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- Notes:
- Allied prisoners of war of all nationalities enjoy a restful Sunday afternoon in the prison compound at Goettingen. Colonel Bogen, the camp commandant, stands in the foreground to the left.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Belgian and French prisoners arrive at the Sennelager railway station with their meager belongings early in the war. A German officer prepares them for the march to the prison camp and captivity.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Russian prisoners stand in front of the central watch tower at Crossen-an-der-Oder. The Germans set up a defensive position at the base of the watch tower which included a number of field guns designed to allow the guards to maintain control of the camp in the event of a general rebellion. German officers stand in the defensive position while German NCO's organize the Russian prisoners. The central guard tower provided a commanding view of the entire facility.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French prisoners of war and German non-commissioned officers pose in front of a wagon filled with recently arrived parcels outside of the Post Office at Erfurt. A pile of parcels stands to the left behind the prisoners. German censors will inspect all of these packets before they are distributed to the prisoners. The photograph shows a number of buildings in the prison compound as well as the wagon that transported the postal materials.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of Allied civilian internees return to the prison at Traunstein from their Sunday morning service at a local church. The civilians are under guard by German soldiers and Landsturm. While some prison camps had chapels or churches within the facilities for war prisoners, some camps allowed prisoners, who gave their parole not to escape, to visit local churches.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Newly captured British prisoners march through the main gate at Muenster and into captivity for the remainder of the war. German officers supervise the arrival and will soon introduce the new facility to these war prisoners.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German officers observe a Muslim outdoor service at the prison camp at Zossen-Wuensdorf. Two iman kneel under a tent while thousands of faithful behind them pray towards Mecca. The Germans encouraged their Muslim POW's to practice their religion freely and strove to attract recruits for the Turkish Army to fight against the Allied infidels.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of Russian prisoners, along with German NCO's, pose for a photograph in the prison compound in Czersk. Many of the prisoners are standing on the roof of a barrack (note the window), which was one of the earthen dug out type in this camp.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- British and French prisoners unpack newly arrived letters and parcels from home in the mail censorship room at Zossen. German officers inspect the packages carefully for contraband. POW's often complained about the inspection process which required the opening of tins and the reduction of shelf life of these packages. However, contraband was sometimes discovered which kept German authorities suspicious of parcels or information in letters.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Newly captured Russian prisoners march from the railway station to the prison camp at Schneidemuehl under a Landsturm guard.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A detachment of British prisoners of war dig a drainage ditch in a field outside the prison camp at Teltow. German Landsturm guards keep an eye on the workers. This area was susceptible to flooding and proper drainage was important to increase agricultural productivity.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A British aviator receives a military funeral in the prison camp cemetery at Carlsruhe. In attendance at the ceremony are German officers as well as various Allied POW's.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German and French wounded lie on mattresses on the floor of a French castle. German doctors and orderlies treat these patients, preparing them for transportation to a field hospital.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Russian prisoners of war line up at a German railway station, possibly in Berlin, in preparation to entrain for a German prison camp.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Russian prisoners participate in the dedication of a memorial to fallen comrades at the cemetery outside the prison camp at Frankfurt-an-der-Oder. A monument stands to the rights, surrounded by four white poles, topped with wreathes. A Russian Orthodox priest and several ministers lead the bareheaded soldiers in a prayer of remembrance.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French prisoners of war line up outside their barrack in the compound at Soltau for a roll call while German officers and non-commissioned officers converse in the foreground to the right. Periodic checks of POWs ensured camp security and exposed escapes.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Recently captured French prisoners at Verdun are questioned by German officers. This interview probably occurred early in the battle, around February 1916, given the winter uniforms worn by the soldiers.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- The outbreak of fire in a crowded barrack was always a serious concern for German authorities. As a result, prisoners practiced fire escape drills on a regular basis. At Traunstein, civilian internees could escape from the third floor of their barrack by means of a canvas chute or by ladders while the camp fire brigade would combat the blaze. German officers supervise the exercise.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A squad of German guards stand at attention on the race course at the prison camp at Ruhleben. Graf von Schwerin, the camp commandant, and Graf von Taube join the photograph.