Prisoner Handling

[rsm2ndbtnlf]

Gentlemen...

A situation has been reported upon where the laid down procedures for prisoner handling was not adheared to during the intial stages. This is not good enough!

The Geneva Convention of 1911 lays down strict guidelines as to the precedures required in prisoner handling. If we continue to broadcast what we expect to happen once a prisoner is taken, and do not carry out our own instructions, how on earth are we to expect the other side to honour those very same guidelines?

Below, I have listed in breif the guidelines for prisoner handling. Please make certain that every man in your battalion / unit understands them, and is compliant in all areas!

Prisoner handling.
1) At initial capture, the prisoner is to be immediatelly disarmed = separated from any carried weapons. Please do not abuse those captured weapons, but pile them collectively, and with care. One member of the capturing force (or more if a larger force is captured) is to be detailed as keeper of the captured weapon / weapons.
2) Only the required force nessessary to deliver the prisoner / prisoners to the capturing force lines is required.
3) All prisoners, whilst being moved through sensative capturing force areas (front lines), are to be blindfolded at all times.
4) Prisoner / prisoners upon reaching the captures lines, are to be search thoroughly.
5) Items of a very personal nature must remain with the captured individual.
6) All enemy weapons and equipment exept the steel helmet are to be removed and safely stockpiled.
7) The individuals steel helmet must remain with him as personal protection from airburst munitions, or from other airborn dangers.
8) Any maps, photographs, or documents considered of military intellegance value to the capturing force, may be removed, placed in a suitable container (such as a sandbag) and sent for further inspection with the prisoner / prisoners to higher authorities at the earliest oppertunity.
9) All enemy individuals taken as prisoner, are to be under armed guard at all times.
10) All enemy individuals taken as prisoner, may be used for manual labour if they are not sent forward of the firing line.
11) All enemy individuals taken as prisoner, if wounded, the freindly force has a humanitary committment to treat those wounds.
12) It is the duty of, and is expected of every prisoner to try and escape his captures. However, is excape should be attempted, the escaping individual is then cnsidered to be reverting to a full combatant, and must expect the resulting consequence of those actions!
13) All enemy individuals taken as prisoner, must be treated as non-combatants whilst in the possession of the capturing force. A signature must be obtained for each prisoner at each stage throughout the handling process. This is to guarentee the trace of a prisoner from capture, and any compiled records must be handed over to humanitarian organisation such as the International Red Cross, Red Crescent.. or similar.. should they request it.

Remember Gentlemen.. prisoner handling is just as important as learning and mastering the safety drills for your individual weapon. Prisoner handling is a major part of our WW1 senarios, and just as important as the Trench Raid or Frontal Attack. Lets get it right!

Seph

Edit...
14) The individuals Gas-Mask must stay with them!

[oskar2ndchev]

OK...interesting.

Were POW tags issued? I remember from my MP days that we were issued them for use and it recorded all the pertinent information about the POW and was attached to their jacket or tunic. If so, it would be a good idea to make some up.

Also, since we're supposed to blindfold the POWs, we need to come up with a method- I've read that a sandbag was often used although these are really nasty so I think some other alternative would be in order.

That's all I can think of right now.

[rsm2ndbtnlf]

Prisoner tagging, retreaving enemy weapons, stockpiling equipments.... all of those can be said to be contradictory. Lets face it, we've seen and can all most probably point to some specific period footage taken at the front (The Battle of the Somme being the classic example) where none of those things are happening. For our small senarios we can carry out those proceadures, but in cases such as the Somme.. numbers were so great that it turned impracticable.

As I mentioned, the Geneva Convention lays down Guidelines.... and the very word - Guidelines - gives one the clue as to how situations such as the treatment of prisoners should develope.

Individual commanders on the ground at the time of capturing a prisoner have the final say as to how a prisoner will be treated initially. But if his country has ratified and signed the GC (for not all countries have), and after hostilities are ended.. if proceadures were not carried out correctly, then he may find himself labelled as a minor war criminal.. if he is still alive after the hostilities!

