Australian POWs in WWII

• Over 30,000 Australians were prisoners of war during WWII

Australian POWs Captured by Germans

• Of the 8,591 Australians captured by the Germans, 97% survived WWII

Australian POWs Captured by Japanese

• Of the 21,467 Australians captured by the Japanese, almost 8,000 died in captivity
• Deaths were the result of executions, beatings, slave labor, starvation and disease

Aussie POWs in Asia

• Most Australian POWs were held in camps in South-East Asia, Korea and Japan
• The Japanese military displayed little respect for the rights of prisoners

Burma-Thailand Railway

• Thousands of POWs and conscripted Asians were forced to build the Burma-Thailand railway
• Starving men suffered from tropical diseases like malaria, dysentery, cholera and tropical ulcers, and were forced to work at least 12 hours a day

Sandakan Death March

• North Borneo was the site of the worst single atrocity against Australian and British POWs
• 3,000 POWs were sent by the Japanese to construct an airport
• The march from Sandakan to Ranau took place in January 1945 when 470 were forced to march 260KM, and 350 survived the ordeal
• In May a second death march was ordered for the remaining 500 Sandakan POWs
• They had little food, and those who collapsed were killed
• 203 survived the second journey

Survivors

• By the end of July, 30 POWs survived in Ranau
• Those who remained were shot on the 1st of August
• Only six of the original 3,000 Sandakan POWs survived
• Seven escaped into the jungle and were cared for by villagers, and one died before rescue

Conditions in Japanese POW Camps

• Japanese officers believed in the bushido code, stating that prisoners were disgraced persons and should be shown no compassion
• Each prisoner was allowed 1 cup of water and a small portion of corn, soy meal and rice daily; no meat, fruit or vegetables
• Rations were halved towards the end of the war
• Japanese did not recognise Australian nurses as military personnel, denying them Red Cross packages and supplies to write home
• At least 12 First Nation Australians servicemen were among the prisoners
• Escape was possible but difficult, often resulting in death if caught

Labor and Compensation

• Forced labor included clearing land and building railroads and bridges
• Sometimes, cigarettes were offered as payment for work, leading to black markets

Punishment

• Punishment included withdrawal of food, forcing the sick and injured to work, being locked in a bamboo box in the sun, beatings or death; done to stop disobedience

Camp Conditions

• Camps were full of diseases from malnutrition, mosquitoes, poor sanitation and overwork
• Many arrived suffering combat injuries that were not treated by the Japanese
• POWs with medical training cared for the sick and injured as best they could with limited supplies
• Mateship was maintained by Australian soldiers under severe hardship
• Soldiers shared food, money and workload when possible

The United Nations

• During WWII closing stages, Allied leaders agreed to replace the League of Nations with the UN
• The UN was formed to settle disputes, and work toward freedom and prosperity to prevent future wars
• In 1945, the UN Charter stated its determination to, "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war"
• In August 1945, the UN supported the Allied decision during war crmes trials by putting leading Nazis on trial for war crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, and conspiracy

The Geneva Convention

• In nearly every armed conflict, soldiers were killed instead of becoming POWs, and civilians were victims
• From the late 19th century onward, attempts were made to reduce suffering by setting legal limitations on warfare
• The Geneva Conventions of 1864, 1906 and 1929, attempted to frame rules to protect civilians and POWs
• Many atrocities were committed during WW2 despite this
• Cruel and horrific acts were deliberately done by the Japanese military and German Nazis
• The Geneva Convention made it possible for at least some of the perpetrators to be tried and punished for war crimes

Nazi Crimes

• Nazi ideas about race largely determined how Germans and their European fascist allies treated conquered people and POWs
• Western European, British and American POWs were generally treated reasonably well, unless they tried to escape
• Racism played a role; when France surrendered, the Germans shot North African troops serving in the French military
• Acts of resistance brought savage reprisals in Western Europe, where ten or more civilians would be executed if one German soldier was killed

Nazi Ruthlessness in Eastern Europe

• German forces were completely ruthless towards the people of Eastern Europe, who were described as racially inferior
• When the Axis invaded the Soviet Union, Hitler demanded total brutality to the Slavic "sub-humans" and their "Jewish-Bolshevik" leaders
• Special SS forces were ordered to kill all Jews, communists and partisans
• Around 9 million Soviet soldiers and twice as many Soviet citizens died during the war
• Of the 5.7 million Soviet POWs in Nazi hands, almost two-thirds were murdered, starved or worked to death in concentration camps
• Entire towns and villages were massacred where Soviet or other Slavic civilians resisted