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A number of incarcerated prisoners (primarily Russian officers with a few French POW's) stand in the courtyard of the fortress waiting for their dinner. There are a number of German guards on the left hand side as well as German staff members to the rear of the group.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Roman Catholic internees at Rastatt participate in an outdoor mass. In addition to the French children in the internment camp, German nuns and nurses attended the service.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A Russian officer is buried outside the prison compound at Erfurt. Russian prisoners and German officers attend the funeral, along with a Landsturm guard of honor standing in the background. There are two open graves, but a priest, possibly Protestant Minister Charles Correvon, stands to the right next to the coffin of the dead officer and leads the service.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Internees, children, and French prisoners of war line up for their meals outside of the camp kitchen at Holzminden. The adults have soup bowls ready while the children carry dinner pails.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Allied prisoners muster in front of their barracks in the prison compound at Dyrotz for a roll call. English prisoners stand to the right, Russians in the middle, and French POW's to the right. On the lower right hand side of the photograph are the wagons and tools used to support the prison camp on a daily basis.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Prisoners unload provisions from a train at the prison camp at Guestrow under the direction of German officers and guards. A hand truck sits on the ground in front of the provisions. To feed the large numbers of POW's in parent camps, the Germans had to ship in large quantities of provisions on a regular basis.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of Allied officers enjoy a swim in the Elbe on a hot summer day under the watchful eyes of their German guards. The Germans did not take any chances during this excursion away from the prison; note the guard boat in the middle of the river to make sure that there are no long distance swimming records.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A British prisoner of war is buried in the cemetery at Limburg with full military honors, which included a German band and a Landsturm honor guard. While his comrades lower the casket into the grave, German officers stand at attention to the right. Civilians from Limburg, to the left, also attended the burial service.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- The audience in the theater at Dyrotz enjoys a French production. In the front row, behind the prison orchestra, sits a visiting delegation--the German officers sitting to the left appears to be having a particularly good time at the show.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- British enlisted prisoners participate in the YMCA Sports Day competition at the prison camp at Cellelager before a large crowd of spectators of Russian POW's and German officers. Note the construction of a new barrack in the background.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Two Russian prisoners conduct an inspection of the stocks in the warehouse at the prison camp at Bautzen, while a German officer (standing, with the sword) supervises the activity. The warehouse is full of hats, blankets, shirts, and other supplies.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German non-commissioned officers carefully inspect food parcels for contraband while British, Scottish, and French prisoners prepare to distribute the censor-approved packets to fellow prisoners. German enthusiasm for detecting banned items sometimes spoiled food preservation by opening cans and tins or cutting through bread and meat products.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A room full of German officers interrogate a Russian spy to find out what he has learned. The "spy" appears to be wearing a Russian military uniform, thus the nature of his spying charge is not clear.
- Date Created:
- 1917-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A military funeral possession marches to the cemetery outside the prison camp at Ohrdruf. The dead inmate is a French soldier and his comrades serve as pall-bearers in the funeral. The casket is followed by a German officer and chaplains as well as some of the deceased's comrades.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German non-commissioned officers and translators censor incoming and outgoing Allied mail in Friedrichsfeld. This work took a considerable amount of man hours, not only to read letters, but also to administer. While prisoners could receive an unlimited amount of mail, they were restricted to a certain number of letters and post cards that they could send each month.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German staff officers interrogate several rows of recently captured Russian soldiers to determine the status and morale of the Russian Army. Judging from the clothing of the German officers, this photograph was taken in late Fall 1914.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- The camp commandant inspects the daily production of bread in the prison bakery at Quedlinburg. German officers record the production numbers and French bakers remove the freshly-baked loaves. Bread was an important part of the prisoners' diet and each prison had to produce vast amounts of bread on a daily basis.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French and Belgian prisoners of war at Duelmen line up in the morning under the scrutiny of German non-commissioned officers as they prepare to march off to work. The photograph also shows some of the wooden barracks in the prison camp.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Russian, French, Belgian, and British POW's stand in line for their daily roll call in front of their barracks at Nuernberg. The Germans integrated the Allied prisoners within prison camps to avoid accusations of prejudice or mistreatment and, mockingly, to promote "comradery" among the Allied soldiers.