While the guards were engaged in breaking up the fight, toward which the searchlights were all directed, three officers managed to cut through the barbed wire and escape from the camp. All of the photos of individuals from camps in this tutorial were taken from this collection unfortunately, none of the men's' names is recorded in these articles. The numbers increased sharply in 1943 when a further 65 army officers arrived with a contingent of other nationalities, including American, French, Dutch and Polish. To relieve overcrowding, some of the officers were transferred to Oflag VII-C/Z in Tittmoning Castle. Near the town of Bautzen (spelt Bautsee/Bautsen on the reports in Wo229/5/1), several wooden huts housing 70 British POWs and other nationalities. 4975984 Private Claude Warner Sherwood Foresters died 9/8/1942 Located at 53 degrees, 41 minutes North, 16 degrees, 54 minutes East. In September 1943, as the Italian government neared collapse, the inmates of Sulmona heard rumours that the evacuation of the camp was imminent. In September 1939 some of the forts were used as POW camps for Polish prisoners, specifically those captured after the surrender of the Polish fort at Westerplatte at the mouth of the river Vistula and on the Hel Peninsula. The Germans used Stutthof prisoners as forced labourers. OFLAG VIIIh Oberlangendorf, Czech republic, OFLAG IXa Spangenburg bei Kassel, Germany. At the beginning of 1942 almost 1,000 POWs died daily. 11, Hospital #12-Gombos Gyul, Budapest, Hungary 47-19, Salonika Civilian Internment Camp Salonika Greece 40-23, San Martino Civilian Internment Camp Monferrato Italy 45-08, Schuler Military Hospital, Ploesti (Ploesci) Romania 45-26, Serbian Hospital Zagreb Croatia, Yugoslavia 45-16, Sinaia Military Hospital #415, Sinaia, Romania 45-25, Skoplue Military Hospital Serbia Southern Yugoslavia 42-21, Sofia Military Hospital Sofia Bulgaria 42-23, Sospel Civilian Internment Camp Monaco France 44-07, Spitalul de Stat, Targoviste, Romania 45-25, St. Denis (Grand Caserine) Civilian Internment Camp Paris France 49-02, Stadtroda Hospital #1170 (Serves Stalag IX-C) Stadtroda Thuringia, Germany 51-11, State Hospital Trencin Czechoslovakia 49-18, Sub-Lagarule Timis, Timisul de Jos, Romania 45-21, Targu-Jiu POW Camp, Targu-Jiu, Romania 45-23, Teil Lazarett (Serves Stalag XVIII-A) Spittal/Drau Carinthia, Austria 46-13, Transit Camp 133 Unknown (probably located in Rennes, France as Lazarett 133), Transit Camp and Hospital (Dulag 127) Zemun Slavonia 45-20, Transit Camp Feld Post #319797 Location Unknown, Val De Grace Hospital For Civilians Paris France 49-02, Vaucluse Restricted Residence For Civilians Vaucluse France 44-05, Venlo Restricted Residence For Civilians Venloo Holland 51-06, Vernet Civilian Internment Camp Ariege France 43-01, Vincenzo Civilian Internment Camp Vincenzo Italy 45-11, Von Kormend Civilian Hospital Szombathely, Hungary 47-16, Wartenburg Prison Wartenburg East Prussia 53-20, The International Committee of the Red Cross, The Red Cross together with the order of St John joined forces during WWII just as they had in WWI to carry out extensive humane services for the sick and wounded, for POWs and civilians alike. 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. The camp, a former spa hotel, was opened in July 1940 and housed approximately 70 Allied generals and their aides. Thereis also a mention within the USSME files for PG 60 being located at Villa Marina (Roma), one of these mentions is clearly an error, although more than one source states Lucca as being the location. In April 1944 the count of internees in Laufen included 459 British internees (417 Channel Islanders) and 120 American civilians who had been trapped in Europe when war was suddenly declared in December 1941. The lists are described as being corrected generally up to 30 March 1945. In May 1941 Oflag XIII-B was created in a separate compound for Serbian officers captured during the Balkans Campaign. Guy Hamilton At the instigation of the U.S. and Swiss governments, the International Committee of the Red Cross put pressure on the German government not to keep civilian non-combatants in a POW camp. The prisoners were marched towards Linz, some 128 km (80 mi) to the west. Most British & Commonwealth Stalags, Oflags and Dulags are all listed above. