During the First World War, France was faced with creating a system of mass captivity for German prisoners of war and German civilian internees, both at home and in its overseas Empire. It largely succeeded in retaining civilian government control over prisoner treatment policies although on the ground the French military had considerable leeway in how they treated captives. In contrast, in Germany, the military had complete control over how French prisoners of war and civilian internees were treated. Belgium, with most of its territory occupied by Germany, faced different challenges in how it managed prisoners of war, while some Flemish Belgian prisoners in Germany experienced favourable treatment compared to their Walloon counterparts due to Germany’s desire to promote a pro-German version of Flemish nationalism. ... : 1914-1918-Online International Encyclopedia of the First World War ...