Abstract
World War II left thousands of Allied POWs in the hands of Japanese and German military officials. POWs were to receive humanitarian treatment that consisted of adequate food, clothing, shelter, and protection from physical brutality. As the Second World War entered 1944-1945 conditions and treatment POWs received in Japanese and German camps began to deteriorate. The deterioration of POW camps across Europe and the Pacific created a sense of helplessness amongst Allied POWs. POWs received inadequate food rations, clothing, shelter, and were beaten daily. The atrocities that were committed at the expense of Allied POWs by German and Japanese military personnel stripped POWs of their humanity. The humanities of POWs were restored when their fellow Allied comrades liberated them in 1945. Following the official surrender of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, a series of post-war criminal trials was launched to prosecute German and Japanese officials for the atrocities they committed. The War Crime trials that followed the end of World War II brought justice to those who humiliated, beat, and executed prisoners during World War II.
Advisor
Rathbone, Keith
Department
History
Recommended Citation
Lemke, Keith, "Captivity, Execution, and Liberation: An Examination of Deteriorating Treatment within Japanese and German Prisoner of War Camps During World War II" (2016). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 7227.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/7227
Disciplines
Military History
Publication Date
2016
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2016 Keith Lemke