The camp reported having 298other ranks on 26th February 1943. Besides, some include dates of death, exchange, repatriation and arrival back in the United Kingdom. Discover Colditz Castle in Colditz, Germany: An officers prison camp believed to be impregnable by the Germans saw over 30 successful escapes. The camp was liberated by the Soviet Red Army in mid-April 1945 although this was long after most had been force marched out westwards. On reflection, these sources do show some relevant information and surprisingly confirm that Red Cross inspection visits were made to selected far east camps, although the integrity of these visits is debatable. Adventure, Drama, History. Located in Laufen Castle, in Laufen in south-eastern Bavaria from 1940 to 1942. District V In the Far south-west of German, the nearest large city being Posen. During World War II these latter provisions were consistently breached, in particular for Soviet, Polish, and Yugoslav prisoners. 134 min The camp was liberated by the U.S. Army on 16 April 1945. Located at coordinates 54 degrees 25 minutes North, 20 degrees 32 minutes 5 seconds east. The main centre used during the war was at Oberursel near Frankfurt. Allied prisoners - British, Dutch, French and Polish - pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from the "escape-proof" German P.O.W. Some of the first escapees were recaptured and returned to the camp before the escape had even been discovered by the camp authorities. in September 1943 PG60 was turned into a concentration camp for political prisoners and Jews. Colonial Office files on British prisoners and internees in the Far East, and British Colonial prisoners in Europe, occur in CO 980 and CO 537/1220-1221. During 1941 and 1942 many Allied air crews that had been shot down were taken to Lbeck, then later transferred to Oflag VI-B, Warburg. Covering 50 hectares (120 acres) the camp contained a kitchen, bakery, latrines and bathhouse, and was surrounded by a double barbed-wire fence with five gates and four guard towers (later increased to nine). Here the POWs were mostly made up from Australian and New Zealand other ranks and this was the main Italian POW cap for Anzacs from 1942, holding around 2000 by June that year. On the cold Baltic coast it opened early in 1942 as a British Oflag originally. Situated near Lauchammer between a foundry and a gun finishing factory, no information on POWs held. There were notable exceptions, for example, the execution of recaptured prisoners. The Geneva convention comprised a few other agreements made concerning Prisoners of war, notably the Hague regulations of 1899 and 1907 and the pre-war version which was initially signed on July 27th 1929. In June 1943 it was placed under the administrative control of Stalag VIII-B Lamsdorf and was renamed Stalag IV-B/Z. The Fund's operations include assistance to widows and orphans of fallen colleagues in the country, the fees for the lawyers defending prisoners before German courts, the payment of salaries of the cadets and soldiers, as well as cultural and educational activities. OFLAG VIIIh Oberlangendorf, Czech republic, OFLAG IXa Spangenburg bei Kassel, Germany. In 1935 the Wehrmacht began to build a large military complex close to the town of Bergen in what was then the Province of Hanover and the barracks were completed in 1937. These included many Americans and British airmen from Stalag Luft III. Nearly 50,000 died there of hunger, disease, or were just simply murdered. Nevertheless, it was recognised that in most instances an evader/escaper had little opportunity of observing enemy activities due to the normal practice of 'hiding-up' during the day. Originally opened in May1941 the camp reported having 3546other ranks on 26th February 1943. Other reports have the number at as many as 2,000 in the column. 1 -Household Cavalry, Combermere Barracks Windsor, Berks, 3 - RAC and Reconnaissance Corps, The Drill Hall, Barnet, Herts, 6 - RA (LAA) Ibex House, The Minories, London EC3. Directors: The Colditz Story: Directed by Guy Hamilton. Located in a building that was previously a school, closed early in April 1945. Absolutely brilliant. The USSME reports from 26/2/43 show 2714 POWs here. The march, in temperatures of -15C to -20C, caused great distress and many prisoners died. Infrastructure of the camp consisted of four two-storey blocks, a gymnasium, two administrative buildings, four garages, and a large parade ground. It has had a chequered history over the past 500 years and has been used for a variety of purposes including a hunting lodge, workhouse, mental hospital, sanatorium, political prison and hospital. Muhlhausen Opened in February 1940 and closed on 29/3/45, the hospital was located at Bad Sulza. Stars: During World War II these packages augmented the often-meagre and deficient diets in the POW camps, contributing greatly to prisoner survival and an increase in morale. Stalag XX-A was a German World War II prisoner of war camp located in Thorn/Torun, Poland. And the arrogance of some members of the upper crust is breathtaking. In the next few days 17 more were captured and taken to the Gestapo prison in Dortmund where they were killed. The north and south parts of the camp consisted of tall storage buildings housing up to 2000 POWs each on just the one floor. Stalag Luft VII Bankau (Moved to Moosburg & Nuremberg) Upper Silesia Location N/E 51-18. They crossed a bridge over the river Oder on 21 January, reached Goldberg on 5 February, and were loaded onto a train. In May 1940 the camp was established in wooden huts at the south end of the training ground. Lamont Johnson Stars: However in doing so risking the farmers and the POWs' lives. A few of these orderlies had been assigned as batmen to senior officers and were incarcerated along with them, however, most were assigned by the Germans once captured and many disliked their new role intensely and suffered because of it. An ICRC report of August 1941 described the fort as being a circular building, made of