POW
Widmer spent five years in three different German prison camps for French officers. During that time, he was apparently treated well since French officers enjoyed better conditions than captured enlisted men. However, the experience of the war and captivity deeply marked Widmer. He devoted himself to caring for the spiritual needs of his comrades, serving as a de facto camp chaplain. In this role, he came to meet and appreciate the convictions of Lutheran, Reformed, Darbyist, Evangelical and even Catholic prisoners. Widmer also became convinced of the futility of war, even a patriotic or "just war". This change in his position about violence is clear in the poems that Widmer wrote during captivity, published in 1987 as Ombres et Lumières or "Shadows and Light". Upon his release from the prison camp at the end of the war, Widmer was awarded the Croix de Guerre and a Citation à l'Armée pour Actes de Bravoure.
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