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A thread covering Prisoners of War, the camps, escapes & evasions, construction, prisoner and camp policy and liberation plus any other aspects people feel fits here.

Aussie Rick as our Moderator I hope this thread is okay but please move to adapt as you see fit.

A new book:
The Real Great Escape by Guy Walters

Description
In early 1942 the Germans opened a top-security prisoner-of-war camp in occupied Poland for captured Allied airmen. Called Stalag Luft III, the camp soon came to contain some of the most inventive escapers ever known.

They were led by Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, code-named 'Big X', who masterminded an attempt to smuggle hundreds of POWs down a tunnel built right under the noses of their guards.

The escape would come to be immortalised in the famous film, The Great Escape, in which the ingenuity and bravery of the men was rightly celebrated. The plan involved multiple tunnels, hundreds of forged documents, as well as specially made German uniforms and civilian clothing.

In this book Guy Walters takes a fresh look at this remarkable event and asks the question, what was the true story, not the movie version? He also examines what the escape really achieved, and the nature of the man who led it.

The Real Great Escape is the first account to draw on a newly-released cache of documents from Roger Bushell's family, including letters from Bushell, that reveals much about this remarkable man, his life and experiences during the war, and the planning of the escape attempt that was to make him famous.

The result is a compelling and authoritative re-evaluation of the most iconic escape story of the Second World War.

A book I read many years ago giving a voice to the men charged with guarding Colditz Castle by Reinhold Eggers

A couple of others:
by Tony Rennell

by Richard Foot Note the author is referred to normally as M.R.D Foot. He was involved in special operations during WWII and died this year

by Oliver Clutton-Brock

by Felicity Goodall

No problem's Geevee, it fits in nicely. It's not a topic I read much about sad to say but I did recently enjoy one of the books you mentioned:

by Tony Rennell

I have copy of this book that I am yet to read, it covers Australian POW's in Europe:

by Peter Monteath
Description:
Australians from every field of conflict in WW2 found themselves as prisoners in Hitler's notorious Stalags, or prisoner of war camps. Whether captured merchant seamen, bomber crews or soldiers taken in North Africa or the disastrous Greek and Cretan campaigns, they were to see out the war in the heart of Hitler's Europe, their fortunes intimately connected to the fortunes of the Reich.

Most were forced to labour in factories, down mines or on the land � often in conditions of enormous privation and hardship. All suffered from shortages, overcrowding and the mental strain of imprisonment. Some tried to escape, a few successfully, a few paying with their lives. The experiences of Australian POWs in Germany has long been overshadowed by the horrors of Japanese imprisonment, yet their stories of courage, stoicism, suffering and endurance deserve to be told.

Peter Monteath's fascinating narrative history is exhaustively researched, and compelling in its detailed evocation.

Read this one a while ago..

Dare to be Free - One of the Greatest True Stories of World War II

I'd recommend Escape from Shangra La, if you haven't read it yet. it's not really a POW book, but it's a great story about a group of nurses and officers who went on an excursion flight over New Guinea at the end of WWII over a recently discovered hidden valley only to go down. most of the folks on the flight were killed in the crash, but several survived and were eventually rescued by members of a Filipino Ranger unit. took quite a while to figure out how the hell to get them out though.

Great recommendations Tom and George, many thanks!

Some other great POW stories..

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption

Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath

Two excellent recommendations Tom, both books have received some excellent reviews. I have a copy of the first book which I need to try and read soon.

Here are two very good books on POW's in the Pacific theatre that I found to be an excellent accounts:


by Cameron Forbes

by Gavan Daws

This book offers a different aspect of WW2 POW's:

by Gregory F. Michno
Description:
Gregory Michno was born in Detroit in 1948. His father was a submariner in World War II aboard the USS Pampanito, one of the many submarines, which hunted in packs in the seas around south east Asia, and which sunk many Japanese ships carrying POWs.

This well researched and documented book is crammed with personal accounts of the many movements of POWs to meet the Japanese demand for slave labour as they advanced through south east Asia, the conflicting calls from Japan to replace men enlisted into the ever increasing armed forces. It is not a book for the squeamish for many of the accounts of the conditions in which men were transported, and their efforts to survive, are truly harrowing.

