Allegations made by Canadian novelist James Bacque were that nearly one million German prisoners of war, that Dwight Eisenhower redesignated as Disarmed Enemy Forces in order to avoid having to obey the third Geneva Convention, died of starvation or exposure while held in post-war Western internment camps. Bacque charges that hundreds of thousands of German POWs who entered the camps were not transferred out, so they must have died. He also points to a German report recording the death of 1.4 million German POWs, and Soviet data accounting for only 450,600 of these deaths. (The remainder, he says, must then have died in Western camps.) In his book Other Losses, Bacque recounts interviews with people who claimed to have witnessed trucks full of dead leaving the camps each day, and other civilian women who say they were fired upon while trying to throw bread over the camp fence. The fact that Red Cross inspectors were banned, Red Cross food aid was returned, building of shelters was forbidden and soldiers were kept on short rations are seen by Bacque as a "method of the genocide." A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... James Bacque is a Canadian novelist and book editor. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ... Disarmed Enemy Forces is a designation for captive enemy soldiers. ... The Geneva Conventions consist of treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland that set the standards for international law for humanitarian concerns. ... The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Another critic of Eisenhower's policy in Germany was senator Homer E. Capehart. Homer Earl Capehart (June 6, 1897–September 3, 1979), American business innovator and politician, was born in Algiers, Indiana. ...

Defense of Eisenhower

In a 1991 New York Times book review, historian and Eisenhower biographer Stephen Ambrose responded to Mr. Bacque: Stephen Ambrose, at the 2001 premiere of Band of Brothers Stephen Edward Ambrose, Ph. ...

Mr. Bacque is wrong on every major charge and nearly all his minor ones. Eisenhower was not a Hitler, he did not run death camps, German prisoners did not die by the hundreds of thousands, there was a severe food shortage in 1945, there was nothing sinister or secret about the "disarmed enemy forces" designation or about the column "other losses." Mr. Bacque's "missing million" were old men and young boys in the Volkssturm (People's Militia) released without formal discharge and transfers of POWs to other allies control areas. Maj. Ruediger Overmans of the German Office of Military History in Freiburg who wrote the final volume of the official German history of the war estimated that the total death by all causes of German prisoners in American hands could not have been greater than 56,000 approximately 1% of the over 5,000,000 German POWs in Allied hands exclusive of the Soviets. Eisenhower's calculations as to how many people he would be required to feed in occupied Germany in 1945-46 were too low and he had been asking for more food shipments since February 1945. He had badly underestimated the number of German soldiers surrendering to the Western Allies; more than five million, instead of the anticipated three million as German soldiers crossed the Elbe River to escape the Russians. So too with German civilians - about 13 million altogether crossing the Elbe to escape the Russians, and the number of slave labourers and displaced persons liberated was almost 8 million instead of the 5 million expected. In short, Eisenhower faced shortages even before he learned that there were at least 17 million more people to feed in Germany than he had expected not to mention all of the other countries in war ravaged Europe, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. All Europe went on rations for the next three years, including Britain, until the food crisis was over. ^[1]

In the United States Harry S. Truman, one of several Eisenhower bosses, on taking office in April 1945 he selected Clinton Presba Anderson to serve as his Secretary of Agriculture and in 1946 enlisted former President Herbert Hoover to serve as chairman of a Famine Emergency Committee to see about getting food to Europe, Japan and other countries facing famine. They worked hard to acquaint the public of the need to scrimp on food, minimize food waste, minimize grain fed to animals or used to make beer and whiskey, and maximize grain production and shipments to Europe and Japan from the United States and other countries in South America. [1]. Some have criticized Truman for not imposing more severe rationing on his people to provide more food.^{[citation needed]} Harry S Truman (May 8, 1884–December 26, 1972) was the thirty-third President of the United States (1945–1953); as Vice President, he succeeded to the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. ... Clinton Presba Anderson (October 23, 1895–November 11, 1975), was an American Democratic politician who served as a U.S. Congressman from New Mexico (1941-1945), as United States Secretary of Agriculture (1945_1948), and as a U.S. Senator from New Mexico (1949-1973) This article incorporates facts obtained... Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964), the 31st President of the United States (1929-1933), was a world-famous mining engineer, and humanitarian administrator. ...

In a 1989 Time Magazine book review Ambrose did however, apart from his criticisms of the book, concede that:

we as Americans can't duck the fact that terrible things happened. And they happened at the end of a war we fought for decency and freedom, and they are not excusable.^[2]

Several historians rebutting Bacque have argued that the missing POWs simply went home, that Red Cross food aid was sent to displaced civilians and that German POWs were fed the same rations that the US Army was providing to the civilian population. US and German sources estimate the number of German POWs who died in captivity at between 56,000 or 78,000 or about one percent of all German prisoners which is roughly the same as the percentage of American POWs who died in German captivity.^{[citation needed]}

