Jewish PoWs

[the hairy bloke]

A question, I hope doesn't turn nasty.

How were American and British Jews treated if captured by German forces during WWII?

 

[filfoster]

Reading history for over 50 years, I don't recall much on this. Hope there are some good posts.

I've done the obvious Google searches, see, e.g.:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=25690
and not much there either except to suggest they (Jewish POW's) were not immediately mistreated in the main, at least at the luft stalags, and there wasn't an obvious Wehrmacht policy to deal with them-a rare lapse for the Germans. As you'd expect, the situation was more grim for Red Army Jewish POW's on the Eastern Front.

 

[Stearmen]

I have heard over the past 20 years, several Americans who were POWs and Jewish, that the Germans demanded all Jews should be handed over immediately! In every case, the senior Officer or NCO refused the order, and apparently, the German camp Commandant's did not pursue it any farther. All these men attributed the courage of their superiors to their own survival!

 

[MisterCairo]

And as tempted as the German higher political commanders would have been, the repercussions of any mistreatment of PWs would have become known to the Allies, and retaliation of some sort taken against German PWs in allied hands.

There was the example of the Germans shackling Canadians captured at Dieppe after they had heard that Canada had shackled some German prisoners.

Too risky at the end of the day.

 

[Stearmen]

It should be pointed out, some of the repeat escaping POWs were sent to concentration camps. None were put to death. I am not sure if any were Jews though? It was a way to stop escapes, they would either be worked to death or to week to escape.

 

[Story]

Roger Cohen's book Soldiers and Slaves tells the story of 350 American GIs sent to labor camps by the Germans during World War II. They were Jewish or suspected of being Jews. More than 70 died in captivity. Cohen and camp survivor Gerald Daub discuss the book.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4672288

 

[filfoster]

Thanks, Story. That's worth a look.