The French Army made extensive use of black soldiers during the Battle of France in May–June 1940 and 120,000 became prisoners of war. Although the majority came from France's North African colonies, there were also large numbers from French West Africa and Madagascar. While no orders were issued in regards to black prisoners of war, some German commanders undertook to separate black people from captured French units for summary execution.[22] There are also documented cases of captured African American soldiers in the United States Army suffering the same fate.[23]
The French Army made extensive use of black soldiers during the Battle of France in May–June 1940 and 120,000 became prisoners of war. Although the majority came from France's North African colonies, there were also large numbers from French West Africa and Madagascar. While no orders were issued in regards to black prisoners of war, some German commanders undertook to separate black people from captured French units for summary execution.[22] There are also documented cases of captured African American soldiers in the United States Army suffering the same fate.[23]In the absence of any official policy, the treatment of black prisoners of war varied widely, and most captured black soldiers were taken prisoner rather than executed.[24] However, violence against black prisoners of war was also never prosecuted by Nazi authorities.[25] In prisoner of war camps, black soldiers were kept segregated from white and generally experienced worse conditions than their white comrades. Their conditions deteriorated further in the last days of the war.[23] Roughly half of the French colonial prisoners of war did not survive captivity.[26] Groups such as North Africans were sometimes treated as black, sometimes as white
The French Army made extensive use of black soldiers during the Battle of France in May–June 1940 and 120,000 became prisoners of war. Although the majority came from France's North African colonies, there were also large numbers from French West Africa and Madagascar. While no orders were issued in regards to black prisoners of war, some German commanders undertook to separate black people from captured French units for summary execution.[22] There are also documented cases of captured African American soldiers in the United States Army suffering the same fate.[23]In the absence of any official policy, the treatment of black prisoners of war varied widely, and most captured black soldiers were taken prisoner rather than executed.[24] However, violence against black prisoners of war was also never prosecuted by Nazi authorities.[25] In prisoner of war camps, black soldiers were kept segregated from white and generally experienced worse conditions than their white comrades. Their conditions deteriorated further in the last days of the war.[23] Roughly half of the French colonial prisoners of war did not survive captivity.[26] Groups such as North Africans were sometimes treated as black, sometimes as whitekeep smiling & Make someone smiling ❤️