ABSTRACT
During the Second World War up to 6 million soldiers, sailors and aircrew were captured by German forces and became prisoners of war inside the Third Reich. In many respects, their experiences in four years of captivity paralleled those of their more numerous French counterparts – of life in camps and then being allocated to Arbeitskommando for work outside in the German war economy. Estimating the numbers of escapers and evaders is fraught with difficulties. Most of the evidence on escapes and evasions is heavily skewed towards those who were successful and lived to recount their experiences later. The history of the Belgian armed forces during the Second World War has not been a major topic for historians, and this is especially true of those who became prisoners of war. The veterans left individual interviews about their war service as well as documentation on their post-war activism and tributes.