The Holocaust

• It was an act of genocide intended to wipe out European Jews
• Nazi persecution of Jews intensified after the outbreak of the war, and mass murder began in 1941
• Nazis killed anyone who might resist when they invaded Poland and the Soviet Union, but all Jews were singled out for destruction
• Jews in Poland were forced into enclosed ghettos where survival was a struggle
• During the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Germans carried out mass shootings of communists and Jews
• In Latvia in 1941, 327,000 Jewish men, women and children were murdered in two mass shootings
• The SS also conducted experiential gassings of Jews and Soviet POWs in specially converted vans

The “Final Solution”

• In 1941, Hitler decided that the "final solution" to the Jewish problem would be mass extermination in SS-run concentration camps
• Auschwitz concentration camp was ordered to prepare for mass gassings
• An SS document called 'Final Solution to the European Jewish Question' stated that healthy Jews would be exterminated through slave labor on January 20th, 1942
• Jews were transported to death camps from all over Nazi-controlled Europe
• The sick, young children and elderly people were immediately forced into gas chambers disguised as showers
• They were gassed to death and their bodies then incinerated in gas ovens
• Others who were fit for work were selected for slave labor and killed later when they became too weak to work
• Thousands of prisoners could be gassed in a day in the largest camps
• 6 million Jews were murdered

Anne Frank

• Anne Frank was thirteen years old when she and her family went to into hiding in Amsterdam, behind a bookcase in her father 's office building
• Three days later, she described the 'secret annex' in which she would spend the next two years while the Nazis ruled the Netherlands
• Tragically, Hitler's men discovered the Franks' annex two years later, leading to Anne and her sister's deaths in Bergen-Belsen
• Her diary has since become one of the most significant documents of the 20th century, providing a view of life during the Holocaust

End of WWII in Europe

• Germany and Japan were fighting in defence of their own homeland during the last year of the war
• The Axis power had been steadily in retreat since mid-1943; Italy has surrendered, and the German army had been turned back at Stalingrad
• The Allies realised that the key to their success was to open a second front in western Europe
• The "D-Day" landings took place on five key beaches along the coast of Normandy on June 6th, 1944, code name - Operation Overload
• This provided heavy casualties but also a good foothold in Europe
• Paris was liberated on August 25th

Aftermath

• In December 1944 the Germans launched their last major offensive through the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, causing the Americans to be caught by surprise
• In 1945, the Allies regained their initiative and crossed the border into Germany, and the Soviets advancing from the east
• Soviet troops captured the Reichstag on April 30th, 1945 and Hitler committed suicide in his underground bunker the same day
• Germany signed an unconditional surrender one week later on May 7th, ending 6 years of conflict in Europe
• Relations with Britain were strained after WWII
• Australians had fought in Britain’s wars out of loyalty in WW1
• Australians believed that if they defended the Empire, the British would always protect them against invasion from Asia
• Britain was struggling for survival when the Japanese swept south in 1942
• Australia turned to the United States, marking a turning point in Australia’s foreign relations, and included a short-term hatred for Japan
• Long legacy of trust with the US after WWII
• Renewed international tension after WWII with the Cold War between the USSR and the Western powers
• There was increased tension after China’s communist government came into power in 1949
• Allies feared the Red Peril, thinking it would spread across the world
• Australia believed that the US had saved them, so Australia must give the same loyalty, leading them into the Vietnam War
• Fighting in American's war for protection was misguided

Active Recall

• Instead of just rereading notes, self-quizzing on key concepts enhances learning
• Covering notes and trying to remember the information improves memory
• Flashcards are useful for testing memory, making recall stronger

Blurting Method

• Read sections of notes, then close the book and write down everything you remember
• Afterwards, compare what you remembered to notes to identify missed information

Summarising and Note Taking Techniques

• Rewrite the notes in your own words for better understanding
• Focus on who, what, when, where, why and how for each event

Mind Maps

• Create a timeline to see how events are connected
• Mind maps link causes, effects and consequences
• The main topic is in the centre, and subtopics branch out to visualise how information is connected

Teaching

• Explaining a concept to someone else reinforces understanding

Small study Group

• It is useful to discuss topics with classmates to gain a new perspective

Pomodoro Technique

• Study in focus bursts: 25 minutes study + 5 minute break
• Repeat four times, then take a longer break to stop burnout and improve concentration
• Set small goals, and eliminate distractions such as phones and websites

Leitner System

• Organize flashcards/notes into sections
• Section 1 is to review daily with different topics
• Section 2 is to review every three days
• Section 3 is to review weekly
• Move notes forward/back depending on if the answer is right or wrong