Polish prisoners of war in World War II were soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces captured by Germany and the Soviet Union during and after their invasion of Poland in 1939 (see also Soviet invasion of Poland). Following the defeat of Poland, tens of thousands of Polish soldiers were interned in camps, with many subjected to forced labor, harsh conditions, and political repression. While some prisoners were later released or escaped to join resistance movements, others suffered severe mistreatment or were executed, most notably during the Katyn massacre.
In Germany
editDuring the German invasion of Poland, which started World War II, hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers became prisoners of war. During the invasion, Nazi Germany carried out a number of atrocities involving Polish prisoners of war (POWs). The first documented massacres of Polish POWs took place as early as the first day of the war;[1] : 11 others followed (ex. the Serock massacre of 5 September).[2]: 31 [3] During that period, the Wehrmacht is estimated to have mass-murdered at least 3,000 Polish POWs,[4]: 121 [5]: 241 with the largest atrocities being the Ciepielów massacre of 8 September 1939 (~300 victims) and the Zambrów massacre of 13–14 September (~200 victims).[3] Most of those atrocities are classified as war crimes of the Wehrmacht.[3]
Polish POWs were held in German camps (Oflags for officers and Stalags for soldiers of lower ranks). Conditions of Polish POWs have been described as "much worse" than those of Western Allies. Some prisoners died due to malnutrition and environmental conditions; for example in January 1940 a group of 2,000 sick POWs were decreed to be released and transported from Germany to Poland; however, a tenth of them have frozen to death during the transport.[2]: 34 Some POWs were used as forced laborers.[2]: 35 Few dozens Polish officers were executed after having been recaptured during the failed escape attempt in 1943 from the Oflag VI-B.[2]: 36
In the Soviet Union
editAs a result of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers became prisoners of war. Many of them were executed; 22,000 Polish military personnel and civilians perished in the Katyn massacre alone.[6][7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Datner, Szymon (1962). Crimes Committed by the Wehrmacht During the September Campaign and the Period of Military Government. Drukarnia Univ.
- ^ a b c d Chinnery, Philip D. (2018-04-30). Hitler's Atrocities Against Allied PoWs: War Crimes of the Third Reich. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-5267-0189-3.
- ^ a b c Sudoł, Tomasz (2011). "Zbrodnie Wehrmachtu na jeńcach polskich we wrześniu 1939 roku" [Wehrmacht crimes against Polish prisoners of war in September 1939] (PDF). Biuletyn Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. 8–9 (129–130). Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ Snyder, Timothy (2 October 2012). Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-03297-6. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ Böhler, Jochen (2006). Auftakt zum Vernichtungskrieg: die Wehrmacht in Polen 1939 (in German). Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-596-16307-6. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ Fischer, Benjamin B., "The Katyn Controversy: Stalin's Killing Field", Studies in Intelligence, Winter 1999-2000.
- ^ Sanford, George (2005). Katyn and the Soviet Massacre of 1940: Truth, Justice and Memory. Routledge. pp. 20–24. ISBN 978-0-415-33873-8.