British Character and the Treatment of German Prisoners of War, 1939–48

Description

This book examines attitudes towards German held captive in Britain, drawing on original archival material including newspaper and newsreel content, diaries, sociological surveys and opinion polls, as well as official documentation and the archives of pressure groups and protest movements. Moving beyond conventional assessments of POW treatment which have focused on the development of policy, diplomatic relations, and the experience of the POWs themselves, this study refocuses the debate onto the attitude of the British public towards the standard of treatment of German POWs. In so doing, it reveals that the issue of POW treatment intersected with discussions of state power, human rights, gender relations, civility, and national character. Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction Axis POWs in Britain 1939–48 Historiography British Character and the Second World War Images of the Germans Sources Chapter Outline Chapter 2: Characteristic Decency or Dangerous Sentimentality? British Treatment of German POWs, 1939–43 Too Lenient? Camp Conditions and the Trauma of the Great War A Change in Tone: The Altmark Incident and the Deportation of German POWs The Mooted Exchange of POWs An Appropriate Response? The Shackling Crisis Conclusions Chapter 3: Atrocities and the Limits of Civility: British POW Treatment 1944–45 The ‘Second Wave’ of German POWs A Measure of Success: D-Day and the Capture of German POWs Intensifying Attitudes: Stalag Luft III and German Brutality The Liberation of Belsen Conclusions Chapter 4: Rubbing Shoulders with the Ex-Enemy: Fraternisation and Marriage Fraternisation Policy Stepping Out into Britain: The Relaxation of Non-Fraternisation Sex, Love and Marriage: German POWs and British Women Monica Cann and Herman Ganter Olive Reynolds and Werner Vetter Conclusions Chapter 5: ‘A Blot on Our Fair Name’? Indefinite Detention and Exploitation Protests over the Retention of POWs, March–August 1946 Save Europe Now Conclusions Chapter 6: After Liberation: Migration and the Memory of British POW Treatment Migration Memory Chapter 7: Conclusion Bibliography Primary Sources The National Archives, Kew, Surry (TNA) Hansard Mass-Observation Archive, University of Sussex (MOA) File Reports Topic Collections Diarists Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick (MRC) Trades Union Congress Archive 1920–1960 Newspapers British Newspaper Archive Online Periodicals Newsreels Films and Documentaries Contemporary Publications Web Resources Secondary Literature Books Chapters Articles Theses Index