#prisoners of war

[newyorkthegoldenage]

A group of wounded American soldiers arrive in New York on board the Swedish-American liner Gripsholm, February 21, 1945. The vessel was serving as an International Red Cross exchange ship during World War II, and brought home 1,209 U.S. prisoners of war freed from German camps.

Photo: Keystone/Getty Images/Audioburst

[cid5]

Three German prisoners, one wounded, captured in the attack on Vampire Farm near Potijze, during the Battle of the Menin Road, Sept 1917

[nando161mando]

The term is "prisoner of war".

[clove-pinks]

Hello friend! What do you know about prison ships in the War of 1812? I’m picking apart an article that says there was a prison hulk stationed in Salem (MA) Harbor which I had not heard of but I thought I’d ask the local War of 1812 Expert :)

First, my apologies for sitting on this ask for ten thousand years.

This sent me down a rabbit hole, because discussions about War of 1812 prison ships are almost all regarding American prisoners of war in the custody of the British, and not the other way around! I'm guessing that the article you found is '"Find a Hell before You Leave this World': Maritimers as Prisoners of War, 1812-1815" by Joshua M. Smith, particularly since Smith has written a lot about Maine during the War of 1812, and Wiscasset jail. Smith references prisoners of war gathered at Salem, Massachusetts for repatriation back to the Canadian Maritimes, and one unfortunate man who died from an illness contracted "while on board the prison ship" at Salem.

Conveniently, the primary source that Smith cites can be found online: the Salem Gazette (Salem, Mass.), March 24, 1815. There is little information to be gleaned from this source, however, which lists the death of George Collins, aged 15 years, under death notices. Poor Collins was "late a prisoner of war in Salem. His death was occasioned by a cold taken while on board the prison ship in this town; and being naturally of a weak constitution, he fell a victim to the severity and privations of the prison."

I found another reference to the prison ship (now called Aurora) in the Salem Gazette of December 27, 1814. The number of British prisoners on board the prison ship is 336 (which gives a hint of badly crowded conditions), but they have been treated to "tables loaded with roast turkeys, plumb puddings, and other good things which distinguish the Christmas," and the paper prints a notice of their gratitude:

A CARD. The British Prisoners of War on board the Aurora, prison ship, return their hearty thanks to the gentlemen of this town, for the liberal and generous provision made for them, in commemoration of the day of our Saviour's birth.

A less sanguine picture of the prison ship is in the Acadian Recorder of 25 June 1814. On pp. 2-3, a narrative titled "Yankee Prison" from a "plain jack-tar" last held at Salem describes cruel punishments and appalling conditions. The sailor is held at Wiscasset jail after a forced march from the Fox Islands, but the worst is yet to come:

We were again removed to Salem, the worst of all places. Here we had a new Captain over the guard and us. This gentleman and the captain of the ship were the only humane men I have seen in America [...] The captain of the ship was never on board more than one hour out of 24, unless on business with the Marshal. The chief mate had sole command, and he was an imperious villain, whose only delight was in the destruction of his fellow men. He now had an opportunity with all his vile crew, to gratify their infernal spirits, not only by daily abuses, but by feeding us on what they thought proper, such as salt beef that stunk so bad, it could not be eaten [....] What would you think to be a prisoner of war, and see one of the guard over you, cock his gun and clap it to your breast, and swearing by the great God he would put a ball through you for getting upon the windlass bits to hang up a shirt to dry; or to have another beating you over the back with his sword, because you could not get down below faster? Behold another go down in the yard, and with his sword cut down all the cloathes-lines, and then cut your few rags that his countrymen had not stolen, all to pieces; to show that he would serve us the same if he dared [...] All this you must put up with, otherwise go in the black hole, as they call it; where you must lay ten days in irons, for the least offence besides being deprived of one third of your provisions.

The writer, who signed his narrative "T.D.," also describes overcrowded conditions and reports that the prison ship leaked badly.

Probably the best single source of information that I have found on American prison ships in the War of 1812 is the 1964 PhD dissertation of Anthony George Dietz: THE PRISONER OF WAR IN THE UNITED STATES DURING THE WAR OF 1812. I have not found much about the Aurora of Salem specifically: my search is frustrated by the fact that this evidently popular name for ships was used by multiple prison ships around the same time period.

[thegirlwhohid]

Yesterday, after two years in russian captivity, my sister-in-law's friend returned home.

