iraq. One-quarter of Australian POWs died in Turkish captivity due to poor food and disease.
Where were Australian POW camps in ww2?
They were imprisoned in camps throughout Japanese-occupied territories in Borneo, Korea, Manchuria, Hainan, Rabaul, Ambon, Singapore, Timor, Java, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam and also Japan itself. At the end of the war only 13,872 of the POWs were recovered: one-third of the prisoners had died.
How did Australia treat their prisoners of war?
These POWs spent the rest of the war working on farms, in mines, forests and factories. Living conditions and treatment varied between work parties, but treatment could be harsh. The barracks in the camps were sometimes overcrowded, filthy and susceptible to disease outbreaks.
How did the Japanese treat Australian POWs?
The Japanese used many types of physical punishment. Some prisoners were made to hold a heavy stone above their heads for many hours. Others might be forced into small cells with little food or water. Tom Uren described how a young Aboriginal soldier was made to kneel on a piece of bamboo for a number of days.
When did Australia become a prisoner of war?
Indigenous Australians in service during World War II Australian Prisoners of War 1940-1945 More than 30,000 Australians became prisoners of war (POWs) between 1940 and 1945.
How many Australian prisoners of war were held in Wolfsberg?
In Wolfsberg camp one Australian warrant officer was appointed a kind of de facto commanding officer over 11,000 Allied prisoners of war held captive there. Most of the Australian Prisoners of War endured more than three years in captivity.
What was the main prisoner of war camp in Singapore?
Changi was the main prisoner-of-war camp in Singapore. Some 14,972 Australians captured at the fall of Singapore were imprisoned there (as drafts were sent away, the numbers at Changi declined, then after the completion of the Burma-Thailand Railway, numbers rose again).
How many Japanese prisoners of war died in Australia?
Of the 22,376 Australian prisoners of war captured by the Japanese, some 8,031 died while in captivity. After the end of the war, War Crimes Trials were held to investigate reports of atrocities, massacres and other causes of death.