LIFE IN PRISON CAMPS

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 289, 5 September 1945, Page 8

LIFE IN PRISON CAMPS

Impressions Of V.C. Winner

NEW ZEALANDERS “GOT GERMANS DOWN”

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, September 4.

Witmer of the most coveted award for bravery in the British Btupire, the Victoria Cross, ami the only Christchurch member o.f the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force to be so honoured, Captain C. U. Upham, has now returned to his home after being for three years a prisoner of war. In an interview today Captain Upham gave some of his impressions of prison life and the reaction of the average New Zealand soldier to itBritish prisoners had had little to complain of in their treatment by the Germans, said Captain Upham. However, they were fed on a very meagre diet and lived under uncomtortable conditions. There was no systematic ill-treat-ment: of prisoners from Britain and the Dominions. The Americans fared similarly, but other prisoners were not treated well by the Germans. “Prisoners were given an opportunity to join the Gcrmay Army,” said Captain Upham, “and Germany had about 4,-> front-line divisions comprising 1 oles, Hungarians. Rumanians, Bulgarians, Croats, Czechs, Dutch, Norwegians, Belgians, French. Russians and others from Allied countries. Those 45 divisions, plus a lot of second line troops, more than compensated for large forces of our allies in the German w.ar effort. On y a minortiy of foreign prisoners joined these “The Germans learnt to waste little effort on propaganda directed to British prisoners, as the latter always treat--ed it with ribaldry. ’Wherever New Zealanders were imprisoned in Germany or Italy they invariably ‘got the Germans down’ by a mixture of ridicule and qeAsked for a comparison of Italian and German treatment of war prisoners. Captain Uplffim said that the German treatment of wounded prisoners was better than that of the Italians, who treated even their own men badly, while tlie Germans hud many good doctors, the Italians bad nouc. Tlie Italians hail treated officer prisoners much better than other ranks, lint the latter soon managed to “get the Italians down” and made thenown rules. . . Captain Upham spoke ot ins experiences at Weinsburg officers’ camp. Previously it had been a camp for French prisoners und discipline luid been very strict, but the Germans soon found their match in the New Zealanders, who. to use Captain Upham's words, “wouldn t play.” 1