The POWs left in the camp were liberated by the Soviet army on 8 May 1945, however this liberation like many other camps meant they were simply robbed of anything valuable by their allies and locked back up until the Soviets allowed them to return home later. At some time during the war, prisoners from every nation fighting against Germany passed through it. 145 Terramo (Campotosto / Montorio al Vomano). On 12 April 1945 large numbers were marched to Stalag VII-A, and on 16 April the camp was liberated by advance elements of the United States Army, Stalag XVII-A Kaisersteinbruck Bei Bruck Austria Location N/E 48-16. Situated in a previous almshouse, large and modern. Bari Transit camp, one work camp, located nearby. Up until October 1943 - 2459 officers and 302 other ranks, 1 October 1943 - 2561 officers and 292 other ranks. The dormitory huts were made of double wooden walls located on concrete foundations, with a felt roof, and one heating stove, although there were reports fuel was never supplied. Margnano lignite mine, listed elsewhere as 'Morgnano' -clearly a spelling error. SHAEF reports from February 1945 show 6781 POWs held, all Polish. Airey Neave was sent there in May 1941 after escaping from his previous camp. All books are based on sound research and his readers will welcome his latest effort PRISONERS OF THE CASTLE: AN EPIC STORY OF SURVIVAL AND ESCAPE FROM COLDITZ, THE NAZIS FORTRESS PRISON. The camp was liberated by the U.S. Ninth Army on 12 April 1945. Moved to Hotel Golden Lion - an annex of the Leipzig Warren lazaretto in February 1944. Stalag II-D Stargard Pomerania, Prussia Location N/E 53-15. It took them a further four days to reach safety in Switzerland. Located at Schirwindt (Sirvintos) in Lithuania. Airey Neave was also involved in getting Nazi persecution claims investigated in the 1960s (see series FO 950 at TNA) whilst he was a Member of Parliament. There were as many as 700 different work parties (Arbeitskommando) to various factories and other locations from this camp. At the beginning of 1942 almost 1,000 POWs died daily. O. Henry's Short Stories", which after the war was donated to the archives of the Historical Section of the Canadian Army HQ. We have a private group on Facebook. The French stay was relatively short. Capt E.W. By 1941 a theatre had been built. The camp covered an area of 37,000 square metres, divided into two sections but not separated by barbed wire. Reserve Lazarett Heilanstalt Ueckermunde Pomerania, Prussia. In 1940, a concentration-camp escapee assumes the identity of a dead British officer, only to become a prisoner of war. It was in Stanislau, a city that until 1918 was part of Austria-Hungary in the interwar years under the Polish name Stanislawow. In June 1941 the massive influx of Soviet prisoners from Operation Barbarossa began. 6975 POWs were held here as of 26/2/43 and it originally opened in October 1942. In May 1940 the camp was established in wooden huts at the south end of the training ground. In the third section were 8,000 civilian prisoners in appalling conditions, described in the Army medical history as "utterly horrifying"; "everywhere the dead and dying sprawled amid the slime of human excrement.". I.e. A harrowing account of the forced marches from some of the easternmost POW camps during the last days of the war. The POWs ate charcoal to help stop dysentery and every POW became infected with lice. The first contained Allied prisoners in unsatisfactory conditions, but generally in compliance with the International Red Cross Convention. The escape committee were supplied with full detailed survey and building plans of the castle by SOE during the war, these were better and far more detailed than the Germans had themselves! In November 1943 there was another reorganization, Lamsdorf was renamed "Stalag 344", and a large number of prisoners were transferred to Teschen, which became Stalag VIII-B. Four managed to reach Switzerland, the rest were recaptured. Upon escape, the two parties separated. In July 1942 a new camp at Mhrisch-Trbau, about 200 km (120 mi) to the south, was designated Oflag VIII-F, while the original camp was redesignated Oflag VIII F/Z, a sub-camp of Mhrisch-Trbau. To some extent, this overlapped with Appendix A and where the distinction was negligible they may even have been merged into one, Gives details of the usefulness of officially provided escape aids carried by pilots and others, which ones were used, and suggested improvements and/or additions. As of 26th February 1943 this housed 1008 men of all ranks but by30th June 1943 this camp housed: 5 Officers, 344 other ranks and was split thus: 323 British, 11 Australians & 15 South Africans. Grumello del Piano/del silenzio /Grumillina. 