The German Reich held 2.5 million prisoners; Russia held 2.9 million, and Britain and France held about 720,000, most in the period just before the armistice in 1918. The United States held 48,000. The most dangerous moment for prisoners of war was the act of surrender, when defenseless soldiers were sometimes accidentally shot. Once prisoners reached a POW camp, conditions were better (and often much better than during World War II), thanks in part to the efforts of the International Red Cross and inspections from neutral countries. The costs of treatment, including equipment necessary for the maintenance of the health of prisoners of war, in particular dental prostheses and other artificial materials and spectacles, shall be borne by the Detaining Power. Category II: Non-commissioned officers and other non-commissioned officers or prisoners of equivalent rank: twelve Swiss francs. During the Sinai and Palestine campaigns, 217 Australian and unknown British, New Zealand and Indian soldiers were captured by Ottoman forces. About 50% of the Australian prisoners were light horsemen, including 48 missing persons captured in the Jordan Valley on 1 May 1918. Australian Flying Corps pilots and observers were captured in the Sinai Peninsula, Palestine and the Levant. A third of all Australian prisoners were captured at Gallipoli, including the crew of the submarine AE2, which made a passage through the Dardanelles in 1915.
Forced marches and overcrowded train journeys preceded years in camps plagued by disease, poor nutrition and inadequate medical facilities. About 25% of the other ranks died, a lot of malnutrition, while only one officer died. [49] [50] Canteens were to be set up in all camps where prisoners of war could obtain food, soap and tobacco as well as basic necessities. The rate should never be higher than local market prices. In order to ensure service in officer camps, the other ranks of the same armed forces, speaking as far as possible the same language, shall be assigned in sufficient numbers, taking into account the rank of officers and prisoners of equal status. These police forces are not obliged to carry out any other work. Mail and parcels addressed to their former warehouse must be returned to them immediately. The camp commander, in agreement with the prisoner`s representative, shall take all necessary measures to ensure the transport of the common property and luggage of the prisoners which they cannot take with them because of the restrictions imposed by the second paragraph of this article.
The Empire of Japan, which had signed but never ratified the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War of 1929,[57] did not treat prisoners of war during the Second Sino-Japanese War or the Pacific War under international agreements, including the provisions of the Hague Conventions, because the Japanese considered surrender dishonorable. In addition, according to a directive ratified by Hirohito on August 5, 1937, the restrictions of the Hague Conventions on Chinese prisoners were expressly lifted. [58] By the mid-19th century, it was clear that a certain set of principles for the treatment of prisoners of war was generally accepted in the Western world. But adherence to the principles of the American Civil War (1861-65) and the German-French War (1870-71) left much to be desired, and in the second half of the century many attempts were made to improve the lot of wounded soldiers and prisoners. In 1874, a conference in Brussels prepared a declaration on prisoners of war, but it was not ratified. In 1899 and 1907, the Hague International Conferences drew up rules of conduct recognized in international law. However, during the First World War, when the number of prisoners of war numbered in the millions, there were many accusations on both sides that the rules were not faithfully observed. Shortly after the war, the nations of the world met in Geneva to draft the 1929 Convention, ratified by France, Germany, Britain, the United States and many other nations before the outbreak of World War II, but not by Japan or the Soviet Union. Prisoners of war shall be accommodated under conditions as favourable as those of the Detaining Power`s forces stationed in the same area. These conditions must take into account the habits and customs of the prisoners and must in no way harm their health. This protection is based on the affirmation of certain rights and obligations under the Convention and on the control mechanism enshrined in the mandate of the Protecting Power. If the parties to the conflict do not designate a protecting power, the ICRC will play this role vis-à-vis the prisoners of both parties (CGIII Art.
8-10). In practice, this principle of reciprocity is crucial in persuading the parties to the conflict to respect the rights enshrined in the Third Convention. However, in some situations – notably in non-international armed conflicts – the benefits of reciprocity are not always sufficient to prevent abuse. The ICRC`s role is even more important in such cases. The Detaining Power shall take into account the interests of the prisoners themselves when deciding on the transfer of prisoners of war, in particular so as not to increase the difficulty of their return.