Underlying this story of unrelenting horror, which some have said is too terrible for a book, is the recent revelation that the Allies had, in the spring of 1943, cracked the code used by the Japanese when signalling ship movements. Thereafter everything the Allies needed to know about ships' times, routes and cargoes was passed to the submarines hunting them. Not surprisingly increased dramatically through 1943 and 1944 and though hard pressed shipyards added 465,000 tons to the fleet, losses of 1,809,000 tons reduced the total tonnage at sea to 1,466,000, 23% of what the Japanese had started the war with. In the process America lost more POWs by 'friendly fire' than in the battle for Okinawa the bloodiest of all Pacific battles.

This book is a reminder of the number of other nationalities, including civilians, who suffered at the hands of the Japanese. The detail and human stories it provides complement the essential facts of Van Waterford's book Prisoners of the Japanese in World War II. In the latter for example the last draft from Hong Kong to Japan is recorded as a single journey of just 6 days. It was however a 17 days three leg marathon as one clapped out hulk was exchanged another at Formosa and patched up in Shanghai.

For any research into the war in the Pacific this is a valuable companion to Van Waterford. It has an equally extensive list of references and bibliography.

Review:
"...belongs in every sophisticated collection of WW II history." - Choice

As mentioned by Tom, I have (cover/edition I own), but have yet to get a chance to read it. If anyone knows of any POW books regarding Bulgaria, I'd be really interested. My grandfather was a POW there after being shot down. I think I was once told the book Those Who Fall: An Unforgettable Chronicle of War in the Air mentions it, but haven't had a chance to read it to find out for myself unfortunately.

I can't think of any books that I know of that cover POW's in Bulgaria Chrissy but hopefully someone in the group may know of a book that covers that subject.

Here are some very good books that have not been mentioned:

The Last Escape by John Nichol & Tony Rennell

No Ordinary Joes by Larry Colton

Given Up For Dead: American GI's In The Nazi Concentration Camp At Berga by Flint Whitlock (not to be confused with Whit Flintlock)

Zemke's Stalag by Hubert Zemke (a friend of mine was in camp with Zemke)

The Last Mission Of The Wham Bam Boys by Gregory A. Freeman

In The Shadows Of War by Thomas Childers

The Great Escape From Stalag Luft III by Tim Carroll (I am very interested in reading Guy Walters book on this escape)

Fatal Crossroads: The Untold Story Of The Malmedy Massacre by Danny S. Parker

Some good books there Dr. Michael, although The Last Escape has been mentioned a few times :)

I have a copy of Fatal Crossroads that I will have to try and read soon.

by Danny S. Parker
Description:
On December 17, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, more than eighty unarmed United States soldiers were shot down after having surrendered to an SS unit near the small crossroads town of Malmédy, Belgium. Although more than thirty men lived to tell of the massacre, exactly what took place that day remains mired in controversy. Was it just a "battlefield incident" or rather a deliberate slaughter? Who gave the orders: infamous SS leader Jochen Peiper or someone else? Fatal Crossroads vividly reconstructs the critical events leading up to the atrocity--for the first time in all their revealing detail--as well as the aftermath. Danny S. Parker spent fifteen years researching original sources and interviewing more than one hundred witnesses to uncover the truth behind the Malmédy massacre. The result is riveting.

Hi Aussie Rick, some folks have found Parker's book a bit redundant with so many witnesses (survivors) telling the same story but I won't criticize him for that. The late Charles Whiting wrote a book called Massacre At Malmedy. I have several books by Whiting but I read his book regarding Ernest Hemingway's time in WWII and it was so full of misinformation (one of my degrees is in Literature, Hemingway being my area of concentration) that it soured me on Whiting. There is another short book by John M. Bauserman called The Malmedy Massacre which is quite interesting.

Hi Dr. Michael,

Thanks for the information on those books covering the Malmedy Massacre. The last one you mentioned sounded very interesting so I have found some additional information in case other members are interested.

by John M. Bauserman
Reviews:
"The Malmedy Massacre occurred on December 17, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge. A U.S. Army convoy inadvertently became involved in unplanned combat, surrendered after a brief fight and were herded into a field and methodically gunned down by the Germans. Bauserman's reconstruction of events before, during and after the atrocity is so meticulous that he is able to diagram the position of each of the 86 GIs in the convoy and to locate where each fell on the killing field. The narrative of the massacre itself, drawn from statements by German veterans and Belgian civilians, captures the horror of the moment. In one vignette a German rifleman stands patiently by as a U.S. medic binds up a fellow GI's wounds, then shoots them both. Bauserman describes how the frozen bodies were recovered three weeks later by the Army's graves-registration personnel. Several autopsy reports are presented in the appendices, along with photos of the corpses. For those drawn to objective studies of mass death in a military context, Bauserman's is of high caliber." - Publishers Weekly

