During World War I, about 8 million men surrendered and were held in POW camps until the war ended. All nations pledged to follow the Hague rules on fair treatment of prisoners of war, and in general the POWs had a much higher survival rate than their peers who were not captured. The German Empire held 2.5 million prisoners; Russia held 2.9 million, and Britain and France held about 720,000. The US held 48,000. The most dangerous moment was the act of surrender, when helpless soldiers were sometimes shot down. Once prisoners reached a POW camp conditions were better, thanks in part to the efforts of the International Red Cross and inspections by neutral nations. POW mail was usually sent free of charge, generally under the auspices of the International or local Red Cross or Red Crescent committees, although this service depended on the country of origin. Sometimes airmail and other services were available to POWs at the regular rates in effect at the time of posting. More often, POWs were provided with forms, cards or other items of stationery, the use of which was compulsory. On December 13, 1918 the armistice was extended and the Allies reported that by 9 December, 264,000 prisoners had been repatriated.