Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945
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 protecti...
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| Format: | Article |
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Society for Military History
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/38966/ |
| _version_ | 1848795730300370944 |
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| author | Wylie, Neville |
| author_facet | Wylie, Neville |
| author_sort | Wylie, Neville |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:36:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-38966 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:36:44Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Society for Military History |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-389662020-05-04T18:40:36Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/38966/ Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945 Wylie, Neville 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. Society for Military History 2017-04-01 Article PeerReviewed Wylie, Neville (2017) Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945. Journal of Military History, 81 (2). pp. 469-489. ISSN 1543-7795 http://www.smh-hq.org/jmh/jmhvols/812.html |
| spellingShingle | Wylie, Neville Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945 |
| title | Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945 |
| title_full | Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945 |
| title_fullStr | Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945 |
| title_short | Allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in Europe, 1944-1945 |
| title_sort | allied special forces and prisoner of war recovery operations in europe, 1944-1945 |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/38966/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/38966/ |