The German term ''Prominente'' (singular masculine ''Prominenter'') was used in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

to describe high-profile prisoners from various countries that were imprisoned in for example the

POW camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prison ...

for officers

Colditz Colditz () is a small town in the district of Leipzig, in Saxony, Germany. It is best known for Colditz Castle, the site of the Oflag IV-C POW camp for officers in World War II. Geography Colditz is situated in the Leipzig Bay, southeast of the ...

(

Oflag IV-C Oflag IV-C, often referred to by its location at Colditz Castle, overlooking Colditz, Saxony, was one of the most noted German Army prisoner-of-war camps for captured enemy officers during World War II; ''Oflag'' is a shortening of ''Offiziersl ...

) or the

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...

Sachsenhausen and

Dachau , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...

for possible use as hostages. These prisoners had among them former statesmen, politicians, political dissidents and priests as well as prisoners of war related, or believed to be related, to allied politicians and royalties. The

POW's were liberated on 14April 1945 by the U.S. Army, whereas the prisoners from Sachsenhausen and

where liberated from their SS-guards by in turn by troops from the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

and shortly thereafter by units from the 42nd Infantry Division and the 45th Infantry Division after the

Transport of concentration camp inmates to Tyrol The transport of concentration camp inmates to Tyrol refers to a transfer of 139 high-profile prisoners ('' Prominenten'') of the Nazi regime in the final weeks of the Second World War in Europe from Dachau Concentration Camp in Bavaria to South T ...

.{{cite book , first1=B.A , last1=James , title=Moonless Night , isbn=9781844154388

References

Prisoners of war