German POWs Were Shocked When Canadian Civilians Welcomed Them In Fluent German

During the period from 1940 to 1947, Canada interned more than 37,000 Axis prisoners of war, most of whom were German soldiers and airmen who were captured in North Africa and Northwest Europe. When Nazi soldiers were captured in Canada, they were terrified of torture, execution or severe penal servitude in the frozen wilderness because brainwashed by Nazi propaganda to expect such treatment. Rather they found themselves in a reality that challenged their worldview. The prisoners were cared for, fed 3000 calories per day, and provided education and recreational activities in facilities such as Camp 20 near Bowmanville, Ontario, following the Geneva Convention. Many German prisoners were assigned to farms that were run by German speaking Mennonite families in order to help with the domestic labor shortage during the war. In a land of religious freedom, economic success and democratic freedoms, thousands of prisoners encountered a radicalisation de-radicalisation. After the War, when the horrifying facts of the Holocaust were brought to light, over 6,000 former prisoners eventually came to Canada to establish their new lives in the country from which they were imprisoned. This video takes a look at what went on with German POWs in Canada, how war propaganda was undermined by human contact, and the legacy of reconciliation. TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00:05 - Captured in Normandy: Facing the Unknown The Atlantic Crossing and arrival in Canada is 04:30. Life Inside Camp 20 Bowmanville Ontario 07:45 11:30 – Working with German-Canadian Farmers The collapse of propaganda, 16:15 - Erntedankfest. 20:45 - Ideological Fractures: Hardliners and Questioners In this episode, the final segment focuses on the liberation of the camp in May 1945, with its final footage and the ensuing reckoning. 28:30 - Repatriation to a Devastated Germany 31:45 - Rebuilding through democratic principles. 34:30 - The Legacy of POW Resettlement in Canada A few historical resources and further reading are provided. Prisoners of the Home Front: German POWs and Enemy Aliens in Southern Ontario and Alberta, by Martin F. Auger (2005). UBC Press. Vance, Jonathan F. (2002) Objects of Concern: Canadian Prisoners of War Through the Twentieth Century. UBC Press. 3. David J. Carter (1998): Behind Canadian Barbed Wire: POWs in Canada during Two World Wars. Eagle Butte Press. 4. Canadian War Museum (CWM) - Axis Prisoners of War in Canada: https://www.warmuseum.ca/learn/canadian-military-history-timeline/second-world-war/ Library and Archives Canada (LAC) - Directorate of History and Heritage: Internment Operations and POW Camp Administration Records (1939-1946). ABOUT CANADIANS AT WAR Canadians at War is committed to recording and archiving the operational history, testimonies from veterans of the Canadian military, and the forgotten stories of Canada's military history. Please donate to this work of independent Canadian military history documentation. Enter the discussion: What impact did Canadas humane administration of POW camps have on the rebuilding of democratic life in West Germany and immigration after World War II? Write your opinion in the comments below. #CanadianMilitary #WWII #POW #Camp30 #Bowmanville #MilitaryHistory #CanadianArmy #HistoryDocumentary