POW Camps

[Matt Wiser]

I'll have to dig thru a couple of boxes of T2K stuff to find that article, but I do remember it. If memory serves, the POWs woke up after TDM to find their guards had all deserted, presumably to look after their families.

One thing that Canadian Army forgot on his list of POW camps: there wouldn't be many, but there were female servicemembers in the Pact Militaries, and North Korea does use women in combat arms. So there would have to be a camp in the U.S. where female POWs would be sent. From what I've read, the U.S. Army now makes sure that combat troops and MPs now know how to handle female prisoners, and that if women and men are captured together, the women are immediately separated from the men. (one of the functions of the "Lioness" teams in Iraq is to search local women, including any who are detained)

[Rainbow Six]

A couple of thoughts about how I'll be dealing with POW's in my work on the UK.

1. Soviet / Other Warsaw Pact POW's

Pretty much what has already been covered...I have several camps located in the south west of England holding these POW's...during late 1997 / 98 I would propose that most of these camps will cease to exist for a number of reasons, primarily break outs by the prisoners or massacres by the guards (one of the catalysts for such massacres will be the death of the Queen in August 1998). A small number will remain in captivity and carry out what will be effectively slave labour. Of those who successfully escape, the majority will turn marauder, either indepently or in conjunction with British groups.

2. Italian POW's

As the Italians are in combat with the British during the summer of 1997 I think it's reasonable that numbers of Italian soldiers may be taken prisoner by the British Army. As Italy was a NATO ally until very recently I think it's highly probable that there is a considerable number of Italians who are uncomfortable about fighting with the Soviets, and what I will be doing is having what I would call the pro NATO Italians brought back to Catterick in Yorkshire where they would be held as Prisoners but under a relatively relaxed regime.

After the Autumn 98 nuclear attacks on the UK, I have many of these Italian prisoners, many of whom would be officers and NCO's, being recruited into the Territorial units in the North East of England, often as NCO's or junior officers.

(The Pro Pact Italians I have being held in camps in Germany under the same regime as other Warsaw Pact soldiers).

[Graebarde]

Here is a list I composed of possible NATO POW Camps.

Do like the list, but as Web points out I think it is too short. I will say I KNOW of two of those camps first hand.. Grafton is about 20 miles as crow flies from where I grew up. Devils Lake (the lake) would bound it on at least two sides at that period, but three now in '09 and half underwater from the lake rise in the past 15 years.

I was in 191 Co (Guard) of the NDANG at Grafton (actually unit was out of Mayville/Hillsboro). We went to ARTEP for summer camp at Ripley the year I was with them. Funny as one of our war time tasks was guarding EPW camps. And there is/was a camp set up at Ripley then. Only one section was acutally wired, and there needed to be some more work done at the location, BUT it would be put into service in maybe two weeks with hard work and an engineer battalion. The towers were there as well as the admin building.

One of our 'tasks' at the ARTEP was make plans for camp security, both internal and external. It was a good unit, too bad they reorganized to a water purification unit. We had guys from three states in the unit and guys that FLEW to drills just to be in the unit. (this was 1977-78 BTW)

[Jason Weiser]

We in DC working group had discussed this in a few phone conversations. Grae, sorry if you're just hearing this now..I agree the list is too short, and there's no camp for the real hard cases (dedicated communists, Spetsnaz, suspected informers, KGB MRR and Border Guard types, Zampolits..etc.). Trust me, there would be one. Also, a little idea Fighting Flamingo had was to put Western cable TV into the day rooms...something to show the POWs the truth about the war...It's simple, easy and hey..they all know the reputation of the western media.

As for guard forces, we hadn't discussed it...at all, but handing it off to State Guardsmen with little to no training....not good. I like Web's ideas, and they'd probably work very well, along with the recruitment by CIA and others of dissatisfied EPWs.

I also think that once NATO enters the war, China will ship the POWs it has to the US as well. So, there might be a sizable EPW population in the US before long. You also need to remember, that the biggest problem these POW camps are going to have is the nature of the Soviet army, where time in service, not rank, determine functional, if not actual seniority. Most Sergeants in the Soviet Army were men chosen by virtue of political reliability or academic standing to be NCOs from that current conscript class. They simply don't have the institutional experience to be decent NCOs. They can learn...but in a POW camp where things are breaking down anyhow Many of these Sergeants are going to have a hard time maintaining control of their men...