Eisenhower and American policy shortly after the war

Eisenhower, having seen the death camps, was repulsed by the horrors of the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis and had little patience with those who would extend military courtesy to officers of this regime, no matter what their knowledge of the atrocities. This led to frequent clashes with Gen. George S. Patton, a staunch anti-Communist who favored generous treatment of former German officers and even some former Nazis. Patton felt that "It is no more possible for a man to be a civil servant in Germany and not have paid lip service to the Nazis than it is for a man to be a postmaster in America and not have paid at least lip service to the Democratic Party or the Republican Party when they are in power," and his vocal complaints eventually led to his being relieved of his command as post-war governor of Bavaria. The controversial general who had once been one of the most feared enemies of the German army admired Germans and after the war even called them "the only decent people left in Europe." He complained of what he considered persecution of the German people and saw it as serving the interests of the Soviet Union, not the United States[2]. George Smith Patton, Jr. ... The Free State of Bavaria  (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ...

American Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. had written a book outlining the Morgenthau Plan, Germany is Our Problem. In November 1945 General Eisenhower, at the time Military Governor of the U.S. Occupation Zone in Germany, approved the distribution of one thousand free copies of the book to American military officials in Germany. Historian Stephen Ambrose draws the conclusion that not only did Eisenhower approve of the plan, he had, in fact, contributed to it while it was being written.^[3] Henry Morgenthau Jr. ... The Morgenthau Plan showing the planned partitioning of Germany into a North State, a South State, and an International zone. ... Dwight David Ike Eisenhower (October 14, 1890–March 28, 1969), American soldier and politician, was the 34th President of the United States (1953–1961) and supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, with the rank of General of the Army. ... The C-Pennant Occupation zones in Germany (1945) Capital Berlin (de jure) Organizational structure Military occupation Governors (1945)  - US zone G.A. Eisenhower  - UK zone F.M. Montgomery  - French zone Gen. ...

American food policy in Germany shortly after the war

Throughout all of 1945 the Allies forces of occupation ensured that no international aid reached ethnic Germans. ^[4] It was directed that all relief went to non-German displaced persons, liberated Allied POWs, and concentration camp inmates.^[5] Power lines leading to a trash dump hover just overhead in El Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp in Costa Rica Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... It has been suggested that Internment be merged into this article or section. ...

General Lucius Clay, then Deputy to General Eisenhower, stated: General Lucius D. Clay (April 23, 1897 - April 16, 1978) was an American general. ...

I feel that the Germans should suffer from hunger and from cold as I believe such suffering is necessary to make them realize the consequences of a war which they caused.[6]

The German Red Cross was dissolved, and the International Red Cross and the few other allowed international relief agencies were kept from helping Germans through strict controls on supplies and on travel.^[7] The few agencies permitted to help Germans, such as the indigenous Caritas Verband, were not allowed to use imported supplies. When the Vatican attempted to transmit food supplies from Chile to German infants the U.S. State Department forbade it.^[8] Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ... The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ...

During 1945 it was estimated that the average German civilian in the U.S. and U.K occupation zones received 1200 calories a day.^[9] Meanwhile non-German Displaced Persons were receiving 2300 calories through emergency food imports and Red Cross help.^[10] In early October 1945 the U.K. government privately acknowledged in a cabinet meeting that German civilian adult death rates had risen to 4 times the pre-war levels and death rates amongst the German children had risen by 10 times the pre-war levels. ^[11] For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and a member of the European Union. ... A displaced person (sometimes abbreviated DP) is the general term for someone who has been forced to leave his or her native place, a phenomenon known as forced migration. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and a member of the European Union. ...

General Lucius Clay stated in October 1945 that:

undoubtedly a large number of refugees have already died of starvation, exposure and disease…. The death rate in many places has increased several fold, and infant mortality is approaching 65 percent in many places. By the spring of 1946, German observers expect that epidemics and malnutrition will claim 2.5 to 3 million victims between the Oder and Elbe.[12]

In early 1946 U.S. President Harry S. Truman finally bowed to pressure from Senators, Congress and public to allow foreign relief organisation to enter Germany in order to review the food situation. In mid-1946 non-German relief organisations were finally permitted to help starving German children.^[13] During 1946 the average German adult received less than 1500 calories a day. 2000 calories was then considered the minimum an individual can endure on for a limited period of time with reasonable health.^[14] Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ...

German infant mortality rate was twice that of other nations in Western Europe until the close of 1948.^[15]

