According to the Kızılay archive documents, the help activities of the Turkish Red Crescent to the foreign prisoner of war in the Second World War

Turkish Red Crescent is a charity organization with a history of 154 years, which was established during the most difficult times of the Ottoman Empire. Although the Society was established in 1868 only to help the soldiers injured in wars, with its international mission, it basically adopted the principle of free aid to all humanity in accordance with the conditions of the age. In this way, it has adopted the principle of protecting human life and health without discrimination in war and peace. At the same time, it is a universal organization with a humanitarian aspect that aims to bring together the concepts of love, respect and cooperation. The Turkish Red Crescent Society formed emergency committees and opened hospitals and dispensaries in the places where it was most needed in the treatment of famine and epidemic diseases that occurred as a result of the economic difficulties caused by the wars both in the Ottoman and in the Republican period. For example, he rushed to the aid of the needy when thousands of people lost their lives in the natural disasters that occurred between 1935-1947 and thousands of them were victims. In this context, it continues to work with this awareness as a "dark day friend" within the framework of "peace at home, peace in the world" with its mobile and permanent hospitals, soup kitchens, poor hostels and artistic activities. At the same time, he made important efforts to send foodstuffs and health supplies to the soldiers and civilians who were captured on different fronts in both the First World War and the Second World War, with an impartial policy. The Turkish Red Crescent Society has been the helping hand of the state in all matters during the Second World War, when non-war states like Turkey declared military and economic mobilization to protect their situation. The Turkish Government continued its task of collecting the aid it received from the people due to economic difficulties during the war years, through the Turkish Red Crescent Society. In this context, the Society took an active role in many aid campaigns. He carried out one of these aid campaigns between 1940-1943 to collect the aid they needed for Turkish soldiers and their families. The Society, with the demands of the representatives of the European states in Turkey during the Second World War; With the permission of the Turkish Government, he played an important role in sending letters, money, goods and postal parcels to foreign prisoners of war in accordance with Article 38 of the Geneva Convention. In this context, foodstuffs prepared in certain quantities were sent to the prisoner camps in Germany and Italy in the light of the lists of the prisoners whose names and addresses were determined beforehand. Another humanitarian aid provided by the Turkish Red Crescent Society despite the difficulties and negativities experienced in Turkey during the Second World War; Within the scope of Article 68 of the Geneva Convention, it is the work of the warring countries in Africa between 1942-1943 with the permission of the Turkish Government, in the exchange of wounded, sick and disabled German, Italian and British prisoners of war in İzmir and Mersin ports. In these exchanges, which took place only five times in Turkish territorial waters, the Society both coordinated the exchange and treated the prisoners in hospitals and dispensaries when needed. The postal services also provided for food, drink and shelter. Society helped the prisoners of war to be handed over to the authorities of their countries under the most favourable conditions by giving gifts suitable for the season. In this study, in the light of the Red Crescent archive documents, the aid packages provided by the Red Crescent to the prisoners of war who were on the forgotten side of the war in the Second World War, as well as the role the selfless humanitarian exchanges in the Turkish territorial waters in Izmir and Mersin has been revealed.