German prisoners (mainly
ex-Afrikakorps personnel) arrived in Germany for repatriation after POW
exchange agreement with the British, 1943. The Geneva Convention makes
provision for the repatriation of all Prisoners of War, even during
hostilities. During 1939-1945 it was only possible for the British and
Germans to reach agreement over the seriously ill and disabled. For the
majority of the 40,000 British servicemen who were taken prisoner in
1939 and 1940, the war was to be a very long and dispiriting experience.
Negotiations, conducted through the Red Cross, over the repatriation of
seriously wounded men, had begun in late 1940. They did not progress
very far because there were far fewer German men in this category than
British. It was only after substantial numbers of Germans were taken
prisoner in the Desert campaign of 1942 that the talks resumed. The
actual exchange of prisoners did not take place until October 1943
Source:
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