The book, titled “Imprisoning the Enemy. How 12 Million Axis POWs were Held in Captivity during WW2 and After,” focuses on German, Italian, and Japanese prisoners of war (POWs) during World War II. Published in hardcover on September 30, 2024, by British publisher Pen & Sword Military, the book also discusses political and military leaders in countries like France, Norway, Greece, Albania, and China, who were tried for collaborating with the enemy after their countries were occupied by German, Italian, or Japanese forces. Many were sentenced to death and executed.

The book notes that approximately 12 million Germans, Italians, and Japanese were captured by British, American, and Soviet forces during the war. This figure, comparable to the current populations of Belgium or Portugal, also includes military personnel from nations allied with Hitler at the time (such as Romania, Hungary, and Spain) who were captured by the Red Army, as well as volunteers from various countries who had joined the German and Japanese armed forces.

These POWs, which included individuals from Western European countries (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, and Great Britain), Balkan nations (Croatia and Slovenia), Baltic states (Estonia and Latvia), and Asian countries (Korea and Taiwan), remained in captivity in hundreds of camps across the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia), Kenya, Egypt, the United States, and the Soviet Union. The book also delves into post-war trials, where leaders of the Third Reich’s armed forces, as well as Japan’s militaristic regime, were convicted of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The book provides insight into what happened to those in Hitler’s inner circle and Japan’s imperial family after their nations’ unconditional surrender. For example, one of Hitler’s nephews died from torture in a Soviet POW camp. One of Hitler’s secretaries was gang-raped by Red Army soldiers after the Soviets took the Reich Chancellery in Berlin, while another managed to escape and surrender to British forces. She later married the officer who interrogated her and lived with him for many years in a small town in northern England, where it was well-known that she had been Hitler’s secretary.

There are also references to the wives of Third Reich leaders like Goering and Himmler, who were imprisoned by the Allies after the war. The author also includes the thousands of women, mostly German, who were imprisoned after Germany’s surrender. Many of these women were members of the SS and had been involved in overseeing prisoners at camps like Auschwitz and Dachau. Many were convicted of crimes against humanity and executed by hanging. In total, half a million German women served in the military during World War II.

Theotokis’s previous work includes “Airborne Landing to Air-Assault: A History of Military Parachuting,” published in the UK in 2020. This global history of military parachuting spans 100 years (1918-2018) and has been published in six editions. In 2004, his book “Women and War” was released in Athens. Nikos Theotokis is a journalist specializing in military and political reporting, having worked for newspapers like Eleftheros Typos, Estia, and Macedonia, as well as for ERT Radio and television channels MEGA and ERT.