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During World War II, 124,079 U. S. Army personnel were captured by the enemy, of these 41,057 were members of the Army Air Forces (AAF), most of whom were in airplanes which were shot down while in aerial combat over hostile territory. Germany and its European Allies captured 35,621 Americans, while Japan captured 5,436.

Germany was a signatory of the Geneva Convention of 1929 which prescribed humane treatment for prisoners of war (POW). However, there were many failures to abide by the convention's provisions and marked differences in treatment of POWs, and in living conditions, at German WWII camps. Officers in at least one camp controlled by German air force personnel at times found camaraderie existed among flyers of the warring nations. They received reasonably humane treatment, including distribution of recreational equipment, some medical and dental care, and delivery of mail and Red Cross food parcels. But conditions in some other officer camps fell below this level. Enlisted AAF POWs often faced the harshest conditions, such as shortages of food and water, no medical care, no mail or clothing distribution, and brutal treatment by guards. By late 1944, as the war progressed and conditions in Germany deteriorated, the plight of all POWs had worsened, sometimes almost to starvation. Fortunately at war's end, most of these AAF POWs returned home, often bitter, but safe at last.