Prisoners of Nazis by Harry Spiller
Accounts by American POWs in World War II.
The Nazis called them Kriegsgefangen, a term that the prisoners of war shortened to "Kriegie." The nickname hid the reality for the nearly seven million POWs who were placed in the German camps during World War II. These men consistently faced food shortages, medical needs were often ignored, barracks were barely heated, and personal hygiene was nearly impossible.
Conditions depended on the soldiers who controlled the camp. Regular army guards might withhold clothing and food, but generally did not physically abuse the prisoners. the SS troops administered beatings, torture and murders. In this work, 19 POWs, provide a vivid and often poignant look at their treatment by the Germans. The soldiers range from those captured in the D-Day invasion to B-17 crew members shot down during bombing raids.
Harry Spiller served two tours in Vietnam with the Marine Corps. A retired professor of criminal justice and former sheriff of Williamson County, Illinois.