Changing Attitudes among South African Prisoners of War towards their Italian Captors during World War II, 1942–1943

dc.creator	Karen Horn
dc.date	2013-02-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T20:08:25Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T20:08:25Z
dc.identifier	10.5787/40-3-1033
dc.identifier	2224-0020
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/bff13074f2f74b6d9e530753f56a5aad
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/8206
dc.identifier.uri	https://doaj.org/article/bff13074f2f74b6d9e530753f56a5aad
dc.description	The Battle of Sidi Rezegh in November 1941 and the fall of Tobruk in June 1942 were disastrous for South Africa. At Sidi Rezegh, the entire 5<sup>th</sup> South African Infantry Brigade was lost and at Tobruk the following year more than 10 000 South Africans were captured by German forces. As if the shock of becoming prisoners of war (POWs) was not bad enough, most South Africans were horrified when the Germans promptly handed them over to the Italians, who were to deal with the logistics for the thousands of POWs, first housing them in temporary camps in North Africa, and then transporting them to Italy. Once on the European continent, the South African POWs found themselves in better-organised prison camps, although most POW accommodation was a far cry from what the Geneva Convention required. Some were fortunate to be assigned to labour detachments, where they were in a better position to take control of their circumstances with regard to living conditions and food and even gaining a degree of freedom of movement. During each of the stages of their captivity under the Italians, the South African POWs displayed changing attitudes towards their captors. For the most part, the Italian forces in North Africa were viewed with disrespect and sometimes with cynical amusement. The antagonism towards Italians quickly changed to intense hatred when POWs suffered severe deprivations in the cargo holds of the boats that transported them to Italy. Once in Italy, however, the POWs came into contact with Italian camp guards who, in many cases, displayed a remarkable lack of interest in the prisoners and in the war. The changing attitudes of South African POWs towards their Italian captors reflect to an extent their changing circumstances as captives; however, their behaviour towards their captors also reveal how the POWs adapted to and accepted their POW identity. Ultimately, the POWs contact with the enemy captors changed the way they viewed their part in the war, and this article looks at examples of the shifting mind-sets until the Armistice in 1943 once again changed the state of affairs for the POWs.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy)
dc.relation	http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/1033
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/2224-0020
dc.source	Scientia Militaria : South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 40, Iss 3 (2013)
dc.subject	Prisoners of war (POWs)
dc.subject	World War II
dc.subject	South Africa
dc.subject	Italy
dc.subject	Sidi Rezegh
dc.subject	Tobruk
dc.subject	Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel
dc.subject	Major General H.B. Klopper
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.title	Changing Attitudes among South African Prisoners of War towards their Italian Captors during World War II, 1942–1943
dc.type	Article