A new documentary on Arte explores the experiences of black prisoners of war under the Nazi regime and their deportation to concentration camps.
The film, titled "Les Noirs au temps des nazis – Des victimes oubliées," aims to illuminate a largely forgotten history. It details the double persecution these individuals faced, suffering abuse from both the SS and their fellow inmates.
Central to the narrative is the life of Lionel Romney, an Afro-Caribbean sailor born in the Dominican Republic in 1912 [1]. Romney entered the merchant navy at age 22 [1]. His ship was captured in 1940 [1], leading to his eventual deportation to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria.
Reports on the documentary's broadcast date vary between May 5 [2] and May 12, 2026 [3]. While some sources focus primarily on Romney, others said the film analyzes the journeys of three different men.
The production emphasizes that the fate of black people under the Nazi regime is only partially documented, Télérama said. By centering the story on Romney's deportation, the film provides a specific lens into the systemic violence of the era.
Romney's transition from a sailor to a prisoner of war highlights the precarious position of non-European crews during the conflict. The documentary uses his testimony to challenge the historical erasure of black victims of the Holocaust.
“The fate of black people under the Nazi regime is only partially documented.”
The release of this documentary signals a broader effort to expand the historical record of the Holocaust beyond the most widely recognized victim groups. By documenting the specific plight of black prisoners of war, historians and filmmakers are addressing a gap in the archival memory of World War II, illustrating how Nazi racial hierarchies intersected with global colonial and maritime structures.