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. POWs were transferred from camps in Italy, mainly British Commonwealth officers from the Battle of Crete and North African Campaign. This camp was one of those from which the long march was made in early 1945 when POWs were force marched away from their camps westwards into Germany to escape being liberated by the Red Army. In addition, another tunnel was dug to store contraband. However that afternoon a detachment of over a hundred SS-Feldgendarmerie (SS Military police) entered the camp, mustered over 3,000 men and marched them out, heading east. On November 8th 1940 all French were then transported to Oflag IIa in Prenzlau, however later in 1942 the camp became almost all French with transfers from other officers camps. David Tomlinson, Stalag VI-C Bathorn Munster Westfalen Prussia, Closed in 1944 and Moved to Stalag IV Grosstychow East Prussia Location N/E 54-20. On December 1, 1941 the prisoner count was: 1664 Poles, 18,210 French, 2,871 Belgian, 2,459 British, 5,361 Serbians, 9,271 Soviets. In a stone building in Bohringen 200 yards from an ammunition factory (!) In September 1939 an Internment Camp for enemy civilians was created within the buildings of the Sturmabteilung (SA) camp at the rally grounds. The camp was renumbered Oflag-67. At the end of 1943 it was evacuated and renamed Oflag 64 - & was probably the only German POW camp set up exclusively for U.S. Army officers. Michael Goodliffe, By February 1941 there were 3,166 officers and 565 orderlies in the camp. As the war progressed, prisoners of other nationalities arrived at Stalag V-A. Some of the few remaining unevacuated Alderney natives (around about 2% of the population) also found themselves in there. Location N/E 48-14 also listed as location Pupping near Linz. Finally, in late December 1944, Americans captured in the Battle of the Bulge arrived. An incomplete nominal card index to these records is located in the Document Reading Room at The National Archives. Punishment of prisoners was severe, particularly after July 1944 when the SS took over jurisdiction of camp security (although did not place guards generally) US prisoners who did not follow regulations or tried to escape were sentenced to as much as a month in a special solitary confinement building, Soviet POWs fared far worse however, and were generally killed either immediately or worked to death at the nearby Mauthausen KZ. Bathing was provided once a month outside the camp. The camp was closed in February 1941, but reopened in July when it was used for housing RAF and British Army officers. The camp was built in September 1939 to house Polish prisoners from the German invasion of Poland. These included many Americans and British airmen from Stalag Luft III. Anyone who was injured in work, or became ill, was returned to the Lazarett (Hospital) at the main camp or a nearby Military/civilian hospital. Set up by the Italians in May 1942 and ran until September 8th 1943. The other four escapers were recaptured close to Colditz. Records concerning Royal Air Force and Allied Air Force prisoners will be found in the correspondence of the Air Ministry in AIR 2 (code B 89), as well as in the Unregistered Papers (PoWs) in AIR 20 (code 89). The German Navy also operated a Dulag (Durchgangslager, "Transit camp") in Wilhelmshaven, where newly-arrived prisoners were processed before being sent to other camps. Researchers should note that these reports mostly relate to the European, Mediterranean or North Africa theatres of war. However the situation improved as the war went on. They awoke one morning to discover that their guards had deserted them. The Canadian Red Cross reported assembling and shipping nearly 16,500,000 food parcels during the Second World War, at $47,529,000. Also known as Stalag 344, and connected to Stalag IV b/z and Stalag VIII-d. 64,000 POWs in 1944 with 150 officers and 13,625 being British. His escape from Colditz took place on 9 September 1942. Stalag XXI-D Posen (Posnan) Poland Location N/E 52-17. We have German AND Italian camp listings in our fully searchable databases! The New Zealand parcels were amongst the rarest and under their novelty perhaps, one of the most sought after in some camps. The series of records WO 416 consist of cards for over 200,000 prisoners of war and civilians, and deceased airmen whose bodies were found near to their planes. Although all the camp buildings had not been completed, there were well-built ablutions and latrines, served with a good water supply, and a proper infirmary. Headquarters of this camp was situated away from the main camp and next to Torgau railway station, only 21 British and 2 US POWs were held here, and mainly used to assist the administration of the work camps in the area. They were subsequently transferred to PG78 just outside Sulmona and thence to camps in Germany where they remained until the end of the war. Upham jumped from the truck at a bend and managed to get 400 yards (370 m) away before being recaptured. The conditions in the camp, as well as with all Soviet prisoners of war, led to their gradual extinction. German and Italian camps! After the Italian Armistice September 1943, 11 officers and 14 other ranks escaped with Italian partisan and SOE help. The