293 - Allied POWs in WWII

This episode looks at a very different side of the Second World War. Not the battlefield, but captivity. It focuses on the experiences of Allied prisoners of war held in German camps and how they tried to survive, adapt, and maintain a sense of purpose behind barbed wire. I am joined by Midge Gillies , author of The Barbed Wire University . A newly revised edition was released in 2025. Her book explores the lives Allied POWs led in captivity, from the routines and hardships of camp life to the ways prisoners supported one another and resisted the effects of long-term imprisonment. Education forms part of this story, but it sits alongside a wider picture of how men coped with boredom, uncertainty, hunger, and the psychological strain of captivity. Together, we discuss how prisoners organised themselves, how knowledge and skills were shared, and what these improvised communities reveal about resilience and identity under extreme conditions. patreon.com/ww2podcast

You can listen to 293 - Allied POWs in WWII online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

293 - Allied POWs in WWII is an episode from The WW2 Podcast by Angus Wallace.

This episode is 50:54 long.

This episode was published on Jan 15, 2026.

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