His relatives didn't recognize him. Shaved head, morbidly thin, quiet, and with an empty stare - he looked nothing like himself. His mother, though, who kept fighting for her son and for his brothers-in-arms, who organized rallies to remind everyone about the prisoners of war and conditions in the russian prisons - she recognized him. I saw the video of their first meeting, how she hugged him and told him everything would be fine now.

The worst part? He didn't recognize her.

[queenwille]

say it’s true and that smug “tHe iSrAeLi AiRsTRiKeS KiLLeD tHeM” is correct, why were a 4 year old and a 9 months baby with their mother held captive in gaza?

their caskets said very clearly in hebrew DATE OF THE ARREST: 7/10/2023, even though they cannot be considered Prisoners of War. since it’s still not clear to some of you why though, let’s take a look at the international law, shall we?

who are POW?

as you can see, some civilians can be considered POW, if they were armed when taken, or accompanied the armed forces (for example, the israeli SHABAK are considered civilians under the israeli law, but could very easily be considered POW). obviously not two babies.

there isn’t even a law for children, since it’s such an unthinkable act. shiri as the mother of small children, should have been released straight away with the kids back in november 2023 with the other mothers and children, before they were murdered (the fact that they had to wait 50+ days and that israel had to pay with terrorist for their illegal taking is unthinkable as well, but for a different post).

[sophieinwonderland]

I have been reading your posts about Republicans. Honestly, the only good Republican in modern times I can name is the late John McCain. Agree with him or not, he was a good man at least. The face of Mitch McConnell when McCain refused to repeal Obamacare was priceless. He refused to repeal it because he knew that just repealing it would leave a ton of Americans without healthcare while waiting for a replacement, which could take years considering how slow politics often is (assuming they even had a plan to begin with).

I find it very difficult to believe Mitch McConnell wasn't aware of the fact it would take a long time to replace Obamacare with something that may or may not be better and that in the meantime numerous Americans would be without healthcare.

It's honestly sickening to think about.

I agree!

It's also worth noting this moment from John McCain's run for President:

Something I want to focus on here though is that it shows pretty well how even as John McCain was running a respectable campaign, the Republican PEOPLE were already becoming Trump's electorate.

There's this myth that I sometimes see that presents Trump as being a corrupting figure that somehow turned Republicans bad. And the Republican voters just are swept up in it.

So I think it's worth looking back at the time the Republican frontrunner tried countering the racist fearmongering about Obama, and HIS crowed booed him for it.

It's no surprise that this crowd would later support Trump as he mocked McCain for being a prisoner of war.

"He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured,”

As far as I'm concerned, most Republicans have been this for a while. Trump just gave them permission to embrace their hate more publicly.

[adrl-pt]

First Russian Military Operation Outside Its Territory. Ukrainian Armed Forces Combat Operations in Kursk Region.

You are watching the news from the weekly rally at the Russian Embassy in Lisbon. Today is August 10, 2:30 PM.

The five-day war in Georgia from August 8 to 12, 2008, was Russia's first "special operation" outside its territory. Journalist Georgy Kobaladze says that Georgian authorities commemorate the anniversary on August 7, marking the Ossetian army's attack on a Georgian village near Tskhinvali as the beginning. https://www.svoboda.org/a/kapkan-i-vtorzhenie-15-let-s-nachala-rossiysko-gruzinskoy-voyny/32538906.html

The Ossetians trace the origins of the war with Georgia back to 1989, when the USSR was collapsing. https://www.bbc.com/russian/features-45106205

After the Dagomys Agreement, Georgia maintained difficult but peaceful relations with the regions of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia). In 2008, Georgia began to consider joining NATO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE7_p7WISo4

Matthew Bryza, who was involved in the US mediation plan for this war, told Dozhd in an interview how steps to contain Russia were removed during the process of working with the German Foreign Ministry. https://youtu.be/uK6pyU5DuQM?feature=shared&t=294

The human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" in its research discusses violations of humanitarian law on both sides, including systematic arson, robbery, and beatings of residents of Georgian villages by South Ossetian forces after the withdrawal of Georgian troops. https://www.hrw.org/reports/georgia0109ruweb.pdf

In 2021, the Strasbourg court found that Russia exercised control over Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region and therefore bears responsibility for these violations. The Russian representative stated in court that the fragments of the Iskander missile used by Russia, presented by the Georgian side, were stolen, dismantled, and planted by the CIA. https://www.bbc.com/russian/features-55737376

Volunteer and activist David Katsarava said in an interview with Dozhd: "For us, the war against Ukraine is a continuation of ours." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK6pyU5DuQM