camp opened in May 1941 as Oflag 68, but was renamed Stalag I-F in June 1942. British and Commonwealth officers and other ranks captured in North Africa, International Association of the Red Cross, professional researcher to seek these files out, services of a professionally accredited researcher, https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/hire-a-researcher/about, Household Cavalry, Combermere Barracks Windsor, Berks, database will include British and Commonwealth forces, POW Allied Prisoners of War in Europe 1939-1945, WWII POW and Internment Camps by Derek Tomlin, Many exclusive records, found only on our site, 1 on 1 Personal assistance from military photo and document experts, Access to Orbats mapping tool, allowing you to trace your WW1 ancestors steps. At this point, I should stop being surprised. On 24 November 1941, N was put in a punishment cell after being found with a (home made) chitty and behaving against the rules. The National Archives has a file reference WO208/3269 which gives the full camp history. | Norderney camp housed European (usually Eastern but including Republican Spaniard) and Soviet enforced labourers. Stars: Work on the camp began in October 1939 when 500 Polish prisoners from the September campaign arrived to build the camp, and who lived initially in tents. Gabriel Regnier, a French prisoner, describes his failed attempt with a French companion on 23 March 1942. Neubrandenburg camp was liberated by the Soviets in April 1945. As in other permanent camps the sheets on the beds were the biggest surprise to new arrivals. Originally designed to hold 4,000 in July 1942. Ordinary servicemen were required to doany work they were able to do, as long as it was not dangerous and did not support the German war effort, (Geneva Convention section III, article 49). From May 1940, after the invasion of Norway and the Battle of France, prisoners arrived in large numbers, until they totalled 150,000 from all occupied countries, except Britain. A huge camp with many compounds and work sites away from the main camp, in fams and factories, partially within the old castle of Malbork. The POWs were hired out to military and civilian contractors. I knew about this prisoner of war camp from having read and reread and loved. Altogether, some 35,000 parachute and glider troops were involved in the operation. that had been held in Italian prisoner of war camps were transferred to Oflag IV-D. Canadian prisoners from the Dieppe Raid of August 1942 were transferred to Stargard from Stalag VIII-B in January 1944. Jack Lee, In September and October 1943 Italian prisoners arrived after the Italian capitulation. The camp was liberated by the U.S. Ninth Army on 12 April 1945. At this point all Senior British Officers (SBOs) informed their men of Field Marshal Montgomerys so-called 'standfast' order. It remained in use until 1993. Director: The camp was supposed to be closed completely late in 1944 when most of the camp were transferred to Sagan (Stalag Luft III) but a few of the sick remained to be liberated by the Soviet a few months later. I greatly enjoy WWII history but sometimes books on that topic are too brutal, and depressing. The Germans, however, always treated Merchant Navy seamen as POWs (as did the British from 1942). 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. On 31 August 1942 Canadian officers captured during the Dieppe Raid arrived. Dirk Bogarde, World War II prisoner-of-war escapes are a staple of adventure fiction. 5879272 Sergeant C H Jones Pioneer Regiment died 15/8/1942. Escaped en route to Leipzig for court martial. 20,770 POWs here (53 British) with 1735 Officers. It was designed to hold 10,000 men, was the largest in the 3rd Military District, and was considered a model for other camps. Published and available only at Auschwitz/Birkenau itself this book is a definitive work on the various camps including all the work details. Marlag, the Royal Navy camp, was divided into two compounds; "O" housed officers and their orderlies, while "M" held NCOs and ratings. PG The Germans sometimes provided a wagon for the sick. Later they were replaced by Army reservists. Peter Parker, Senior NCOs (sergeants and above) were required to work only in a supervisory role, although they could join in with the lower ranks if they wished to do so, this became a contentious issue as the Germans (but not the Italians for the most part) were very keen to make all non-officer ranks work especially as the continuing war after 1941 was sapping German industry and agriculture of its manpower. The Kommandatur contained the headquarters and administration buildings, while the Stabslager and the Wache contained accommodation for the administrative personnel and the camp guards. The military authorities decided to conscript local German civilian women to assist with the rescue and clean up work. November 1939 - Polish officers and a small number of orderlies were transported to Hadamar from other collection camps in Poland. 