The fate of prisoners of war is an extremely important chapter in the history of many countries, including Germany. It is estimated that over 11 million Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS soldiers were taken prisoner by the Allies. Only in 1955/56 did the last 10,000 prisoners of war return to Germany and Austria. German society, with great commitment, joined the commemorations of the days and weeks of remembrance for the prisoners of war established by the German government. The commitment of the VdH (Association of Returnees, Prisoners of War and Missing Relatives of Germany) was also invaluable; from 1951 it fully assumed the duty of organising the aforementioned events and nurtured the memories of the German prisoners of war even after the official forms of commemoration had ended.
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