Retired US Officer Apologizes to Germans

[Italian Commando]

Originally Posted by NJGOAT

According to this link a smidge over 1% of the American servicemen held by the Germans died in captivity and around 3.5% of the American civilians held in German camps died.

U.S. Prisoners of War and Civilian American Citizens Captured and Interned by Japan in World War II: The Issue of Compensation by Japan



I was not able to find any similar states on Italian POW's held by any side. There were over 500,000 Italian POW's spread between the US, UK and Germany. Of that around 95,000 or so were in the continental US with the bulk being held by the UK in camps in Africa, the Mediteranean and the UK itself. The Germans held a small number of Italians, taken after Italy switched sides. Treatment was apparently pretty harsh in the German camps as the Italians were not considered "POW's" but "Military Detainees", basically a form of traitor and the Geneva Convention and Red Cross protection were not afforded to them.

Treatment in the US and UK was generally very good and around half of the Italian prisoners in the US joined Italian Work Service Units that worked in farms and factories across the nation as well as handling sensitive wartime duties like ammunition shipments. It was these groups of Italian workers that received the special priviledges, work release and visitation programs, etc.

There was a film made about the experiences of those prisoners called Prisoners in Paradise. This is the website for the movie that contains a brief history:

Prisoners in Paradise

Well, the Allies also rearmed the Italian POWs after the capitulation, to fight for the Allies & the Kingdom during the Civil War.

[NJGOAT]

Originally Posted by Italian Commando

Well, the Allies also rearmed the Italian POWs after the capitulation, to fight for the Allies & the Kingdom during the Civil War.

Yes and no. AFAIK, no Italian POW's held in camps in Africa, Canada, England, US, etc. were ever re-armed. The people who were re-armed and formed the "Co-Belligerent Forces" were units that pledged loyalty to King Emmanuel immediately and then escaped capture by the Germans. Italian POW's that were held by the Germans and then liberated often volunteered to join and many volunteers from Allied occupied areas of Italy volunteered to join as well.

[Italian Commando]

Well of course only loyal POWs, there would be no point in using fascists.