  With 70 million dead, World War II remains the most devastating conflict in
history. Of the survivors, millions were displaced, returned maimed from the
battlefield, or spent years in captivity. We examine the impact of such wartime
experiences on labor market careers and show that they often become apparent
only at certain life stages. While war injuries reduced employment in old age,
former prisoners of war postponed their retirement. Many displaced workers,
particularly women, never returned to employment. These responses are in line
with standard life-cycle theory and thus likely extend to other conflicts.
