War never changes.
And one of the things that never changes about it is that eventually, someone is going to
be taken prisoner.
While popular media is filled with heroic tropes of men fighting until their last dying
breath, the reality is that surrender of one force to another happens frequently in combat.
What if you end up becoming a POW though?
How can you ensure your survival as a prisoner of war?
Surrender in combat is something that's very much frowned upon, and yet sometimes surrender
is the only logical option.
You may think you're striking a heroic pose defying the march of an enemy armored column
all by yourself with your rifle, but unless you've got some anti-armor backup you're just
going to end up a fine red mist when the enemy tanks open up on you.
This is the thin line that professional soldiers must tread every day that they are in a combat
zone- when is it ok to surrender, and when should you continue the fight?
It may sound heroic to die fighting, but corpses make for pretty lousy heroes, and in fact
sometimes getting yourself killed for a very stupid 'one last stand' can be a pretty pointless
waste of your life.
Even worse, it can be a significant waste of resources for your country, who has invested
hundreds of thousands of dollars in training, feeding, and equipping you for war.
Sometimes, you have to know when to throw in the towel, and as the old adage goes: live
to fight another day.
If you die, that's it, your nation will never get another use out of you again, but if you
survive and manage to escape captivity, well then you're back in the war, actually making
a difference again.
But sometimes not surrendering can be the right call.
Even when supported by overwhelming firepower against an inferior foe, human beings tend
to not like getting shot at, and a stiff, determined resistance in the face of overwhelming
odds has turned the course of many battles.
In May of 1918, the war in Europe was taking a decisively bad turn for the Allies.
Russia had collapsed under the weight of the communist revolution and struck terms with
Germany, allowing a great deal of German forces to be moved from the eastern to the western
front.
This put huge pressure on the British and French armies, whom after three years of trench
warfare were at their breaking point.
Morale had plummeted and the threat of mass desertions loomed.
The Germans were all too aware of this and thus prepared for a huge aggressive push against
the allies using their recently freed up eastern forces as shock troops.
The only hope for the Allies was America's recent entry into the war.
It had taken six months to train and ship American forces to Europe, and they were still
not at full strength when the Germans began their advance.
To make matters worse, American troops had not seen combat against a well-disciplined
and equipped foe since the War of 1812, and many doubted the reliability of American troops-
none more so than the Germans.
Late in May, the Germans smashed into British and French lines, breaking through the French
lines in several places.
The German army poured through this gap and was well on its way to Paris, where it had
previously been stopped by a miracle of French logistics in 1914.
This time though the French were exhausted, and there would be no miracle coming.
The only thing standing between Paris, and France's defeat, was a few under-strength
brigades of American marines.
The Americans quickly moved to block the German advance on Paris, hastily digging shallow
foxholes for themselves when suddenly French forces in full retreat streamed past their
position.
One French general passed through the Marines and called out to Marine Captain Lloyd Williams
to join them in their retreat.
Captain Williams responded with, “Retreat, hell!
We just got here!”.
The following day the German army smashed into the American forces, only to be bloodily
repelled.
Realizing they had finally met with the Americans, German commanders ordered their forces to
place all pressure possible on the Americans, hoping to break them early in their first
few weeks of the war.
If the Americans broke, their demoralized and exhausted British and French allies would
break as well, and Germany could seize victory.
Captain William's response, “Retreat, hell!”, has itself become an official Marine motto,
and as history proved, the Americans did not retreat, giving time for their allies to regroup
and gather their strength.
In what is perhaps the single most important refusal to surrender in the face of overwhelming
odds in modern history, Captain Williams and his Marines ensured that the Allies would
win World War I, and shape a future victory in the second World War.
Yet not every fight is a decisive turning point in history, and sometimes surrender
is the only viable option.
Inevitably, this means that a soldier will one day become a POW, and learning how to
survive as one is critical.
First, it's important to note that each nation has its own code of conduct for POWs, and
their own goals that soldiers should strive for while captive.
Today we'll be talking about the United States' Code of Conduct for POWs, and it's important
to note that in the American military it is not only expected, but mandated, that POWs
continue to resist the enemy as long, and as effectively as possible, even from captivity.
American POWs are expected to attempt to escape and rejoin friendly forces in order to carry
the fight once more, they are not expected to simply remain put in their prison camps
and wait for war's end or negotiations.
That having been said, the American Code of Conduct for POWs is meant to instill discipline
and a sense of purpose in captured soldiers.
Maintaining one's morale and discipline is not only important for survival, but important
for resisting an enemy's attempts to gather intelligence which could be used to set back
American military forces.
Thus the Code of Conduct aims to raise a POW's morale and give them a sense of duty and purpose.
Article 1 of the CoC states- I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country
and our way of life.
