Labour of POW

[rammjaeger]

I read Serbian and Russian POW were involved in construction of parts of FEA 6, Italian POW had to built parts of the airfield in Fürth etc etc.

The author of a book about WWI aviation claimed the use of POW for this kind of work was against the "Völkerrecht" and the convention of Geneva.

I wonder because I have seen many accounts about German POW who were forced to work in Russia or France too - even near the frontline under fire.

Did the accepted rules of war exclude this opportunity but did everybody ignore the convention or is the author simply in error in this case (and mixed later conventions with WWI)?

VBR
Rammjaeger

[Immo_Frese]

Hi Rammjäger,

according to the "Haager Landkriegsordnung" it was not allowed to use POW for military work...

Möglicherweise wurde der Einsatz beim Hallenbau auf einem Flugplatz als "grenzwärtig" in Bezug auf Absatz 1.2, Artikel 6 angesehen

Haager Landkriegsordnung Kriegsgefangene

Immo

[rammjaeger]

Danke, Immo!

In manchen Fällen scheinen die Gefangenen für Privatunternehmen garbeitet zu haben, welche wiederum militärische Aufträge abarbeiteten.

[NeilE]

Originally Posted by Immo_Frese

Hi Rammjäger,

according to the "Haager Landkriegsordnung" it was not allowed to use POW for military work...

Möglicherweise wurde der Einsatz beim Hallenbau auf einem Flugplatz als "grenzwärtig" in Bezug auf Absatz 1.2, Artikel 6 angesehen

Haager Landkriegsordnung Kriegsgefangene

Immo

Hmm...my grandfather, a British infantry soldier was captured in early 1918. He was put to work in a coal mine in Silesia. He had a slightly lame foot from that time as he was involved in an accident in the mine, involving a mine truck. Before he was sent to Silesia, he told the family that he had to dig trenches as part of a second line of defence. We never established just where this was however.

From what I have researched, officers did not often work but enlisted men certainly did, particularly as the war progressed and manpower shortages cut into the German labour pool.

Regards

Neil

[Michael]

It's spelled out in the Geneva Convention of 1914. As I recall, officers cannot be compelled to work, and in theory O.R.s aren't supposed to be doing work that directly supports the enemy war effort.

[Graeme]

There were four Geneva Conventions. The First Geneva Convention was agreed to in 1864 and provided for the protection of all medical facilities, their personnel and any civilians aiding the wounded. It also gave the Red Cross international recognition as a neutral medical group. The First convention was originally signed by 12 nations; the United States was not one of these.

The United States signed the Second Convention, which occurred in 1882; this extended the protection of the first convention to wounded combatants at sea and shipwrecked sailors.

The Third Geneva Convention was convened in 1929 and resulted in specific protections for prisoners of war.

The Fourth Geneva Convention was signed in 1949; this reaffirmed the requirements of the first three conventions and provided protections for civilians during wartime.

The "rules" relating to PoWs in place during the Great War were those defined at the Second Peace Conference in The Hague in 1907 and which entered into force on 26 January 1910. Article 6 will be of interest.

CHAPTER II

Prisoners of War

Art. 4 - Prisoners of war are in the power of the hostile Government, but not of the individuals or corps who capture them.

They must be humanely treated.

All their personal belongings, except arms, horses, and military papers, remain their property.

Art. 5 - Prisoners of war may be interned in a town, fortress, camp, or other place, and bound not to go beyond certain fixed limits, but they cannot be confined except as in indispensable measure of safety and only while the circumstances which necessitate the measure continue to exist.

Art. 6 - The State may utilize the labour of prisoners of war according to their rank and aptitude, officers excepted. The tasks shall not be excessive and shall have no connection with the operations of the war.

Prisoners may be authorized to work for the public service, for private persons, or on their own account.

Work done for the State is paid for at the rates in force for work of a similar kind done by soldiers of the national army, or, if there are none in force, at a rate according to the work executed.

When the work is for other branches of the public service or for private persons the conditions are settled in agreement with the military authorities.

The wages of the prisoners shall go towards improving their position, and the balance shall be paid them on their release, after deducting the cost of their maintenance.

Art. 7 - The Government into whose hands prisoners of war have fallen is charged with their maintenance.

In the absence of a special agreement between the belligerents, prisoners of war shall be treated as regards board, lodging, and clothing on the same footing as the troops of the Government who captured them.

Art. 8 - Prisoners of war shall be subject to the laws, regulations, and orders in force in the army of the State in whose power they are. Any act of insubordination justifies the adoption towards them of such measures of severity as may be considered necessary.

