Hello all! I’m developing a story about an American soldier who is held in a German-operated POW camp during World War II, and I want to learn about the types and workings of German POW camps, as well as about the status/tone of the war at various stages. Can anyone recommend any books/documentaries that can help me learn about German-operated POW camps? I think I’d benefit from both personal accounts and from top-down overviews of how the camps were run. Or... does anyone have a special interest/knowledge in this area who would have any interest in chatting with me about it? I already have a handful of specific questions about the minutiae of the camps that I'm aching to find the answers to!
Welcome to the forums, Mark! You could try this link- Feldgrau.net - The German Armed Forces 1919-1945 Forums
Ive found that personal accounts talk very much about the inner workings of a camp, particularly what actually happened/transpired versus what was supposed to happen.
Now that I think about it, I'm sure I found an article in JSTOR years ago on the economic workings of a PoW camp in Germany, mainly around how the prisoners coped day-to-day. Can't remember what the hell it was called though.
Thank you for the help. Any recommendations for personal accounts? I'm right now in the middle of The Great Escape and soon will plunge into The Wooden Horse.
My impression is that which organization ran the camp could have considerable impact. This could be amplified by various other factors.