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POW and Concentration Camp Money (WWI and WWII)

During World War I and World War II, captured soldiers are imprisoned in Prisoners of War (POW) camps. People captured were also concentrated in a Concentration Camp without trial. 

The conditions in these camps could vary significantly, ranging from high mortality rates to relatively peaceful environments. Many of these camps functioned as miniature cities, complete with a command structure, assigned jobs, and even their own currency.  

Prisoners were also exploited and would receive meager payments for their labor, with lower-paid individuals working on farms and higher-paid ones employed in factories and mines. It was more advantageous for prisoners to be compensated in Lagergeld or war cash, a currency exclusive to the camps.  

POW currency served to instill a sense of worth and reward for prisoners' labor, thereby reducing resistance to their captors. It was also to prevent them from bribing the guards for their release using state-backed currency.

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