Article published in Ouest France on August 30, 2026, by Claire Dubois
Fabien Théofilakis (1), an associate professor of contemporary history at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and deputy director of the Marc Bloch Center in Berlin, discusses the fate of Nazi soldiers at the end of World War II.
There were 700,000 of them working on mine clearance or in the fields. After the Liberation, France enlisted German soldiers from the defeated Reich to help with its reconstruction. We look back at this period and how it was experienced, 80 years later.
How did France end up with 700,000 German prisoners at the time of the Liberation?
Occupying France was a top priority for Nazi Germany. There were about 1.3 million German soldiers there when the Allies landed in Normandy. Most of the German prisoners were taken by the Americans. But members of the French Resistance also captured some: this demonstrated that they were militarily active, thereby cementing their political legitimacy.
The Allies were quickly overwhelmed by the number of German prisoners. They therefore established the largest camp in Europe for these soldiers, in Foucarville, in the Manche department. And they negotiated with France to hand over management of the prisoners to the French government. France saw this as an opportunity to fund its reconstruction, especially since Germany had failed to pay the reparations it had promised after World War I.
Initially, France requested nearly 1.3 million prisoners. However, it did not take into account its capacity to feed them. The Red Cross sounded the alarm. A compromise was reached at 700,000 men.
What will become of them?
For a French person, putting a German—who was seen as a “Boche” at the time of the Liberation—to work was no easy task… Initially, between 30,000 and 40,000 prisoners were assigned to mine clearance, in violation of the Geneva Convention. Along the borders and coastlines, there were a vast number of mines, and their removal was an essential prerequisite for economic recovery. At the same time, 50,000 prisoners were sent to mine coal in the North. And French authorities worked to educate private employers—particularly farmers—to encourage them to hire German soldiers. Ultimately, the agricultural sector employed one out of every two of them.
How are they monitored?
They have the letters “PG” (prisoners of war, Ed.) on their clothes, because the authorities’ greatest fear is escape. In theory, they are forbidden from wearing civilian clothes. But after a while, their uniforms are so worn out that the villagers lend them clothes. They are not allowed to eat with French families or go out on weekends, and they must sit in the back rows of the church. But this became difficult to control, and a certain social interaction developed. Their presence was tolerated at the grape harvest festivals, which brought workers together. But not at the patriotic dances on July 14… Starting in 1947, their status as free workers gave them the right to choose their field of work, take a month of vacation, and bring their families over with the mayor’s permission. But the mayors were reluctant to grant it.
Are lasting bonds formed?
Some stayed in France because they had fallen in love! Former German prisoners would later become active members of the first town-twinning committees. The work on the farm undoubtedly helped change the way the two populations viewed one another.
(1) Author of *German Prisoners of War: France, 1944–1949*.