POW = prisoner of war. they were prisoners and as such didn't really have a leader. there were POWs on both sides

P.O.W.'s or Prisoners of War

A prisoner of war (POW, PoW, PW or PsW) is a combatant who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict.

26,358 Australian soldiers, of all branches(RAN, RAAF, Army) became POWs during World War II. This number includes both the Pacific war against Japan and the war in Europe, against Germany.

For the same reasons as americans looked down on the prisoners in the Iraq war.

It becomes easier for the guards (emotionally) to mistreat the pisoners.