The Enemy on the Farm: The Economic Contribution of German and Italian POW Employment in Britain and the British Dominions during and after the Second World War

Abstract

Abstract This paper attempts to fill the gap of the economic aspect of prisoner of war (POW) employment with regards to German and Italian POWs in British hands during and after the Second World War. It quantifies German POW employment in Britain and Canada, its productivity, economic contribution and revenues for the captors. Germans and Italians contributed almost 200 million man days and at peak one per cent to GDP to the British economy, mostly in agriculture and mostly post-war. Canada’s rural sector equally appreciated German POW labour and revenues almost exceeded costs. German POWs presented an asset in disguise: The unskilled, unwilling enemy was turned into a compliant and productive fire fighter against raw material bottlenecks.