Countries in which Fleet Air Arm POWs captured. Fleet Air Arm Archive 1939-1945

LOCATION WHERE FLEET AIR ARM PRISONERS OF WAR 1939-1945
WERE CAPTURED

(including all known FAA aircrew captured by the enemy Axis forces of Vichy France, Italy, Japan, German as well as interned by Neutral countries including Eire, Portugal, Spain, Sweden)

The majority of Fleet Air Arm aircrews that were captured by Axis forces were taken in Germany itself. A total of 96 were captured in Germany (and occupied lands), compared to 77 in Italy, 34 in Vichy France and French North Africa, and 31 in Japan. By comparison, FAA aircrew were also interned in the Neutral countries, the most, 9 aircrew, being interned in Sweden and the second highest in Spain with 6 aircrew interned.

Five FAA airmen managed to escape and a further 2 made escape attempts.

Japan and Germany were the only two countries to have contravened the Geneva Convention with acts against humanity, in executing Allied Prisoners of War including over 15 FAA aircrew in Japanese occupied territory.

In addition, during the war 325 British airmen reached Sweden, including RAF and Fleet Air Arm aircrews. Tragically as many as 103 of those was found dead, either on Swedish territory or in
Swedish waters. Up to 58 British airmen managed to evade from neighbouring occupied countries where their aircraft had crashed. Another 13 escaped from german prison of war camps and ended up interned in Sweden (see link on Swedish internment).

GERMANY	TOTAL FAA POWS: 96
GERMAN FATHERLAND	8
GERMANY - POWs captured on German Fatherland	8 FAA aircrew including First POW of War 14.9.39
HOLLAND	9
GERMANY - POWs captured in occupied Holland	9 FAA aircrew (1? (killed), 2 died as POWs and 1 killed escaping)
FRANCE	23
GERMANY - POWs captured in occupied France	23 FAA aircrew (2 died POW 2 escaped 3.1943, 1 POW?
BELGIUM	3
GERMANY - POWs captured in occupied Belgium	3 FAA aircrew
GREECE	8
GERMANY -POWs captured in occupied Greece	8 FAA aircrew
NORWAY	47
GERMANY - POWs captured in occupied Norway	47 FAA aircrew (1 died POW) + 1 Corsair shipped to Narvik for investigation.
FINLAND	TOTAL FAA POWS: 16-
FINLAND POWs	16 FAA aircrew
VICHY FRANCE	TOTAL FAA POWS: 34-
VICHY FRANCE	3
VICHY FRENCH AND FRENCH NORTH AFRICAN POWS/INTERNEES	3 FAA aircrew Vichy French + [1 not POW]
FRENCH NORTH AFRICA	31
VICHY FRENCH NORTH AFRICAN POWS/INTERNEES	3 FAA aircrew French Tunisia 10 FAA aircrew French Tunisia (2 attempted escape) 6 FAA aircrew French Algeria 1 FAA aircrew French Algeria [POW?] 11 FAA aircrew French held Dakar
ITALY	TOTAL FAA POWS: 77-
ITALIAN POWS	55 FAA aircrew (2 escaped) + 1 captured Swordfish P4127 (27.2.41) and 1 skua and wreck of X8941 to Stabilimento Costruzioni Aeronautiche (Italian Aircraft Construction Establishment), Guidonia
RHODES	6
ITALIAN POWS - RHODES, GREECE	6 FAA aircrew
NORTH AFRICA-LIBYA	16
ITALIAN - NORTH AFRICA POWS	8 FAA aircrew Italian North Africa 6 FAA aircrew in N Africa (Italian/German) 2 FAA aircrew by Italian troups, Libya (1 died POW)
JAPAN AND FAR EAST	TOTAL FAA POWS: 31-
JAPANESE MAINLAND	16
JAPANESE POWS - JAPAN MAINLAND	7 FAA aircrew 2 FAA aircrew (15.8.1945 executed same day. 6 FAA aircrew [2 POW?/killed] 1 FAA aircrew killed by Japanese 20.7.1945
OCCUPIED ASIA	15
JAPANESE POWS- JAP OCCUPIED TERRITORY	10 FAA aircrew at Palembang (8-10 executed 8.45 Changi, 2 POW?/killed) 1 FAA aircrew at Malaya - beheaded by the Japanese 20.7.1945 3 FAA aircrew captured in Andaman Sea by Japanese forces 1 FAA aircrew captured by Japanese, executed Changi Beach 18-20.8.45
INTERNEES IN NEUTRAL COUNTRIES	TOTAL FAA aircrew: 21
GREEK POWs/INTERNEES	2 FAA aircrew interned pre German occupation
IRISH/EIRE POWs/INTERNEES	1 FAA aircrew Eire interned 1 FAA aircrew Eire/N Ireland - Killoughey, Ards peninsula. Baled out, arrested by farmworker with shotgun.
PORTUGUSE POW/INTERNEES	2 FAA aircrew Portugal interned
SPANISH POWS/INTERNEES	3 FAA aircrew interned Spain -swordfish to Spanish airforce as HR6-1 6.12.43, retd 3.45 at Las Palmas, Gran Canaria 3 FAA aircrew, Spanish Morocco
SWEDISH POW/INTERNEES	9 FAA aircrew interned in Sweden

Full list of FAA POWS 1939-1945

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