I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
This article is self-explanatory, and a soldier should expect that he may be asked to give
up his life for his nation- even in captivity.
For an American soldier, the fight is not finished just because you are captured.
Article 2 of the CoC states- I will never surrender of my own free will.
If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have
the means to resist.
This article may sound antithetical to our previous point about choosing when to surrender
and when not to, but the important part lies in the last few words of the article: still
have the means to resist.
That means that an American soldier is not to surrender as long as they have the means
to resist.
Remember our earlier scenario of facing down a column of tanks with just your trusty rifle?
That is not the appropriate means of resistance, and surrender would be considered honorable.
No military commander enjoys wasting lives needlessly.
The battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War is the perfect example of when surrender
is not acceptable.
In this battle an American Marine division, reinforced with smaller UN units, faced off
against vastly greater in number Chinese forces.
Completely surrounded and overwhelmed by a ratio of 4 to 1, American Marine Major Oliver
P. Smith ordered a fighting withdrawal instead of the surrender demanded by the Chinese.
Though the Chinese forces vastly outnumbered the UN forces, the UN forces were better equipped
and better trained, and ended up inflicting horrific casualties on the Chinese, effectively
reducing the number of divisions they had in Korea from 30 to 18.
As long as an American soldier has the means to effectively resist the enemy, he is expected
to not surrender.
Article three states- If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available.
I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape.
I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
This article highlights the duty an American soldier has to continue resisting the enemy,
even in capture.
It may seem futile to attempt resistance while as a POW, but providing security for enemy
combatants can actually be a huge drain of resources for the enemy.
Every soldier that you force the enemy to stand guard over you is another soldier that
isn't on the front lines, so even if you fail to escape your prison camp, simply trying
to escape will force the enemy to shift resources away from the battle.
Of course your ultimate aim is escape though, and then the rejoining of a friendly unit.
However, while a POW, an American soldier is never to accept any form of favors or perks
over his fellow prisoners.
This is to prevent the enemy from manipulating a soldier into divulging intelligence, or
to allow the enemy to breed resentment amongst other soldiers and thus destroy the chain
of command and spirit of teamwork amongst POWs.
Article four states- If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners.
I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades.
If I am senior, I will take command.
If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in
every way.
The aim of Article Four is to ensure that the chain of command is unbroken even in captivity.
Just because you're a POW it doesn't mean you're no longer a soldier, and having a strong
chain of command can make the act of resistance much more effective.
You are also never to violate the trust of your fellow prisoners, whether they be American
or from another allied nation, and are expected to work together in your resistance of the
enemy.
Article Five states- When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required
to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth.
I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability.
I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful
to their cause.
In order to prevent the enemy from exploiting an American POW for their benefit, or to gain
important intelligence, POWs are expected to never cooperate with the enemy, and to
divulge only information useful for administrative purposes.
Cooperating with the enemy in the production of propaganda is the single most dishonorable
act a POW can do, as this lowers morale back home and might give an enemy domestic or international
credibility for their cause which strengthens their resolve to fight.
Famously, some American POWs were exploited for propaganda purposes during the Korean
and Vietnam war, though many of those who took part took the opportunity to relay secret
messages back to friendly forces through the use of morse code.
One prisoner in Vietnam blinked out the word torture in his false statement, bringing international
condemnation against North Vietnam and the Soviet Union, who supported the nation.
Lastly, Article Six states- I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom,
responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free.
I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.
Article six is meant to keep morale high amongst POWs, as the experience of being an enemy
prisoner of war can be a very trying and stressful experience.
The statement that an American soldier is fighting for freedom can certainly be questioned
in several of America's recent conflicts, but when faced with an extremely stressful
situation, as well as possible poor treatment or outright torture, keeping faith in one's
nation is critical to resisting an enemy's attempts to gather intelligence or exploit
a POW for their own benefit.
As with many challenging situations in life, the ultimate key to survival for a POW is
to keep their spirits, and their faith in their nation, high.
Life for a POW can be difficult, and at times even outright horrible.
While most nations abide by the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war, many
Americans have fallen prey to torture and abuse.
Keeping the Code of Conduct however is critical for survival as a POW, and probably best exemplified
by the late American senator John McCain's own ordeal in the infamous Hanoi Hilton.
There McCain faced torture for months on end, and yet when offered an early release because
of his father's political status, McCain refused, knowing that such release would be used as
a propaganda tool by the North Vietnamese.
Instead he chose to suffer alongside his fellow inmates until they were released together.
McCain not only exemplified the American Code of Conduct for Prisoners of War, but the most
heroic qualities of a soldier.
Think you could survive as a Prisoner of War?
How would you try to resist?
Tell us in the comments!
Now go watch our other video “What Is Not Allowed In War?”
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