SMIC, vol. XXII, 2023, pp. 17-42.

https://doi.org/10.62616/smic.2023.22.02

The full text is available accessed CEEOL / Textul integral al studiului poate fi accesat prin CEEOL: https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1226398

Radu TUDORANCEA, Evadări ale prizonierilor de război români din captivitatea Puterilor Centrale / Romanian POWs and their Escapes from the Internment Camps of Central Powers

Abstract

The present paper focuses on a topic mostly overlooked by the Romanian historiography about World War I: the cases of escape among the Romanian POWs held by the Central Powers in various internment camps. The article examines the context, the nature and the reasons of these escapes involving different individuals, from ordinary soldiers to officers. It argues that the motivations of the POWs ranged from struggling for survival because of extreme internment conditions (famine, poor dwellings, or exhausting labor) to patriotism and sheer bravery. The successful cases reflected rigorous preparation and ingenuity on the part of the fugitives, as well as other factors, such as pure luck. The escapees were able to provide first-hand information to the Romanian authorities, not only on their captivity, but also on the enemy (e.g., number of troops, types of weapons, or the morale of the ordinary people).

Keywords: prisoners of war, internment camps, World War I, Romania, Central Powers.