Since August 6, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been conducting an operation in the Kursk region. The combat zone has already reached 430 square kilometers. The YouTube channel "The Insider" reported briefly on the situation: people are evacuating on their own, Putin is distributing the usual 10 thousand rubles, and Russian generals ignored reports of Ukrainian forces concentrating on the border. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vbljcaYy1k

On August 9, politician Yulia Navalnaya stated: "Putin's war has finally come to Russia." She addressed those aiding Putin's war efforts: "No one will forget what you did to our country. You are working for a killer, but it's never too late to stop." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-HoR9OJ6mU

On August 7, Vladimir Osechkin held a stream on his YouTube channel in memory of Oleksandr Ishchenko, a member of the Azov regiment who was killed in Russian captivity, and called for information about this crime to be sent to him for investigation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBi3sO5Rq5M

Azov commander Svyatoslav Palamar published a forensic medical examination report on his Facebook page confirming the brutal murder and violation of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/FWoEAf9XxGmrShd2/

On January 12 of this year, the Memorial Human Rights Center recognized prisoners of war from the Ukrainian Azov Regiment as political prisoners, as they consider the Supreme Court's decision to recognize the Azov Regiment as a terrorist organization to be unlawful. https://memopzk.org/news/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnymi-voennoplennyh-iz-ukrainskogo-polka-azov/

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[cid5]

American soldiers captured by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army near the Chosin Reservoir. November 1950.

[nando161mando]

Tomato tomato

[bruceburgdorf]

When Santa’s Elves Were German

German POWs held at St Erth, Cornwall making toys

Between the years 1945 and 1948 400,000 Axis POW’s were imprisoned in UK Prisoner of War camps.

During these years thousands of Christmas toys were made by the former Wehrmacht soldiers and initially given to orphaned children and children of injured British soldiers however many other children can remember receiving the extremely well made toys which were made primarily from scrap materials.

A jewellery box made by the POWs at St Erth of which the recipient still lives in the village.

A musical box made by German POWs in the UK.

In my current village of St Erth, Cornwall many of the villagers can remember the POWs and a few continued to visit after the war and often their families get in touch on the village Facebook page.

The POWs were given a number of freedoms in the years after the war and many of them worked for the village farmers in their fields and lived in their homes alongside their families. Some of the prisoners were little older than boys and the villagers received letters from their parents thanking them for their kind treatment.

At least two of the POWs settled in the village after the war and a few returned for holidays and often a reunion was held at the village pub.

The POWs also built the first mechanical water pump for the village which still stands today.

The St Erth village water pump built by POWs in 1943.

[awesome-casuallyfamouscollector]

Americans who spent time in Russian captivity (after came to Russia on own their will) vs. Ukrainians who spent time in Russian captivity (after they fought protecting own country), August 2024...

[stromuprisahat]

The common Swedish soldiers, over 15,000 of them, were treated more severely. They, too, were offered a chance to enter Peter's service (an entire regiment of 600 Swedish dragoons served under a German colonel against the Kuban Tatars). But many refused and were sent to do forced labor. Some worked in the mines in the Urals and others were employed in the dockyards or on the fortifications of St. Petersburg. Although records were kept of the whereabouts of interned officers, none were kept of the common soldiers. Many were in towns or on the estates of the Russian nobility, and married and settled down to life in the Russian church and Russian society. When peace finally came in 1721, twelve years after Poltava, and the Swedish prisoners were allowed to go home, only about 5,000 of Charles' proud grenadiers, the remnant of an army of 40,000, could be found to return to the towns and villages of their native Sweden.

Peter the Great: His Life and World (Robert K. Massie)

[ceevee5]

[clove-pinks]

I was reading an (open source) journal article last night about the medical treatment of American POWs in the War of 1812.

A British officer inspecting the sick in hospital, 1813.

The gist of the article is that American claims of mistreatment are overblown, and most prisoners received adequate medical care (under the circumstances) from their British captors. Relevant to my interests in both military history and the history of medicine, it gives an overview of the treatment of wounds and illness and the results. The author notes:

Few formal conventions dealt with the treatment of prisoners of war during the period. While it was common for combatant nations to agree upon temporary conventions once hostilities commenced, generally it was quasi-chivalric sentiments, notions of Christian conduct, and a sense of humanitarian obligation that moderated treatment of prisoners, allowing, for example, parole for officers and sometimes for enlisted personnel and care for sick and wounded soldiers.

It seems odd that military personnel could switch between trying to kill the enemy and trying to save his life with medical intervention, but it's well-known that soldiers actually don't like killing people (see Men Against Fire by S.L.A. Marshall and numerous other studies).