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The survivors spent more time as prisoners of war in Canada than on board the Bismarck, but Canada is rarely mentioned in Bismarck histories. As is the case with most POWs, the POW experience is often overshadowed by combat stories.

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Like thousands of other POWs, some Bismarck crewmen volunteered to work in bush camps in Northern Ontario where they cut and stacked pulp wood for 50¢ a day.

The ship's fame captivated many talented POW craftsmen and models of the Bismarck are among the most common examples of POW handicraft. This example in the collection of the Canadian War Museum is attributed to attributed to Bismarck survivor Erwin Blödern.

In 1942, the enlisted crewmen arrived at Camp 23 at Monteith, Ontario and the officers at Camp 30 at Bowmanville, Ontario. Like the rest of the POWs in these camps, they busied themselves with activities like sports, music, theatre, educational courses, art, and handicrafts.

Otto Ellmaurer was eventually released in October 1944 and he returned to the Montreal area. He passed away in 1979. While he may not have received fame and recognition for his art, many internees kept his prints as cherished souvenirs and reminders of their internment.

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In July 1941, Ellmaurer and his fellow internees were transferred to Camp B (later Camp 70), near Fredericton New Brunswick. He continued sketching and painting, although he appears to have produced fewer pieces. Notably, then Montreal Mayor Camillien Houde can be seen here holding the cigar.

For those who did manage to escape, they had to navigate their way back to the real world while avoiding checkpoints and guard patrols. No internee managed a successful escape from Camp K.

But not all prisoners were content to remain in camp. Several internees attempted to escape, with this pair digging a tunnel under the camp fence. Caught in the act, this pair claim to be seeking the Easter Bunny. But there would be no chocolate for them, only a stay in the detention barracks.

Some of the babies are engaged in digging – and disappearing through – a tunnel under the floorboards, one destroys the barrack walls with a hammer, while the “nanny” holds “privileges” (candy, in this case) behind their back. Withholding privileges was a common tactic to prevent or reduce trouble.

Check out more of Ellmaurer’s sketches here: powsincanada.ca/2025/03/18/k...

Select groups were also permitted to work outside the camp on various projects like cutting firewood or, as seen here, even helping to build the barbed wire fences. Although Ellmaurer suggests these parties varied in their effectiveness.

With nothing but time on their hands, prisoners like Ellmaurer turned to art while others turned to music, theatre, sports, and learning. The prisoners soon established a small orchestra under the direction of Erich Kaunat, another Montreal resident.

Thrust into a military environment, these men had to quickly learn to adapt to ice behind barbed wire fences. Daily parades and roll calls became routine, although there was an adjustment period…

These internees included members of the Nazi party and other pro-German organizations in Canada. However, it soon became clear many of these individuals posed no threat and were eventually released on parole on a case-by-case basis.

Internees at Camp K came from across Canada and, as this cartoons suggests, they became “accidental tourists” as they were transferred from camp to camp. Those interned had been deemed potential threats to national security by the RCMP and arrested shortly after war broke out.

Unfortunately some of the details and stories in Ellmaurer’s cartoons have been lost or forgotten, like why the crow (or raven?) is sporting crutches or why several squirrels are wearing POW caps.

Read more about Christmas at Camp 42 at powsincanada.ca/2024/12/20/c...