Prisoners of War – Three postal cards from POW Enrico Gozzani (No. 172056), Camp 22, Block 6, sent from a POW camp in South Africa during World War II. These postal cards were designated for Italian prisoners captured by the Allied forces to send letters to their families in Italy. South Africa, December 1942 and January 1943.
The body of the postal cards follows a fixed template in Italian, allowing the prisoner to delete irrelevant sentences, with a clear statement that no additional messages may be added:
“Io sto bene, spero anche di voi” – I am fine, and I hope you are as well.
“Aspetto vostre notizie” – I am waiting for news from you.
“Ho ricevuto posta” – I have received mail. (This line was crossed. out by the prisoner on all three postal).
The card grants the prisoner the right to write two letters per week, as indicated at the bottom. These postal cards were sent to Bonfont Lina at Via Polato 5, Cremona, Italy. They bear transit approval stamps, including a military postal stamp. Additionally, the card states “Franco di Bollo, ” indicating that the shipment is free of charge as part of the humanitarian arrangements for prisoners of war. The content of the card is limited to basic messages to prevent strategic information or subversive communications.
During World War II, Allied forces captured Italian soldiers from North Africa and transferred them to camps in South Africa. After significant battles, such as the Battle of El Alamein (1942), thousands of Italian soldiers were taken as prisoners and sent to POW camps in various locations. Around 70,000 Italian prisoners were transported to South Africa, which served as a key British base in the African theater. The prisoners were placed in camps such as Zonderwater, the largest of its kind, which held about 63,000 POWs at its peak. The POW camps in South Africa operated under the conditions of the Geneva Convention, allowing prisoners to communicate with their families. Most camps were managed under relatively humane conditions. The prisoners received food, water, and basic living quarters. The stark contrast between the humane treatment given to Axis POWs by Allied forces—who strictly adhered to the principles of the Geneva Convention—and the brutal mistreatment endured by Allied soldiers who fell into Nazi captivity, often suffering torture or death, is not just unavoidable—it highlights the immense moral divide that existed between the two sides during the war.
Historical documentation of POWs from South African camps is rare.
Three postal cards. Condition: Good – Very Good.
