| Conflict: | Battle of Bowmanville |
| Partof: | the American Theater of World War II |
| Date: | October 10–12, 1942 |
| Place: | Camp 30 in Bowmanville, Ontario |
| Coordinates: | 43.9269°N -78.6667°W |
| Result: | Revolt failed |
| Combatant1: |  Canada |
| Units1: | Veterans Guard of Canada Canadian Army cadet commandos |
| Units2: | 126 German POWs |
| Casualties1: | 1 Veteran's Guard injured |
| Casualties2: | Several wounded |
The Battle of Bowmanville was a 1942 revolt in the Bowmanville prisoner of war camp (Camp 30) in Ontario, Canada. The prisoners, most of whom were higher-ranking German officers, objected to the intended shackling of 100 prisoners. The battle lasted for three days.[1] [2]
The residents of Camp 30 were mostly Germans captured by the British and sent to Canada for internment in anticipation of a potential invasion of Britain. They were guarded by the Veterans Guard of Canada. The violence began after 126 prisoners were sent to another camp to be shackled as a reprisal for the chaining of Canadian soldiers captured at Dieppe (itself a reaction to captured plans for the shackling of German POWs[3]). After a period of hand-to-hand fighting, during which one Canadian guard had his skull fractured, 400 prisoners barricaded themselves in a hall. They remained there for over a day while the guards awaited reinforcements. A group of students at a nearby commando course in Kingston, Ontario arrived on Canadian Thanksgiving, subduing the barricaded prisoners with fire hoses and tear gas.[4]
Three shots were fired during the revolt, two of which wounded PoW Volkmar Koenig, shot by a tower guard after prisoners grabbed a Canadian officer.[5] Another prisoner was stabbed with a bayonet, but survived.[4] A number of other prisoners and guards were injured during the revolt, often in hand-to-hand combat.[1] [2]