Compass Sent to French POWs to Aid Escapes

Notes:

The photograph on the left shows a loaf of bread sent to a German prison camp; when opened, on the right, the bread contained a compass which could be used by escapees for navigation. One of the repercussions of attempting to send contraband in POW parcels was to increase German surveillance of packages and tighter inspections. This often meant the destruction of food containers desperately needed by some prisoners for survival.

Date Created:

1918-01-01T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Western Michigan University. Libraries

Subject Topic:

Germany, Crime, Escape, French POWs, Nutrition, World War 1914-1918, Diplomatic History, European History, Military History, and Political History

Rights:

No Copyright - United States. Physical ownership of materials: Wilhelm Doegen. Kriegsgefangene Völker, Band I: Der Kriegsgefangenen Haltung und Schicksal in Deutschland. Berlin: Verlag für Politik und Wirtschaft, 1921, Photo 41, 148B.

URL:

https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/wwi_pow_camps/308