The Peace Ship Returns 27,000 Prisoners to Their Homes After World War II

SadaNews - World War II began with the German forces' attack on Poland at the beginning of September, resulting in the deaths of over 60 million people, most of whom were in the former Soviet Union and China.

A large number of military and civilian personnel were captured by various warring powers during the war.

The prisoners were a burden due to the high costs of their captivity. Although there were ways to exploit them for hard labor, some of the warring parties agreed to prisoner exchange operations.

Millions of Military and Civilian Prisoners

Tens of millions of military and civilian personnel were captured during World War II. According to sources, 6 million Soviet soldiers were taken prisoner, while the number of German prisoners held by the Allies was estimated to be in the millions. Over half a million Japanese soldiers were captured, while about 120,000 American soldiers were confined in Axis camps, 30,000 of whom were held by the Japanese. The war also recorded the capture of around 350,000 British and 1.5 million French prisoners.

Sweden, a neutral country during the war, sought to play a diplomatic role by mediating in negotiations and prisoner exchanges, aiming to alleviate the suffering of some. Sweden relied on the ship "MS Gripsholm" to successfully conduct the exchanges.

The Peace Ship

The ship "MS Gripsholm" was built between 1924 and 1925 by the English Armstrong Whitworth Company for the Swedish-American Line, which specialized in voyages between Gothenburg and New York.

With the outbreak of World War II, the International Red Cross and neutral countries like Switzerland and Sweden played a significant role in repatriating sick and injured prisoners of war. Sweden relied on both "MS Gripsholm" and "Drottningholm" for prisoner exchange operations.

In its first humanitarian operations, "MS Gripsholm" transported thousands of diplomats, missionaries, civilians, and medical staff from Axis camps to Allied countries, returning loaded with civilians from Allied camps, according to the laws governing the pursuit of individuals of German, Italian, and Japanese descent residing in Allied countries.

"MS Gripsholm" operated between the ports of New York, Lisbon, Lourenço Marques (Mozambique - a former Portuguese colony), Stockholm, and Goa (India).

According to reports, "MS Gripsholm" and its Swedish crew made 12 round trips as part of the prisoner exchange operations. Ports in Mozambique and India were used to exchange prisoners with the Japanese, while focus was placed on ports in Sweden and Portugal for exchanges with the Germans.

Throughout its journey in World War II, "MS Gripsholm" returned over 27,500 prisoners of war to their homes, earning the title of the "Peace Ship" amid the global conflict.