Escaped prisoners who are retaken before being able to rejoin their own army or before leaving the territory occupied by the army which captured them are liable to disciplinary punishment.

Prisoners who, after succeeding in escaping, are again taken prisoners, are not liable to any punishment on account of the previous flight.

Art. 9 - Every prisoner of war is bound to give, if he is questioned on the subject, his true name and rank, and if he infringes this rule, he is liable to have the advantages given to prisoners of his class curtailed.

Art. 10 - Prisoners of war may be set at liberty on parole if the laws of their country allow, and, in such cases, they are bound, on their personal honour, scrupulously to fulfil, both towards their own Government and the Government by whom they were made prisoners, the engagements they have contracted.

In such cases their own Government is bound neither to require of nor accept from them any service incompatible with the parole given.

Art. 11 - A prisoner of war cannot be compelled to accept his liberty on parole;

similarly the hostile Government is not obliged to accede to the request of the prisoner to be set at liberty on parole.

Art. 12 - Prisoners of war liberated on parole and recaptured bearing arms against the Government to whom they had pledged their honour, or against the allies of that Government, forfeit their right to be treated as prisoners of war, and can be brought before the courts.

Art. 13 - Individuals who follow an army without directly belonging to it, such as newspaper correspondents and reporters, sutlers and contractors, who fall into the enemy's hands and whom the latter thinks expedient to detain, are entitled to be treated as prisoners of war, provided they are in possession of a certificate from the military authorities of the army which they were accompanying.

Art. 14 - An inquiry office for prisoners of war is instituted on the commencement of hostilities in each of the belligerent States, and, when necessary, in neutral countries which have received belligerents in their territory. It is the function of this office to reply to all inquiries about the prisoners. It receives from the various services concerned full information respecting internments and transfers. releases on parole, exchanges, escapes, admissions into hospital, deaths, as well as other information necessary to enable it to make out and keep up to date an individual return for each prisoner of war. The office must state in this return the regimental number, name and surname, age, place of origin, rank, unit, wounds, date and place of capture, internment, wounding, and death, as well as any observations of a special character. The individual return shall be sent to the Government of the other belligerent after the conclusion of peace.

It is likewise the function of the inquiry office to receive and collect all objects of personal use, valuables, letters, etc., found on the field of battle or left by prisoners who have been released on parole, or exchanged, or who have escaped, or died in hospitals or ambulances, and to forward them to those concerned.

Art. 15 - Relief societies for prisoners of war, which are properly constituted in accordance with the laws of their country and with the object of serving as the channel for charitable effort shall receive from the belligerents, for themselves and their duly accredited agents every facility for the efficient performance of their humane task within the bounds imposed by military necessities and administrative regulations.

Agents of these societies may be admitted to the places of internment for the purpose of distributing relief, as also to the halting places of repatriated prisoners, if furnished with a personal permit by the military authorities, and on giving an undertaking in writing to comply with all measures of order and police which the latter may issue.

Art. 16 - Inquiry offices enjoy the privilege of free postage. Letters, money orders, and valuables, as well as parcels by post, intended for prisoners of war, or dispatched by them, shall be exempt from all postal duties in the countries of origin and destination, as well as in the countries they pass through.

Presents and relief in kind for prisoners of war shall be admitted free of all import or other duties, as well as of payments for carriage by the State railways.

Art. 17 - Officers taken prisoners shall receive the same rate of pay as of officers of corresponding rank in the country where they are detained, the amount to be ultimately refunded by their own Government.

Art. 18 - Prisoners of war shall enjoy complete liberty in the exercise of their religion, including attendance at the services of whatever church they may belong to, on the sole condition that they comply with the measures of order and police issued by the military authorities.

Art. 19 - The wills of prisoners of war are received or drawn up in the same way as for soldiers of the national army.

The same rules shall be observed regarding death certificates as well as for the burial of prisoners of war, due regard being paid to their grade and rank.

Art. 20 - After the conclusion of peace, the repatriation of prisoners of war shall be carried out as quickly as possible.

Graeme

[Barrett]

An outstanding post, Graeme. Thank you.

Reminds me of the tale my mother told. In WW2 her mom, being of the Democratic persuasion, was postmistress of our small town in Oregon. On one occasion Mother tried striking up a conversation with a good-looking blonde guy in fatigues but he just smiled and went on working. There was a POW camp up the river, and some Germans were employed moving the mail.

[rammjaeger]

Thanks for the translated text, Graeme!

POW working for the postal office - not a bad fate!
Nobody afraid of sabotage?