English
Etymology
G. Kriegsgefangener. Former POW Paul Gordon of Reading, Pennsylvania, claims to be the man who coined the term. He was captured by the Germans after the B-17 in which he was a ball turret gunner was shot down over France on October 9, 1942; he spent the remainder of the war as a detainee in Stalag 17b, Krems, Austria. Early in his captivity he was with a group of fellow POW's who were pondering what to call themselves, since the German word "Kriegsgefangener" (war-prisoner) was too cumbersome. According to Paul, he said, "Heck, we'll just be Kriegies," and the name stuck.
Noun
Kriegie
#slang POW
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