red brick with three floors each with its windows facing an interior court which acts as the hub of the fort. Additional reports are dispersed among various record series. The camp was built in late 1939 by Polish prisoners of war. 43449 (6486 British) POWs with 661 officers held here. The Senior British Officer at Campo 78 was Lt Col Munro of the 2/3rd Anti-Tank Regiment AIF. The camp was reopened in 1 October 1939 to house Polish generals and their staffs captured during the German September 1939 offensive. Besides, the so-called 'Black List' foreigners were also included. The guards were mainly Austrian army veterans and conditions in the camp were better than in many other POW camps in Germany. The purpose of this is as follows: These can contain names and addresses of helpers, nature of help given, and relevant dates. The jobs allowed some Poles to help them by giving food and cigarettes. Walter Fitzgerald, Director: Fraternization between local people and prisoners was strictly forbidden, although it certainly happened. We offer the services of a professionally accredited researcher who visits the archives daily, should you wish to seek this assistance. Another tunnel built by Norwegian prisoners was discovered before its completion. In June 1940 British, Belgian, Dutch and French senior officers and a small number of orderlies were transported to Mainz from transit camps in France and Belgium after the end of the Battle of France. By June 1940 most of the Poles had been transferred to other camps and replaced with Belgian and French troops taken prisoner during the Battle of France. Records of the ICRC are in FO 916, continued in WO 224. 6 November 1939 - 20 December 1940 Colonel Joachim von Loebecke, 20 December 1940 - April 1941 - Major von Stietencron, April 1941- late 1942 - Colonel von Muller, November 6, 1939 to 19th December 1940 - Colonel Rudolf Kalenski, 20th December 1940 -28 September 1941 - Colonel Wojciech Tyczynski, September 28 1941- late 1942 - Colonel Witold Dzierzykraj-Moravian, BAU & BN 21 Blechhamer, Oderberg Upper Silesia 50N-18E, E114 Gross Kunzendorf, stone quarry and factory, E354 Jgerndorf, saw mill & timer goods factory, E561 Tarnowtitz, railway depot loading and unloading trains, E706 Coal mine near Jaworzno, mostly Australians and New Zealanders, Work Battalion 21 Heydebreck Silesia 50-18, Westerburg POW Camp Hessen-Nassau Prussia 50-08. While no discrete record holds these forms, they are occasionally found in War Crimes files. Size salary was dependent of your military rank and was for Colonel 150 (eg, Brigadier 180), Col. 120, Major 108, Captain 98, Lt. 81, Lieutenant 72. The camp was liberated by troops of the U.S. 12th Armoured Division on 29 April 1945. They awoke one morning to discover that their guards had deserted them. Every so many yards along the fence was a guard tower, fully armed and manned. This camp was used after the armistice to house the 40,000 Jews from Modena/Bologna before their transfer to Auschwitz. Most of the men were moved by train to Stalag XX-A in West Prussia, but some 900 were taken to the port of Memel, where they were put aboard the merchant ship Insterburg for a 60-hour journey to Swinemnde. The Soviets stayed only long enough to remove anything of value, and loading up the German guards, they returned to their HQ leaving the French Generals alone. The POWs ate charcoal to help stop dysentery and every POW became infected with lice. Built on what had been the training camp at Hammelburg, Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. These officers were the incorrigible ones - the ones who had escaped before and intended to do so again. In 1943 there were recorded as being 47,483 other ranks with 303 Officers mostly employed in the local salt mines. There were no restrictions on the number of letters a POW could receive. (10 days confined arrest completed on 8 May 1941). The German lists are described as being corrected generally up to 30 March 1945. Neubrandenburg camp was liberated by the Soviets in April 1945. Situated in a previous almshouse, large and modern. | In January 1945, as the Soviet armies resumed their offensive and advanced into Germany, many of the prisoners were marched westward in groups of 200 to 300 in the so-called Death March. 1,015 Officers held here as of 26/2/43 originally opened October 1942. He became entangled in barbed wire when he fell down between the two fences. They caught the train to Stuttgart where they stayed overnight in a small hotel. Drama, War. | On 31 August 1942 Canadian officers captured during the Dieppe Raid arrived. Wounded and captured at Calais, he was taken to Stalag XXA near Thorn in Poland and managed to escape with a fellow prisoner in April 1941. Small groups of prisoners were employed also in Lodz factories. It held Norwegian officers captured in 1942 and 1943. Tom Courtenay, In April 1942 the last group of Polish officers arrived from Oflag X-C near Lbeck. The barracks were divided into rooms each accommodating 14 to 18 men who slept in two and three-tiered bunks. Stalag IV-H Zeithain (also known as Jacobstahl), Stalag Luft V, Wolfen, Groditz, Halle (Saale), Stalag Va Ludwigsburg, Germany (Baden-Wrttemberg), Stalag V-A Malschbach Ludwigsburg Wurtemberg Location N/E 49-09. | A limited number of non-commissioned soldiers working as orderlies were allowed in Oflags to carry out the work needed to care for the officers so dont be too surprised to find a Corporal in Colditz! Prisoner of War was a magazine published and distributed by the International Red Cross during World War II - it was a joint venture between the British Red Cross and the Order of St John. The address for those interned after escaping from Germany/Italy into Switzerland is: Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. In late 1944/early 1945 the camp population grew enormously with the arrival of prisoners evacuated from camps in the east in front of the advance of the Red Army. 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