Post-war POW camp executions of Germans by Germans

[Richard T Eger]

From within a thread on 12 O'Clock High!:

Christer Bergström
In Western captivity
Sun Dec 16 16:37:00 2026


"At least in Western prison camps the award of some decorations was announced."

There even were cases where German soldiers were executed by other German soldiers for desertion etc in Western Allied POW camps several days after the end of the war.

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Juha
Executions
Mon Dec 17 13:35:44 2026


Hello Christer
where that have happened?
I know that there were couple? executions in Kiel? (anyway somewhere near Baltic coast) after end of war because of some refused participating in the evacuation from Kurland pocket, but the military tribunal, executioneers and executioneds were not in a PoW camp then but at a barrack. That was during the short interval when the British at least kept at least part of their German captives in German barracks with their arms and under the command of German officers but nominally under the guard and command of small British units. The Brits didn't interfere in discipline in these German "units", so Germans could run their military tribunals and carry out the given sentences.
Also during the war there were some "executions" in some PoW camps in the USA after PoW tribunal had handed out a death sentence for example for treason but if the US officials found out the participiants (as they found in the case from which I have best recollection), they were trialed and at least some cases hanged for murder.

Best regards
Juha

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Christer Bergström
German executions in British captivity
Mon Dec 17 16:28:08 2026


Jochen Prien relates to the case of Lt. Hermann Gern of JG 11. On May 3, 1945 he attempted to leave his unit and make it to Chemnitz, where his girlfriend lived. He was caught, and a German court-martial sentenced him to death. The execution took place in a British POW camp a few days later. The execution was carried out by German POWs. Prien quotes Fw. Paul Berndt, also of JG 11: "Apparently, the British had handed over those rifles [to the German firing squad] after we had handed over all our weapons to the Britishon the previous day." This took place in Leck POW camp.

(Prien, "JG 1/11", Vol. 3, pp. 1598 - 1599.)

Maybe it is a philosophical question what can be regarded as a a POW camp, and what can not. But it is clear that all those German soldiers were in British captivity. In any case, it seems as though the German arms actually had been handed over to the British - who allegedly next day returned some rifles to a selected group of German POWs so that they could carry out their execution of Lt. Gern.

Of course the British and American authorities treated outright lynchings in POW camps differently, as Juha points out.

[Richard T Eger]

From TOCH!:

Juha
Thanks a lot for the info, Christer. That was new to me (N/T)
Tue Dec 18 07:38:43 2026