25 Famous Prisoners of War

Welsh actor Desmond Llewelyn, best known for his role as Q in the James Bond franchise, endured a lesser-known, real-life drama during World War II. Captured during the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940, Llewelyn spent five years as a prisoner of war. While the war halted his acting career, Llewelyn was able to participate in theater productions with fellow prisoners.

Wilm Hosenfeld, the German officer renowned for saving Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman – played by Adrien Brody in the 2002 Roman Polanski film “The Pianist” – met a tragic fate as a prisoner of war. After his capture by the Red Army in January 1945, Hosenfeld endured harsh conditions in Soviet captivity. Despite numerous pleas for his release, including from individuals he had saved during the war, Hosenfeld’s appeals went unanswered. He died in a Soviet prison in 1952, his deeds during the war only gaining wider recognition posthumously.

Working as a Christian missionary in China, Scottish Olympic gold medalist Eric Liddell was captured by Japanese forces in 1943 and placed in an internment camp. Despite the harsh conditions, Liddell organized sports events and taught science to the camp’s children. His fortitude and positivity left an indelible mark on his fellow prisoners, even as his health deteriorated, leading to his untimely death in 1945, just months before liberation.

A British soldier during World War II, Jack Churchill (no relation to Winston), known famously as “Mad Jack,” was held as a POW by the Germans. Despite numerous escape attempts, Churchill was continuously recaptured. Churchill was eventually liberated by the advancing U.S. Army in 1945, marking the end of his resilient and storied tenure in captivity.

Star of iconic Italian films like “La Dolce Vita” and “8½,” Marcello Mastroianni was not living the sweet life when he was captured by German forces after Italy’s armistice with the Allies in 1943. Mastroianni spent several months in a prison camp before escaping in 1945 and fleeing to Venice.

In 2003, Private First Class Jessica Lynch became a prominent figure in the Iraq War when her maintenance company was ambushed, and she was captured by Iraqi forces. Lynch’s nine-day captivity was marked by physical and psychological hardships, exacerbated by severe injuries sustained during the ambush. Her rescue by U.S. Special Forces brought her ordeal to an end and thrust her further into the global spotlight.

Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz’s experience as a prisoner of war during the Napoleonic era shaped his future profoundly. Captured in 1806 during the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, he was held in France for over a year. During this time, he closely observed French military strategies, providing him with invaluable insights that would later influence his magnum opus, “On War”.

Bruce Shand, a decorated British Army officer, endured significant hardship as a prisoner of war during World War II. Captured in 1942 during the Battle of El Alamein, Shand spent three years in captivity, most of it at Spangenberg Castle in Germany. After the war, he married Rosalind Maud Cubitt, and the couple had three children – one of who is now Camilla, Queen of the United Kingdom.

Prominent automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche was detained as a prisoner of war during the aftermath of World War II. Accused of war crimes related to his work for the Third Reich, Porsche was kept in custody for 20 months in a French prison. Despite the harsh conditions and uncertainty of his situation, he continued to design car models, including an early concept of the iconic Porsche 356.

Gerd von Rundstedt, a prominent German Field Marshal during World War II, was taken prisoner by British forces in 1945. His detainment period, marked primarily by interrogations, was spent in the United Kingdom until his release due to health issues in 1949. Despite his high-ranking position in the Nazi regime, Rundstedt was never prosecuted for war crimes, a controversial decision that continues to spark debate among historians.

British actor Denholm Elliott, known for his distinguished film and theater career, endured a harrowing period as a prisoner of war during World War II. Serving in the Royal Air Force, Elliott was shot down over Germany in 1942. Elliott spent the rest of the war in the German Stalag Luft III prison camp, where he became involved in theater and staged a production of “Twelfth Night.”

Erich Hartmann, a decorated Luftwaffe fighter pilot, endured a decade-long ordeal as a prisoner of war after WWII ended. Captured by Soviet forces in 1945, Hartmann was falsely accused of war crimes. Despite harsh conditions and psychological pressure, he steadfastly maintained his innocence. His release only came in 1955, following Chancellor Konrad Adenauer’s negotiations for the return of German POWs. This chapter of Hartmann’s life marked a stark contrast to his distinguished military career, underscoring the harsh realities of geopolitical strife.

