War is hell, and the terrible things endured by prisoners of war (POWs) illustrate just how brutal conflict can become. Below we examine ten harrowing episodes that showcase the worst treatment ever visited upon captives.
10 Selarang Barracks Incident
Terrible Things at Selarang
In 1942, four Australian POWs at the Japanese Changi camp made a daring escape attempt. Incensed, the Japanese command demanded that every prisoner on the peninsula sign an agreement promising never to try escaping again. The Australian soldiers flat‑out refused, prompting a brutal retaliation.
Japanese authorities ordered all fifteen thousand inmates to cram themselves into the Selarang barracks—a structure meant for roughly one thousand men—without food or water. For four agonising days the prisoners stood shoulder‑to‑shoulder, suffering dysentery, severe dehydration and malnutrition. Faced with death, the Australians finally signed the agreement.
9 Soviet POWs Punished By Their Own Comrades
During World War II the Soviet Union famously proclaimed “no surrender,” yet a number of Soviet soldiers nevertheless fell into German captivity. After the war, many of these men returned home only to be branded as traitors for having survived.
Accused of collaborating with the Nazis, the Soviet regime sentenced countless former POWs to forced‑labour camps—essentially a second round of imprisonment—despite the fact that they had already endured the horrors of German captivity.
8 Soviet POWs Couldn’t Catch A Break
While imprisoned by the Germans, Soviet soldiers faced some of the most lethal conditions of any POW group. When food supplies dwindled, Colonel Eduard Wagner ordered that prisoners be allowed to starve to death.
Adding insult to injury, German officials barred Allied soldiers from sharing Red Cross parcels with Soviet captives, and even refused offers to vaccinate them. Many were left exposed to the elements, frozen to death, while the Red Cross was denied access.
7 Tiger Cages of Vietnam
The Viet Cong’s “Tiger Cages” earned their name not from ferocious felines, but from the sheer cruelty they inflicted. Small metal enclosures held prisoners in cramped, filthy conditions where they were left to die.
Inmates received no identification numbers, were beaten with clubs, and suffered open wounds that became infected by human waste covering the floor. Some were even hung on metal hooks, turning the cages into a nightmarish tableau of suffering.
6 POWs in Vietnam Tortured Without Good Reason
Vietnamese captors frequently tortured POWs simply to break their spirits, not to extract intelligence or punish disobedience. The goal was to ensure that every captured soldier harboured a lasting hatred for Vietnam.
This systematic cruelty was applied uniformly, whether the prisoner had been shot down in combat or rescued after a broken‑leg bailout, illustrating a cold, methodical approach to psychological torment.
5 Homosexuals in Concentration Camps Were Never Liberated
When Allied forces liberated Nazi concentration camps, most inmates rejoiced at their newfound freedom. However, prisoners marked with the pink triangle—signifying homosexuality—were denied liberation.
German law, specifically Paragraph 175, criminalised homosexuality, and it remained in effect until 1969. As a result, gay prisoners were forced to serve out the remainder of their sentences even after the camps fell.
4 The Aztecs Were As Harsh As You’d Expect
The Aztec empire, renowned for its ritual sacrifice, treated captured enemies with extreme brutality. Prisoners often faced the grim prospect of having their hearts cut out as part of a religious offering.
In rare cases where captives were taken during tribute to the god Tezcatlipoca, they were bound to a massive stone slab and forced to battle a group of elite Aztec warriors armed with obsidian weapons. Given only mock weapons, most prisoners were torn apart, with the legendary Tlahuicole being a notable exception.
3 Hell Ships
“Hell ships” were repurposed transport vessels that carried POWs under deplorable conditions. Their existence was often hidden from the outside world, leading Allied forces to unintentionally send their own men to a watery grave.
Numerous tragic incidents occurred when these ships were sunk, highlighting the grim reality that the very vessels meant to move soldiers to safety could become their final nightmare.
2 Chinese Torture of Japanese POWs
During Japan’s 1937 invasion of China, captured Japanese soldiers suffered brutal treatment at the hands of Chinese forces. Photographer Tom Simmen documented the cruelty, including an incident where Chinese soldiers watched a Japanese prisoner’s execution, allegedly hoping to use his head as a soccer ball.
This stark example underscores that wartime atrocities were not confined to one side; both victors and vanquished could perpetrate horrific acts against POWs.
1 Unit 731 Experiments
Japan’s secretive Unit 731 operated as a biological and chemical warfare research facility, conducting grotesque experiments on living POWs. Victims endured vivisections while infected with deadly diseases, organ removal on live subjects, and exposure to grenades, flamethrowers, and bombs.
Some prisoners were even buried alive as part of these experiments. After the war, many Japanese scientists received full immunity in exchange for sharing their research findings, allowing them to evade justice for these monstrous crimes.