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events.Sign up, All content is available under the Open There is a SHAEF report from February 8th 1945 reporting the camp marching south westwards across Bohemia towards Nuremburg against its original intention to move to Goerlitz (Gorlitz) - Stalag VIIIa. Stalag I-B Hohenstein East Prussia Location N/E 53-20. POW camp in the castle of Bad Wurzach, although this was unlike Colditz in that it was really a large country house, not a castle as such. In 1943 2,500 British Commonwealth soldiers came from the battles in Italy, and later in the same year an undefined number of Italian soldiers came from Albania. I'm not sure that Colditz is as well know in the U.S.A. It was located 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the Bavarian town of Murnau am Staffelsee. The camp ended in an area called "Padule", under the village of Castelvecchio, next to the railway station of CollelinkingLucca to Pontedera until 1958. When the sound of Allied artillery grew closer, the German guards were less harsh in their treatment of POWs, because the prisoner roles may soon be reversed. Opened September 1939 Closed August 1st 1940. In April 1945 many POWs were force marched away from the camp where they met advance units of the US army in May. In September 1943 he impersonated the guard commander who was nicknamed "Franz Joseph" for his Hindenburg mustache. Shelter was either a barn or under the stars, in the rain, snow, or whatever happened to be. these were very much the exception to the normal rules and usually it seems the result of being caught in civilian clothing after escaping or during evasion from the military authorities and handed to the Gestapo. The guard would then come back into formation alone. The Colditz Glider. Stalag IV-D Torgau (Elbe) Sachsen, Prussia Location N/E 51-13. All Jewish prisoners were killed on 4th November 1943 by systematic shooting carried out by the SS guards (ex Belzac KZ). Those Allied prisoners held there were known as "difficult" because they had escaped or attempted to escape from other camps. Action, Drama, War. After the war Fort Rauch was completely demolished and a college now stands on the site. In late summer 1941 Soviet prisoners from Operation Barbarossa arrived and were placed in a separate enclosure built south of the main camp. Reports from SHAEF dated February 1945 showed 1 Belgian, 1 Yugoslav and 2870 French were held. As for the food, a bushel or two of steamed potatoes for a barn full of men was the best ever received at the end of a day. On 8 September 1943, the day of the Italian Armistice, the gates at the Bologna POW camp were thrown open and those inside invited by their guards to break for freedom. 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 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. It seems a shame if no one is encouraging continued interest in a remarkable group of men. In August 1943 the camp was severely damaged during an Allied air-raid. Dona Bradman, The camp itself was about one mile from the town railway station in Urbisaglia. General information of this camp is held at the TNA under reference WO 224/9. Nearly 100,000 Allied POWs passed through this camp at some time during the war. On 14th September, German troops arrived to escort the prisoners northwards, to captivity in Germany, but not before hundreds of them had escaped into the hills. A []. Afterwards a number of would-be escapees would borrow Dutch greatcoats as their disguise. The Borkum and Helgoland camps were "volunteer" (Hilfswillige) labour camps and the labourers in those camps were treated harshly but marginally better than the inmates at the Sylt and Norderney camps. During WWI it was a Military prison, before becoming a garrison for the Polish army after 1918. This camp consisted of high ranking officers, mostly of the rank Major and above. Others hid near their camp to await developments or took the opportunity to explore the vicinity before voluntarily returning to their camp. Several work sub-camps were attached to this camp, the main camp was known as the film studio. Upham was soon recaptured and sent to the infamous Oflag IV-C (Colditz) on 14 October 1944. | A Michael Alexander (British Army officer) John Arundell, 16th Baron Arundell of Wardour B Douglas Bader John William Best Tadeusz Br-Komorowski Dominic Bruce Hugh Bruce Louis Buisson Micky Burn C Alan Campbell, Baron Campbell of Alloway John Chrisp Antoni Chruciel Yves Congar D Gris Davies-Scourfield John Dickinson (RAF Officer) | Gross: They passed through the gate, and then, wearing faked Luftwaffe uniforms, headed to an airfield near Kassel intending to steal a Ju 52, which Newborn had flown before the war, and fly home. An American POW leads a group of mainly British prisoners to escape from the Germans in WWII. They lived in 30 barracks, which