American forced labor policy in Germany shortly after the war

The topic of using Germans as forced labor was first broached at the Teheran conference, where Stalin demanded at least 4,000,000 Germans. It was included in the Morgenthau Plan and was finally included in the protocol of the Yalta conference where it was sanctioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Although not included in the protocol of the Potsdam conference the policy was nevertheless later implemented de facto. In March 1947 4,000,000 Germans were being used as forced labor ^[16]. General Eisenhower transferred several hundred thousands of POWs to the Soviets^[17] which used them, alongside Soviet captured POWs and German civilians, as forced labourers (See also Forced labor of Germans in the Soviet Union for the fate of the civilians). The U.S. used over 500,000 German POWs in Germany in Military Labor Service Units^[18]. Great Britain used 225,000 Germans as “reparations labor”. In addition to the 200,000 Germans captured by French forces France demanded 1,700,000 POWs for use as “enforced labor”.^[19] In July 1945 they were promised 1,300,000 POWs by the SHAEF. The number of actually delivered prisoners is debated, as is the number of surviving POWs eventually released by the French.^[20] General George S. Patton commented in his diary “I’m also opposed to sending POW’s to work as slaves in foreign lands (in particular, to France) where many will be starved to death.” He also noted “It is amusing to recall that we fought the revolution in defence of the rights of man an the civil war to abolish slavery and have now gone back on both principles”.^[21] On 12 October 1945 The New York Herald Tribune reported that the French were starving their POWs, and compared their emaciation to that of those liberated from Dachau^[22] On 13 March 1947 the U.S. made an agreement with the French to the effect that roughly 450,000 German prisoners would be released, at a rate of 20,000 a month. This number included the roughly 200,000 prisoners the French had themselves captured.^[23]. From left to right, Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill The Tehran Conference was the meeting of Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill between November 28 and December 1, 1943 that took place in Tehran, Iran. ... The Morgenthau Plan showing the planned partitioning of Germany into a North State, a South State, and an International zone. ... The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, was the wartime meeting from February 4, 1945 to February 11, 1945 between the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union — Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin, respectively. ... FDR redirects here. ... Clement Atlee, Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin at the Potsdam Conference, July 1945 The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945. ... Not by Their Own Will. ... Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (abbreviated as SHAEF), was the command headquarters of the commander of Allied forces in North West Europe in 1944 and 1945. ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... The New York Herald Tribune was a newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald. ... Memorial at the camp, 1997. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ...

Most German survivors of the forced labor camps in the Soviet Union were released in 1953.^[24][25]. The last Germans were repatriated in 1956. 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Notes

References

Primary

• James Bacque, Other Losses revised edition 1999, Little Brown and Company, Boston, New York, Toronto, London ISBN 1-55168-191-9
• James Bacque. Crimes and Mercies: The Fate Of German Civilians Under Allied Occupation, 1944-1950 Little Brown & Company; ISBN 0751522775; (August 1997)
• Gunter Bischof and Stephen E. Ambrose. Eisenhower and the German Pows: Facts Against Falsehood (1992)

Secondary

• Várdy, Steven Béla and Tooly, T. Hunt: Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth-Century Europe Available as MS Word for Windows file (3.4 MB) Section: by Richard Dominic Wiggers, The United States and the Refusal to Feed German Civilians after World War II pp. 274 - 288
• John Dietrich, The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy Algora Publishing, New York (2002) ISBN 1-892941-90-2

External links

• Did the Allies Starve Millions of Germans? -- This James Bacque article seems to be the main source for the genocide accusation
• Stephen Ambrose's lengthy rebuttal of Bacque's claims
• Bacque and US Army historian Fisher's reply to Ambrose
• The U.S. Army in the Occupation of Germany, by Earl F. Ziemke, Center of Military History, United States Army, 1975
• Várdy, Steven Béla and Tooly, T. Hunt: Ethnic Cleansing in Twentieth-Century Europe Available as MS Word for Windows file (3.4 MB) Section: by Richard Dominic Wiggers, The United States and the Refusal to Feed German Civilians after World War II pp. 274 - 288
• Tarczai, Bela: Hungarian Prisoners of War in French Captivity 1945-47 On the Allied transfer of Hungarian POW's for forced labour, and their resulting death rates. Available as a PDF file only (57 kB)
• The Road Ahead: Lessons in Nation Building from Japan, Germany, and Afghanistan for Postwar Iraq, by Ray Salvatore Jennings May 2003, Peaceworks No. 49, United States Institute of Peace
• Americans are Losing the Victory in Europe, and Grim Europe Faces Winter of Misery Life magazine January 7 1946
• Oral History Interview with General William H. Draper Jr. Chief, Economics Division, Control Council for Germany, 1945-46
• Oral History Interview with General Lucius D. Clay Deputy to General Eisenhower, 1945; deputy military governor, Germany (U.S.) 1946; commander in chief, U.S. Forces in Europe and military governor, U.S. Zone, Germany, 1947–49; retired 1949.
• "An ethical blank cheque" British and US mythology about the second world war ignores our own crimes and legitimises Anglo-American war making Richard Drayton Tuesday May 10, 2005 The Guardian
• Prisoner Taking and Prisoner Killing in the Age of Total War: Towards a Political Economy of Military Defeat

Proposed new USIP headquarters, construction to begin 2007. ... A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

See also

• Debellatio
• Disarmed Enemy Forces Redesignation of POW's in order to negate the Geneva Convention
• Rheinwiesenlager
• German POWs in Norway
• Expulsion of Germans after World War II Expulsion of Germans from territory annexed by neighbouring nations.
• Morgenthau Plan U.S. proposed post surrender plan for Germany.