Before the GC was formunlated, many wars were studied... The American Revelution (known as the 'American War of Indepenance' in England), the Crimean War, American Civil War, the Boer War, and many others. The mere fact of being taken prisoner can be a traumatic experiance in itself, so a list of humantarian rules were compiled to informally guarentee a prisoners fair treatment.

I think it has become widely accepted now, that the British Army was the first force to use the modern style concentration camp... stemming from their treatment of Boer prisoners and their families during the latter stages of the Boer War (South Africa:1899 - 1902). Prisoners were not gassed.. as was the case by the Germans in WW2, but they were placed on extremely meager rations, with appaling living and sanitary conditions. These conditions have been compared to those of Japanese POW camps in WW2.

Lets take the two points individually which you have raised Adam!
1) Prisoner Tagging.
I have seen period photographs of prisoners being tagged, and can remember from my own service that there were various labels in existance for that purpose. However, when the numbers become such as to be overwhelming (as in the Somme.. or Alamein or Tobruk for WW2), certain shortcutts look as though they may have been used for convenience.

For the numbers that we envisage being taken at any one time, I would like to suggest that each force produce their own form of Prisoner Identificatiion / Movement Tag. Info included on the PI/M Tag could include... Date of capture, where caught, capturing unit ID, etc. In essence.. the main information required to give higher command a good picture of enemy positions / movements on the ground immediatelly to the front.

2) Blindfolding Prisoners.
Once again, we can contradict this practice by pointing to period footage, and dismiss the practice as useless. This is again only a guideline, and is left purely to the decision of the commander on the ground at the time of initial capture, or the frontline commander receiving the prisoner. I personally would not like any prisoner getting a good look at my frontline positions.. no matter how disoriented he may be. Should he make a successful escape attempt... who knows what he may have seen and can remember for intelligence to his sides benefit should he arrive safely in his own lines eventually.

For initial capture, I would agree with blindfolding a prisoner. To that end, can I suggest that each force produce a number of blindfolds... suitably coloured and kept soley for the purpose of disorienting prisoners... stopping them from seeing vital equipment or stores, or troop buildup locations... whilst in the immediate front line after initial capture?

Seph

[oskar2ndchev]

Interesting. I can create some sort of POW tag for the US forces at least. I realize that things tended to break down when massive numbers of POWs are taken- during the Gulf War we used hospital-style bar code bracelets and literally scanned them in- it was pretty quick and easy once the basic information was entered into the system.

We can make up some dedicated blindfolds, no problem there.

The key thing to me is to keep people real-world safe while the scenario is unfolding.

[RMLI_SGT]

The main reason for "blindfolding" at events is that the "prisoner" will be sent back to his own lines in a short time so we know that he will have to much information about where equipment is located, etc. that he can give to his side once he is returned to them.

Just my 2 pence worth on blindfolding. ;D

Bob ;D

[rsm2ndbtnlf]

I'll agree there Adam.. safety is of paramount importance. Thats why everyone should be fully complacent with the prisoner handling guidelines.... no matter what his impression.

Rough handling a prisoner through crowded trenches to a handover point.. can cause real world injuries due to the capturing forces need to get the prisoner through the trenches as quickley as possible.

The quickest as safest way to move a prisoner through filled trenches is to blindfold the individual... have him hold the shoulder of one of his captures.. and be led to his holding point. If you recall, this was exactly how they were moved through to the interogation/holding point by my unit. All that was required was slow but delibarate control. In that way, individuals have more time to react to the situation, thus clearing the way for capture and prisoner encountering very little obstruction.

Seph

Edit...
Blimey.. Bobs awake!!

[RMLI_SGT]

Blimey.. Bobs awake!!


And starting to recover from the LLLOONNGG trip home. Got home around 8 pm Sunday night.

Sorry for the off topic responce.

Bob ;D