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French and Russian prisoners of war line up in the camp compound at Stargard in preparation for departure for labor details outside of camp. The German guard is organizing the POW's into Arbeitskommandos. Allied POW labor helped redress the loss of German workers mobilized for military service in World War I.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Members of a French gymnastics club at Erfurt exercise on the high bar in the compound of the camp. One prisoner is swinging on the bar and another is landing in a dismount to the right. Two German soldiers and the club members observe the performance. Some of the camp's two-story buildings stand in the background.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German officers give the non-commissioned officers the password for the day for distribution to the sentries at the prison camp at Guben. Security was a major priority at prison camps and guards would shoot if a challenge was not met with the correct countersign.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A labor detachment of Russian prisoners from Wasbek is busy digging a trench and felling trees under the supervision of a German officer (he is holding plans in the center of the photograph). The Germans kept prisoners occupied on a wide range of jobs to help support the local economy. Trenches were important for flood control and irrigation to help support agriculture.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Russian prisoners await their dinner outside of their barracks at Wasbek. The meal consists of soup, found in the large pots on the ground with ladles on top. A German non-commissioned officer stands in the center of the group with a ladle in hand, ready to begin distributing the meal. German officers stand in the background at the left.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Kaiser Wilhelm II and Crown Prince Wilhelm, with the staff of the German 5th Army, review a parade of French prisoners on the steps of an unidentified French church after a Sunday morning service. The French prisoners are guarded by German Uhlans, Landsturm, and infantry.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A Russian POW is about to be lowered into a grave for his final resting place at the prisoner of war cemetery at Koenigsbrueck. The cemetery is lined with fir trees and a priest officiates the service at the foot of the casket. The dead prisoner might have been a Pole as reflected by the Latin cross used in the ceremony.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- French prisoners sing a song outdoors in the prison compound in Zossen under the direction of a choir director. German NCO's and officers stand in the background next to the barrack. The choir leader has set up his stand on top of a narrow gauge railway line. Due to the size of the camp, the Germans used a small railway line system to transport supplies to the camp.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A German guard marches a group of French and Belgian prisoners of war into Sennelager early in the war.
- Date Created:
- 1914-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This is a bird's eye view of the prison camp at Zossen-Wuensdorf which showd Muslim prisoners standing in a circle, listening to the speaker standing on the platform in the middle of the compound. A group of German officers and several Turkish officers stand to the left of the speaker. This photograph may show a recruitment address to attract Muslim prisoners to volunteer to serve with the Turkish Army against the Allies.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Interned French civilians and POWs accompany the casket of a dead friend to the cemetery at Parchim. The procession is led by a cross bearer and the casket is draped with flowers. The Catholic priest, who will officiate at the funeral, marches in front of the casket. German officers pay their respects standing among the French war prisoners.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German officers and interpreters open and review recently arrived mail searching for contraband and unauthorized information. Once the letters are censored, French prisoners will distribute the mail to their comrades in the camp at Darmstadt.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- As Austro-German forces mounted a counter-offensive in Galacia in 1915, droves of Russian prisoners arrived at German prisons. Hundreds of recently captured Russian POW's disembark from their railway cars at the train station at Lamsdorf while German guards watch attentively behind a pile of logs. The railroad system provided all the necessities for daily life for a prison camp, ranging from food to supplies to prisoners-of-war.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A wagon full of parcels stands outside the prison camp parcel post office at Ulm. French prisoners unload the wagon under the watch of a German non-commissioned officer. A German officer watches from the right, standing next to a basket full of goods. The parcels will be inspected by German censors and then distribution to the POW camp population. Note that the wagon is not designed to be pulled by a horse; the prisoners pulled the wagon from the train station to the camp.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- The POW kitchen staff, with their German non-commissioned officers, stand with their cooking utensils in front of the prison kitchen at Meschede. The staff, composed primarily of French POWs, is well equipped with a wide range of cooking tools. Note the presence of German officers and several civilians in the back row, which suggests that a camp inspection was underway at the time of this photograph.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Russian POWs from Wasbek work on a labor detachment clearing brushwood and hauling down trees with ropes. Note the Russian prisoner high in the tree in the center of the photograph. German troops guard the work detail to prevent escapes.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries