Hitler’s British Slaves
Sean Longden

Whilst the traditional view of British prisoners of war has been created by ‘The Great Escape’ and ‘The Colditz Story’, the reality for the majority of POWs was far different. This is the first book to instead focus on the story of the thousands of POWs who were forced to work in German coal mines, factories and farms. Some were even forced to work in Auschwitz concentration camp. The long hours and heavy work meant that few had sufficient energy left to plan escape attempts.

Using a number of first-hand accounts, the book shows that the POWs endured a miserable and often dangerous existence in the work-camps. It follows prisoners of war from the moment of capture, through their emotional response to captivity, survival in the work camps and their eventual return home. For many, the return home followed a ‘death march’ of hundreds of miles through Poland and Germany during which POWs died from disease and exhaustion. Themes covered include: sex, alcohol, food, mental illness, black market trading, disease and violence.