"Heraus mit unseren gefangenen!" the german home front and the international campaign for prisoner of war repatriation, 1918-1919

At the end of the First World War, approximately 800,000 German prisoners of war remained in captivity, with the victorious Allies intent on holding on to their prisoners until the conclusion of formal peace proceedings. This chapter demonstrates that German women's calls for prisoner repatriation at home and abroad drew attention to the prisoners' extended captivity and its impact on struggling German families. Through correspondence campaigns, public protests, and alliances with influential prisoner of war advocacy groups, German women convinced citizens of the neutral powers and victorious nations to demand the release of the German prisoners of war. Through appeals to the international community, made as mothers and wives rather than as political activists, German women ultimately hastened the prisoners' release and return to their families.