Sexual Intercourse in Prisoner of War Camps

POW's of the Japanese, never seen anything along these lines.

Of the veterans I have met that ended up prisoners of the Japanese, all said that food became the total focus of their existence and sex (of whatever kind) just wasn't discussed.


Bamboo, I've read many books on the FEPOW experience and almost all agree with your comment. Malnourishment removed all other concerns.

However there are a few stories. I recall in a book the author (a fepow) claims some prisoners both British and Dutch had Javanese male teen sexual partners, over which fights could occur for ownership.
Also some men were known to trade/pay for sex with local women whilst on working parties out of camp.

There's a story of two Korean guards in the hold of a Hellship interfering with each other described in another account, the POW's had no option but to witness this act having nowhere to go.

I'll have a dig around and see if I can find the books in question.

Derek.

 

Thanks Drew for posting an interesting document.It reveals the logic of the master race in the protection of the Third Reich's womanfolk.

I would say that the document relates to sentences given to POWs who were found out to have sexual relationships with German women.As I have said previously in this discussion,such sexual activity between the likes of Slavs,whether POWs or not and the German woman,would have led to a summary death sentence for the Slav.

 

... what happened in the end to Roehm could hardly be called "tolerant" :p

I don't think that was the main motive, I think it was "nobody f**** with the Führer"

-_-

 

you still have to remember that homosexuality was illegal during the 1940's
therefore being 'caught at it' was a criminal offence, and in other circumstances punishable by dismissal from the service

 

you still have to remember that homosexuality was illegal during the 1940's

What a difference 60 years makes. At the rate we're going it will soon be compulsory!

 

You go first!

 

You go first!

Right!!! That means you will be behind me!

 

Please gentlemen, this is a serious thread.

 

Spot on Harry,
it was illegal for a POW to have that sort of relationship with a German woman.
XXB had over 400 work details many of which brought them in close contact with German comunities. All the younger German males were serving with their Forces so nature just took its course.


Thanks Drew for posting an interesting document.It reveals the logic of the master race in the protection of the Third Reich's womanfolk.

I would say that the document relates to sentences given to POWs who were found out to have sexual relationships with German women.As I have said previously in this discussion,such sexual activity between the likes of Slavs,whether POWs or not and the German woman,would have led to a summary death sentence for the Slav.

 

Look at the dates 2 August and 7 October...there would have had to have been two (or maybe one) very accommodating Fraulein's, one on either date, for two men to get caught on each occasion; unless these are purely coincidental! Taking the men's names from 7 October, do you not think it could have been a case of Peter Fitz-Patrick?

Good on the bloke doing the sabotage and the one being disobedient!!

Best,

Steve.

 

The Germans set POWs to work as they were able to by the terms of Geneva Convention.There were others such as commisioned ranks who were exempt from these rules for work was not mandatory.NCOs and Warrant Officers could be put to work provided they were detailed to carry out supervisory duties only.

The background to the use of POW labour was the acute shortage of manpower required for the German war economy to function.Consequently a POW could find himself detailed to working parties that were set to work in German heavy industry such as mining.Here, hardous working conditions often supervised by National Socialist indoctrinated foreman and that along with inadequate rations for manual labour,made it work with little benefits if any.There was little opportunity here for a POW to fraternise with the opposte sex.

However,one of the problems of the German home front was the ever reducing numbers of males working on farms and the like that were conscripted into the Wehrmacht.Further, some of these farms previously were manned by a single male and it was this that the POWs had opportunity to meet the opposte sex on their "day release" working party.So,as regards working off camp,the opportunity was recognised as a chance to skive, perhaps, on particular jobs,perhaps to get engaged in minor sabotage and any benefits that would come their way.Some looked forward to working off camp and there were a number of NCOs and Warrant Officers who saw the opportunity to gain intelligence for the purpose of escape.

Regarding the sentences imposed for sexual intercourse with German females or females of other nationalities,these acts,as long as they were defined as consenting,would not be recognised by the Allied Powers as a crime and would not be included in their military records.

If you look at the document,there are over 600 Privates recorded on stength and a large number of working parties (460) operating out of the camp.This suggests that the working parties were of small number,some probably down to individuals only, which fits into the likelihood that some were employed in situations where they would meet the ordinary Volksfolk.

Phylo,

As regards Roehm,he made the mistake of thinking that his SA would be involved in further National Socialist revolution.Hitler saw it different and although Roehm did not realise it,the SA were rapidly being displaced by the SS as the core of the Nazi Party.

