The camps housed prisoners in a humane and respectful manner. The men performed work in the community and supported themselves by selling handicrafts. They developed friendships with their prison guards. Espionage and subversive actions were not unknown but the majority of prisoners felt they were in a much better place than seeing more military action on the European war front. Few tried to escape. Many returned after the end of the war to create a new life for themselves and their families in the areas near their camps. As new Albertans, their stories are thus Albertan stories.
Conversely, many Albertans who served overseas during the war were made prisoners in Germany. The two largest groups were those captured at Dieppe on August 19, 1942, and members of the Royal Canadian Air Force who were shot down over enemy territory. Several Albertans were involved in the most well known aspect of the POW experience: the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III in March of 1944. 76 prisoners of war escaped through a 323-foot man-made tunnel from Stalag III, Luft Waffe Camp in Sagan, Germany (now Zagan, Poland). All but three of the escapees were recaptured and 50 were executed contrary to the Geneva Convention. Stalag III housed over 10,000 prisoners of war from around the world. It is interesting to compare their imprisonment experience to that of Germans in Alberta. Although they were humanely treated at first, as the Germans started losing the war and camp conditions deteriorated, many prisoners died as a result.
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