Ranking WW2's Particpating Nations POW Treatment

Some Soviet prisoners (and Allied as well) hit the jackpot in Germany. They were assigned as laborers on various farms as additional help. They not only ate well but almost became part of the family. Apparently, when the "untermensch" or "terrorflieger" had a name, face and personality he became all too human.

 

I'm not sure that you can really differentiate much between the US and Commonwealth countries. I do know that German POWs in the US made more than many who worked for a wage in Germany during the period as well as had extensive educational benefits. The Chinese were probably quite variable in how they treated POWs as there seemed to be little central control and like the Soviets they had suffered greatly at the hands of their opponents but for a significantly longer period of time. My impression is the Italians were pretty good to their POWs. France I s kind of hard to rate in this regard as many of their prisoners may have fit the "Former Enemy Combatant" category. Certain units also received worse treatment than others. It might help to separate into categories such as:
Treatment was in general good or better.
Treatment was acceptable
Treatment was poor
Treatment was horrible.
Exceptions to the general rating should also be mentioned. There might also be a difference in treatment while on the way to the camps vs in the camps. Some POWs of the Japanese received pretty decent treatment on the way to the camps, while others never made it to the camps. Some of their POWs experienced very poor treatment in the camps some much worse.

 

Okay, we probably did then. We used to go to the Hecht's and Kann's stores at Parkington and every chance I got to talk my parents into stopping at Arlington Hobby Crafters we did! However, when we moved to Annandale and when I started driving I went to Annandale Hobbies in Landmark Shopping Center. Do you member going to the Squadron Shop in Silver Spring? I haunted that place for years.

Small world.

 

I got out there a couple of times, can't say as I purchased much if anything . . . heck, I worked in a hobby shop, if I wanted something, I ordered it and got the employee discount

 

Life was hard in the Soviet Union, as it was under the Romanov's before the Bolsheviks came to town. Uncle Joe was probably one of the biggest bastards in modern history, at least in the time frame of WW2 as I see it. He butchered millions of his own people for little to no reason, because he could. Shit rolls downhill how they say, meaning the crappy treatment is carried on by the underlings as well. And it must be said that the Germans were a very nasty lot when they crashed into Rooskieville, mean bastards too. The Rooskies returned the favor you know. Karma, it's a bitch sometimes. I guess that the Germans didn't think that they would lose the war and not have to answer to anyone for their poor manners. Same with the Japs.

 

Yes the Russians were not much better off with bloody Nicholas, than they were with Stalin, but Stalin definitely was worse. I can certainly understand the, "I've been treated poorly, so whenever I get the chance, I'll treat someone else poorly" mentality from the Soviets.