"Bauserman, a social studies teacher in Loudoun County, Virginia, has written a detailed analysis of one of the most notorious massacres of American troops during the Battle of the Bulge. This battle, known as the Eifel Counteroffensive by the Germans, lasted from December 16, 1944 to January 20, 1945 and was meant to split Allied Forces near the Belgian-German border. The massacre took place on Sunday, December 17, north of Ligneuville, Belgium, and was committed by "Kamfgruppe Pieper" of the First SS Panzer Division. Bauserman provides detailed information on all aspects of this atrocity, including possible German motivations, German and American versions of the events, and the recovery and examination of the bodies of slain Americans. Eight appendixes provide information on topics such as autopsy reports, locations of remains, and survivors. Unfortunately, the book appears to be a reworked research paper; fully one-third is taken up by the appendixes, and the rest reads like a technical report. Recommended only for comprehensive World War II collections." - Library Journal

This is pretty good book



This is the story of the most successful POW escape from the Japanese - 12 people ( 10 Americans and 2 Philipinos ) walked away from the Japanese work camp at Davao on Mindanao. They were led by William Dyess ( for whom Dyess AFB is named ). Once they got back there story was supressed by the war dept for over a year,

This book is great

Prisoners of War by Ronald H. Bailey.

A comprehensive book on the prisoner-of-war camp systems of all the major participants. It describes in detail camp conditions and camp life in the different countries and the challenges prisoners faced.

Also fascinating are the various and ingenious means of escape that prisoners devised. You'll just LOVE that part.

Sounds like an interesting book Happy, why was the story supressed do you know?

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Sounds like an interesting book Happy, why was the story supressed do you know?"

According to Lukas the offical reason was to "protect" other POWs in Japanese hands. The powers that be feared what the Japanese would do to the prisoners if their treatment of POWs became known. The unoffical reason was that Washington didn't want to inflame public opinion and force a change in the Europe first policy

Interesting, thanks for that additional information.

Here are a few that have not been mentioned

The Beasts of Buchenwald: Karl & Ilse Koch, Human-Skin Lampshades, and the War-Crimes Trial of the Century

Much has been written about the Nazi concentration camps, but one camp--Buchenwald--stands out as the most horrific of them all. THE BEASTS OF BUCHENWALD is the story of Buchenwald's brutal first commandant, Karl Koch, and his equally brutal wife, Ilse. Their reign of terror, which included beatings, torture, and the killing of helpless inmates so their tattooed skin could adorn lampshades and other personal items, ended with Karl's execution for embezzlement and Ilse's war-crimes trial of the century.

A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy

Thomas Buergenthal, now a Judge in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, tells his astonishing experiences as a young boy in his memoir A LUCKY CHILD. He arrived at Auschwitz at age 10 after surviving two ghettos and a labor camp. Separated first from his mother and then his father, Buergenthal managed by his wits and some remarkable strokes of luck to survive on his own. Almost two years after his liberation, Buergenthal was miraculously reunited with his mother and in 1951 arrived in the U.S. to start a new life. Now dedicated to helping those subjected to tyranny throughout the world, Buergenthal writes his story with a simple clarity that highlights the stark details of unimaginable hardship. A LUCKY CHILD is a book that demands to be read by all.

Moonless Night: The World War Two Escape Epic

From the moment he was shot down to the final whistle, Jimmy James' one aim as a POW of the Germans was to escape.The Great Escaper describes his experiences and those of his fellow prisoners in the most gripping and thrilling manner. The author made more than 12 escape attempts including his participation in The Great Escape, where 50 of the 76 escapees were executed in cold blood on Hitler's orders.On re-capture, James was sent to the infamous Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp where, undeterred, he tunneled out. That was not the end of his remarkable story.Moonless Night has strong claim to be the finest escape story of the Second World War.

Thanks for adding these Regina. Jimmy James's book is supposed to be good.

Geevee wrote: "Thanks for adding these Regina. Jimmy James's book is supposed to be good."

It is incredibly well done. It is interesting how the Nazi's respected the airment initially and how that changed over the course of time. I visited Sachsenhausen, one of the camps where James was held, when I was in Germany in April. I picked the book up there after the tour.

