Abstract
This paper examines the experiences of Allied prisoners of war during World War II. It compares the POWs of the Japanese with those of Germany and gives special attention to the Australians who were imprisoned by these forces. It starts with a general discussion of the circumstances of the war followed by a comparison in the areas of facilities, diet, healthcare, labor, recreation, torture and female prisoners. This comparison is made by looking at examples of the experiences of individual POWs and POW camps and its purpose is to show the reader the variety of experiences and it does not purport to be an assessment of the complete POW experience of the two nations.

From the Paper
"Fought on a number of fronts between 1939 and 1945 World War 2 can be separated into three conflicts. The Middle East and the Mediterranean between 1940-42. The Eastern front from June 1941 and the Japanese Pacific from December 1941. The war originally started when the Germans invaded Poland, causing France and the UK to declare war, while the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour incited the USA to declare war on Japan. Australia's involvement has generally been contributed to a widespread political and emotional commitment to Britain. The need for defence from the Japanese if they chose to move south was also a factor and in total 550,000 Australian men and women served in the armed forces."

Tags:airforce, allied, ambon, army, camp, detention, navy, soldier, starvation, torture