Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945

Wylie, Neville

Abstract

This article investigates the efforts made to protect prisoners of war (POWs) in German hands at the end of the Second World War. Challenging contemporary and historical judgments, it argues that Allied plans were reasonable, realistic, and reflected a widespread belief in the importance of protecting the lives and well-being of Allied POWs. Although only two operations were ultimately mounted, the process of raising and equipping specialized recovery units provided a valuable learning experience for Allied planners, which later went on inform recovery operations in the Pacific, and set a precedent that arguably extends to influence attitudes towards POW recovery today.

Citation

Wylie, N. (2017). Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945. Journal of Military History, 81(2),

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 24, 2016
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Nov 25, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 27, 2017
• Journal: Journal of Military History
• Print ISSN: 0899-3718
• Electronic ISSN: 1543-7795
• Publisher: Society for Military History
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 81
• Issue: 2
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/854249
• Publisher URL: http://www.smh-hq.org/jmh/jmhvols/812.html
• Contract Date: Nov 25, 2016