Found this one today looks good bySönke Neitzel

Got a copy on order and it should be arriving soon :)

Michael, Rick, could I have your inputs about this book?
Thanks:)

As soon as mine arrives I will give you a quick update :)

yess please;)

Funny enough my copy arrived today Morgiana. From the cover:


On a visit to the British National Archive in 2001, Sonke Neitzel made a remarkable discovery: reams of meticulously transcribed conversations among German POWs that had been covertly recorded and recently declassified. Neitzel would later find another collection of transcriptions, twice as extensive, in the National Archive in Washington, D.C. These were discoveries that would provide a unique and profoundly important window into the true mentality of the soldiers in the Wehrmacht, the Luftwaffe, the German navy, and the military in general—almost all of whom had insisted on their own honorable behavior during the war. Collaborating with renowned social psychologist Harald Welzer, Neitzel examines these conversations—and the casual, pitiless brutality omnipresent in them—from a historical and psychological perspective, and in reconstructing the frameworks and situations behind these conversations, they have created a powerful narrative of wartime experience.

This is the list of contents/chapter covered in the book:

What the Soldiers Discussed
The Soldiers World
Fighting, Killing, and Dying
Frame of Reference: Annihilation
Sex
Technology
Faith in Victory
Ideology
Success
Frame of Reference: War
How National Socialist Was the Wehrmacht’s War?
War as Work

Appendix: The Surveillance Protocols

From a quick browse it looks pretty interesting, this is a quote from Sir Ian Kershaw about the book:

"These extraordinary bugged conversations reveal through the eyes of German soldiers with stark clarity and candor the often brutal reality of the Second World War, providing remarkable insight into the mentality and behaviour of the Wehrmacht."

Sound like an awesome read

Rick, I just can hope you finish it quickly and give us an detailled update about this book.
I agree with Michael, it will be an awesome read.
Lucky you!
:)

Worse luck I've got a few books that I have to read before I can get to this one but I will try and read it as soon as possible :)

oh, so you need to pleace this book on the top of your neat TBR-pile???
;)

that would mean AR would have to get the really big ladder out.

Morgiana wrote: "oh, so you need to pleace this book on the top of your neat TBR-pile???
;)"

I have multiple piles stashed around the house for ease of access :)

On a visit to the British National Archive in 2001, Sonke Neitzel made a remarkable discovery: reams of meticulously transcribed conve..."

This sounds incredibly interesting!

It looks like a very unique book Helen, secretly listening in on German POW's talking about a range of issues from WW2.

I definitely want to read this one.

Geevee wrote: "A new book:
The Real Great Escape by Guy Walters

Description
In early 1942 the Germans opened a top-security prisoner-of-war camp in occupied Poland for captured Allied airmen. Called Stalag Luft ..."

The book, "Sage," gives a view of The Great Escape from the vantage point of American POWS who took part in some of the planning. Col. Jerry Sage was an OSS officer captured behind German lines. To avoid being summarily executed, he convinced the Germans he was a downed American pilot. He was at Stalag Luft III during the tunneling. However, he and the other American POWs were moved to another camp before the big escape.

Col Sage, however, was an escape master. He was the basis for the character Steve McQueen played in the movie. Like the McQueen character, Col. Sage led the Germans on a long distance hunt (on foot, not motorcycle) before being recaptured.

I had the honor of interviewing Col. Sage many, many years ago for an article I did on the OSS training camp on Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California.

Sounds like an interesting book of a very interesting man. Thanks for the information on Colonel Sage, I am sure some of the members will appreciate your efforts Martin.

Martin, is there a link to that article you wrote? I'm interested to read it.

Just finished reading RETURN FROM THE RIVER KWAI, an interesting and detailed story of Burma Railway survivors who's ships were torpedoed while being sent to Japan. There are two parallel stories, one the POW's journey from Burma to Singapore and then on by boat. At the same time there is the story of the Americans sending submarines to attack the same convoy. The two stories converge with the sinking and eventual rescue of some of the Australian and British POW's. A very personal account that follows a number of those involved.

Ship of Ghosts by James Hornfischer. It's a naval story, an army story, a POW story of survival on the Burma Railroad. Highly recommend, along with all of Hornfischer's works. I wish he could research and write faster!

Thanks Christi - I've added it to my TBR
by James D. Hornfischer

I also want to read his

Two good books by the looks of it Christi, I have a copy of Neptune's Inferno that I need to try and read soon.

by James D. Hornfischer