User:Amelia Rose Clemens/sandbox

http://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/prisoners-of-war



The Central Force Prisoners

World War One Prisoners During World War One there was many prisoners held by the central force. The central force was made up of Germany and Austria - Hungary. Germany thought that the war would be a short war but it surely was not. The war lasted from 1914 - 1918. Through those years there were many prisoners. By the year of 1915 the central force already had over one million Allied prisoners. Central camps were very unsanitary and many Allied prisoners died of disease. In particular many prisoners died of typhus. In fact in Mauthausen camp in Austria- Hungary in the year of 1915 up to 186 prisoners a day would die of typhus. After the typhus epidemic the Central camps became more sanitary. These new prisoner conditions included shower and bath houses, newer clothes, and modern latrines. Living in the Central force camps was very unsanitary until they got new conditions.

Prisoner mistreatment The new conditions helped make the Central camps more sanitary. However, there was still a lot of prisoner mistreatment in the Central camps. In 1916 Germany sent newly captured British and French prisoners to the Eastern front. This led to many prisoners dying of starvation and the cold. The prisoner mistreatment did not stop there. In 1917 the Germans took their prisoners to the Western front. They kept them in very unsafe places and made them do hard labor. The Germans would beat and starve their prisoners which killed many people. Throughout the Great War there were many prisoner mistreatments done by the Central Force.

Central Force Prisoner Camps The Central Force prisoner camps ranges in different sizes. They had different barracks or houses where they kept their prisoners. These houses were made mostly of a tar paper roof with wood around. They had a bunk for each prisoner and provided a small hay bag that served as a pillow/blanked/sheet. In each house they had a stove and in some electric lights. Each barrack could hold about 250 men each. Inside the camp they usually had a small bath house and a laundry house. Security was a big thing for the Central force prisoner camps. Each camp was surrounded by barbed wire fences ten feet tall. Some of the fences were electric and they all had guard towers around the fence. Each guard tier had search lights and big guns. Each camp had many guards and even search dogs. The Central Force prisoner camps each had many different ways to keep their prisoners in and each had many different ways to deal with their prisoners. Prisoner Number Facts During he war there were many deaths in prisoner camps. 100,000 out of 600,000 Italian prisoners died in prison held by the Central force. Romanian prisoners had a 29% death rate in German camps. In comparison, the Germans captured by the British had a 3% death rate. Throughout the war it is estimated that the Central force had over two and a half million prisoners held at prisoner camps. Many prisoners died and we must remember there dedication to their countries.

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