Roehm's homosexuality is an example of the those who implement a "tight ship" regime.These people seldom abide by the rules they set.

 

Hi,

I do recall mention in a book related to British prisoners of war in camps in Germany.

If my memories serves me well, it related to British Army other ranks in their first few months in German camps. Apparently this camp had no senior NCO's and a policy of anythings goes. The German Camp commander having no interest in what the British prisoners were up too as long as it caused him no problems.

The account stated a male brothel hut was established by some prisoners and was only shut down when a senior British NCO was brought in to establish discipline !

This account could be wrong, but I do remember it because I found it hard to believe of men of the British Army. Of course being somewhat older now and having read many accounts of British prisoners after Dunkirk, I really don't know what to believe !

Mark

 

The Germans set POWs to work as they were able to by the terms of Geneva Convention.
This statement would have to be qualified for prisoners taken in the Ostfront, which was a completely different universe. I don't need to go any further, as the subject on topic would be punished by death. Well, simply being alive would be punished by death, so it's academic really.

The Wehrmacht could not claim that it lacked experience in dealing with prisoners of war. On the Western Front it had coped quite adequately with 2 million men taken in the space of only two months. But in advance of the Barbarossa campaign an order was given to exempt Soviet prisoners from the normally accepted standards of the Geneva Convention. Special guidelines were laid down for the isolation and execution of those judged to be politically dangerous. The prisoners were to be separated into distinct ethnic categories. No adequate preparations were made for housing them over the winter months. In so far as any thought was given to the matter, the assumption seems to have been that they would dig mud dugouts. Special rations were prescribed providing far less nutrition than for any other category of prisoner. Even well-managed prisoner-of-war camps are not healthy places. Many Red Army soldiers were in a poor condition when they were captured. Many were wounded or suffering from shock and exhaustion. Many had not eaten for days. To add to their misery they were forced to march out of the combat zone in treks stretching over hundreds of kilometres. Given normal mortality rates, one would have expected tens of thousands of deaths. But the statistics leave no doubt that, aside from this 'normal attrition', the Wehrmacht was systematically starving its prisoners to death.
Etc, etc, etc. In Wages of Destruction.

 

Za,

I was referring to British POWs.Two points arise.One was that the Slavs were seen as the untermenchen and secondly,the USSR had not been a signitory to the 1929 Geneva Convention.The latter has been used as a reason or excuse, in history, that the Soviet POWs were treated so inhumanly.

I don't think it would have changed Hitler's policy at all if the USSR had been a signitory of the G.C.From 1933 onwards, Hitler had no regard for any international agreements which he saw in his way.

 

Perhaps there were a few that were friendly, or just one that was enthusiastic Steve



Look at the dates 2 August and 7 October...there would have had to have been two (or maybe one) very accommodating Fraulein's, one on either date, for two men to get caught on each occasion; unless these are purely coincidental! Taking the men's names from 7 October, do you not think it could have been a case of Peter Fitz-Patrick?

Good on the bloke doing the sabotage and the one being disobedient!!

Best,

Steve.

 

Yes, Harry, I very much understand your point. But GC or no GC, there's a minimum of human decency and that one was completely thrown down the toilet. But that would be another thread, let's not divert this one into offtopicness.

 

In my father's Diary he mentions that when CC53 at Sforzacosta was abandoned by the Italians in September 1943 and the inmates could walk out to the nearby village, they found all the local "talent" has been locked in the upstairs roms of the houses by their worried parents, who anticipated sex-starved squaddies on the rampage.

He does say that they came to the windows though and he threw his supplies of soap and other Red Cross goods to them, for which they were very grateful!

 

I guess boys and girls will be boys and girls. I seem to remember that in Schindlers List (the book not the film) there's an account of male prisoners in the concentration camp risking execution by climbing the wire into the womens camp at night. Does anyone know what the situation was with German and Italian POWs in the UK and Canada?

 

Many German POW's in Canada were put to work on local family farms so I suspect there are a few "farmers daughter" stories to be told.

This documentary is worth watching:

The Enemy Within by Eva Colmers - NFB

In this clip, a former POW in northern Ontario, describes how he was paid for his work in a lumber camp, chummed around with the guards and even romanced a local girl.

"It was while Billet was on work leave that he became romantically involved with a local woman. This was not a rare occurrence".

Canada's Forgotten PoW Camps | CBC Archives