1939: The first prisoners arrived in November 1939; they were 140 Polish officers from the September Campaign who were regarded as escape risks. Red Cross inspection reports identified Oflag IV-C as a problem camp with inadequate sanitary and harsh confinement measures. However, in this and subsequent bombing attacks, many prisoners were killed in individual Arbeitskommandos. | Some took the opportunity to escape at this point. Colditz Castle 1943. | Gross: There were also seven Dutch and 27 Polish generals, with orderlies. Most officers made the Allied lines or the UK, whilst many NCO's and other ranks were rounded up by the Germans, and sent to camps in Germany until the end of the war. Located just north of the town of Sudauen, East Prussia (now Suwalki, Poland). Most of these Italian prisoners were suffering from tuberculosis or had been injured while working. The POWs who were working outside of the camp were simply left there and allowed to leave. Here, the International Committee of the Red Cross arranged for their shipment to POW camps and other detention centres throughout Europe. Over the next few days the column was attacked from the air several times. The camp was established in May 1941. There are document pouches for individual seamen in BT 373/360-3716. In April 1944, most of the prisoners were transferred to Oflag 79 near Braunschweig and the camp was closed. The buildings were solid brick structures with cement floors and tar/felt roofing. Luftwaffe Lazarett IV/XI Wismar Mecklenberg. Bernard Lee, Bremen Oldenburg 53-08, Reserve Lazarett Konstanzam Bodensee Konstanz Baden 47-09, Reserve Lazarett Leipzig Warren Leipzig Saxony 51-12, Reserve Lazarett Lyzeum Eschwege Prussia 51-10, Reserve Lazarett Marburg/Lahn Marburg Hessen-Nassau, Prussia 50-08, Reserve Lazarett Minden (Mil. The Soviets handed out some of the Red cross parcels stockpiled here and the water supply had been cut off by 1st May. The POW population in Stalag XVII B was around 100,000 with up to 40,000 in the camp proper and another 60,000 prisoners outside the camp assigned to Arbeitskommando (Work Detail) groups to provide labour for nearby farms, factories and businesses. Originally a Hitler Youth camp, in October 1939 it was modified to house about 15,000 Polish prisoners from the German September 1939 offensive. Another successful escaper from Marlag was Lieutenant David James, RNVR. Opened October 1940, closed March 1944 and redesignated as Oflag 67 (LXVII). | 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. Brian Keith, Some prisoners were even billeted to live with the local Austrian families. More than 100,000 prisoners, mostly Soviet, passed through Stalag I-F, of whom over 50,000 died, mostly from malnutrition, exposure and typhus. After an eight-week 500 kilometres (310 mi) march in bitterly cold weather they reached Stalag X-B and Marlag und Milag Nord in Sandbostel. Over 700 of the inmates are said to have lost their lives before the camps were closed and the remaining inmates transferred to Germany in 1944. VIEW HERE A MAP OF POW CAMPS IN ITALY - PUBLISHED BY THE RED CROSS & ST. JOHN WAR ORGANISATION. One attempt to escape occurred when a group of POWs were being transported in open trucks through Italy. On the morning of May 2, 1945 the POWs were all sitting in a ditch next to the River Elbe near Lauenburg, Germany, when the British arrived and liberated the "camp". The first Soviet prisoners arrived in October 1941, and were housed in a separate enclosure. Stalag IX-B (also known as Bad Orb) was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp located south-east of the town of Bad Orb in Hesse, Germany. The prisoners lived outdoors in dugouts until 1943 when 43 barrack huts were built, though due to overcrowding, many were still forced to live underground. Less informative, WO 208/5461-5480 lists in tabular form individuals who assisted Allied escapers and evaders in Belgium and Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Greece, Holland, Hungary and Yugoslavia, Italy (includes some more detailed cases), and Poland. Located in Fnfeichen, a former estate within the city limits of Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg, northern Germany. 183 British POWs held at the village of Markrandstadt. The Oflag existed only for a short time. In the camp there were eight medical officers, the seriously ill were treated in the prison hospital in Stargard. POWs received: one blanket, a towel, a cup, a spoon and a piece of soap. All of Neaves escapes and attempts to escape are borne out by the MI9 escape reports in the series WO 208 the four officers escaped in pairs, one English and one (German speaking) Dutch Officer. Over the next few weeks the prisoners were transported via Klagenfurt to transit camps in Bari and Naples, from where they were eventually repatriated. They are currently being catalogued by name by volunteers. Centre -opened 11 April 1942 -Firstly housed RAF Sergeants until the end of 1942 when USAAF POWs replaced them.