Adrian Carton de Wiart, a decorated British officer, spent more than two years as a prisoner of war during World War II. Captured by the Italians in 1941, de Wiart made numerous attempts to flee captivity, earning a reputation as an escape artist. His audacious efforts included digging tunnels and impersonating Italian civilians. He was finally released in 1943, continuing his military service until retirement.

Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner turned World War II bombardier, endured a harrowing ordeal as a prisoner of war. After surviving a plane crash and a record 47 days adrift in the Pacific, Zamperini was captured by Japanese forces. Zamperini spent time in four different POW camps, where he was subjected to extreme physical and psychological abuse for over two years until his release.

Acclaimed British actor Donald Pleasance endured a challenging period as a prisoner of war during World War II. After his Lancaster bomber was shot down during a 1944 mission, Pleasence was captured and held in the German Stalag Luft I camp. Despite the harsh conditions, Pleasance produced and acted in plays for his fellow prisoners. This harrowing experience not only shaped Pleasence’s life but also informed his performances in later film and theater roles, such as RAF Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe in 1963’s “The Great Escape.”

During World War I, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein was captured by Italian forces and held captive as a prisoner of war. Despite the harsh conditions, Wittgenstein still wrote about philosophy and drafted what would become “Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus,” one of the most important philosophical works of the 20th century.

World-renowned philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre witnessed the harsh realities of war when he was captured by German forces in 1940, He spent nearly a year in a stalag, an experience that profoundly impacted his existentialist philosophy. Despite the oppressive environment, Sartre managed to stage a play and engage in philosophical discussions with fellow prisoners.

Rudolf Hess, once Adolf Hitler’s deputy, spent over four decades as a prisoner of war. Captured after he made a solo flight to Scotland in 1941, apparently to try to talk the U.K. into bowing out of World War II. He was tried at Nuremberg in 1946, receiving a life sentence. Held in Berlin’s Spandau Prison, he became its sole occupant from 1966 until his death in 1987, guarded by members of the four Allied powers in rotation. His isolation, longevity of sentence, and the mystery surrounding his 1941 flight have fueled much speculation and debate about the necessity and humaneness of his lengthy confinement.

Puyi, the last Emperor of China, found himself a prisoner of war in Soviet Russia after World War II. Captured in Manchuria in 1945, he spent five years in a Russian prison before being extradited to China. Despite his imperial past, Puyi lived a life of enforced simplicity behind bars, a sharp contrast to his previous opulence. Upon his return to China, he was forced into a controversial “thought reform” program, marking a significant shift in his life narrative.

Future author Kurt Vonnegut was captured during the Battle of the Bulge in the throes of World War II. His harrowing experience came to a crescendo during the infamous Dresden bombing in February 1945. Vonnegut, along with other POWs, was sheltered in an underground meat locker, an event that profoundly shaped the perspective that would later inform his seminal work “Slaughterhouse-Five”.

U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain was held as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. After his plane was shot down in 1967, he was captured by North Vietnamese forces and held in Hanoi’s Hoa Lo Prison, notoriously known as the “Hanoi Hilton”. Despite brutal conditions and torture, McCain refused an early release offer due to a code of conduct mandating prisoners be released in the order they were captured. The five-and-a-half year captivity left McCain with lifelong physical disabilities.

Charles de Gaulle, a towering figure in French history, was held as a prisoner of war during World War I after being captured at the Battle of Verdun in 1916. Despite repeated escape attempts, de Gaulle remained captive in Germany for over two years.

During the Revolutionary War, a teenage Andrew Jackson was captured by British forces. Jackson famously refused to shine a British officer’s boots, citing his rights as a prisoner of war. This act of rebellion provoked the Redcoat to draw his sword and slash Jackson, leaving the future president with lifelong scars. The ordeal ended with Jackson’s release after several months.

David Stirling, the esteemed founder of Britain’s Special Air Service, was a prisoner of war during World War II. Captured by the Germans in North Africa in 1943, Stirling ultimately escaped, only to be recaptured by the Italians. Stirling was transferred to Colditz Castle in Germany, where he remained a prisoner for the rest of the war.

In 1899, during the Boer War in South Africa, the then 25-year-old Winston Churchill, an ambitious war correspondent turned cavalry officer, found himself captured by enemy forces. Held captive in a makeshift prison, Churchill orchestrated a daring escape that saw him traverse 300 miles of hostile territory to secure his freedom.