were mostly built of wood. By early 1945 the number of POWs held in the camp reached over 5,000. Stalag V-B is recorded as at Villingen AND Biberach an de Ris both in Baden Location N/E 48-08, it is possible these are the 2 nearest locations hence it was named as both. Up to 5,000 POWs were housed here at any one time (Greeks, Maltese, Cypriots, British, Americans, French, Slavs). Later they were replaced by Army reservists. Introduction: The Colditz Phenomenon View chapter 1 Capture and Interrogation View chapter 2 Transit and Processing View chapter 3 Compounds and Commandants View chapter 4 Leaders and Followers View chapter 5 Body and Soul View chapter 6 Work and Play View chapter 7 Reprisals and Rewards View chapter 8 Allies and Aliens View chapter They were forced to march under guard about 1520 miles (2432 km) per day. Cigarettes in the parcels became the preferred medium of exchange within most camps, cigarettes were also used to bribe German guards to provide the prisoners with outside items that would otherwise have been unavailable to them. Prisoners of the castle. Fascism's European Empire - Davide Rodogno [see here]. If you fail to find a name, it is unlikely, although still possible to find details from the ICRC archives (see below), if you have confirmed a name and camp but wish to know a little more, the ICRC may, again, be able to assist. Please note that the surviving appendices for WO 208/3298-3327 are held separately in nominal card indexes WO 208/5582-5583 which can be searched on findmypast.co.uk by name. 52 Pian di Coreglia (Chiabati, Genoa). | Twice as many KL inmates were then housed in, the already overcrowded, British POW barracks here. The main building, known as the stonehouse, had been used as a prison for a small number of airmen captured in the early months of the war, before it became a transit camp. A sub-camp Stalag XVIII-A/Z was later opened in Spittal an der Drau about 100 km (62 mi) to the west. Unfortunately, as the tunnel was within a few feet of its end it was discovered. The end of the book explains what happened to a lot of the people featured in the book. For lack of huts they were mostly housed in tents. 161 officers were held here on 26/2/43 and it opened originally in June 1941. An Oflag (Offizierslager) was a camp for officers only. 42521 (4546 British) POWs with 1029 officers in total held at this camp and the surrounding work camps. Opened 7th July 1942 with a capacity of 4000. The address for those interned after escaping from Germany/Italy into Switzerland is: Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. According to the Third Geneva Convention of 1929 and its predecessor, the Hague Convention of 1907, Section IV, Chapter 2, those camps were only for prisoners of war, not civilians. Only those too sick to walk were left behind. Some of the few remaining unevacuated Alderney natives (around about 2% of the population) also found themselves in there. 23 wooden huts were burnt down. 18,307 POWs with 550 Officers here in Bavaria. However, later most of them were transferred to other Oflags. Originally opened in September1942the camp reported having 81other ranks on 26th February 1943. The Poles were transferred to other camps, and in March 1941 it was redesignated Stalag XVIII-A, with French and Belgian prisoners being transferred in from Stalag XVII-A. Visit this page for family history research enquiries, Excessive severity: Treason and the Grenadian Rebellion of 1795, A love story that threatened the Commonwealth: Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams, Introduction to conservation for digitisation, Accroaching royal power in 1380s London: The downfall of Nicholas Brembre, Friends of The National The International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva keeps incomplete lists of all known POWs and internees of all nationalities for the Second World War. The perspective is also very limited. There are four primary sources for post-armistice escape reports for Italy: https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/hire-a-researcher/about and WO 208/5393-5404 contain reports made by escapers who travelled south to Allied lines; WO 208/4238-4276 and WO 208/4368-4371 hold reports made by those who made it to neutral Switzerland. William Sylvester, R The Great Escape is a fairly well-known movie with a star-studded cast. The Histories of Auschwitz IG Farben Werk Camps 1941-45- Piotr Setkiewicz [see here]. Which are released under the terms of the creativecommons.org/licenses/by-s/3.0/. Stalag XVII-B Braunau Gneikendorf Near Krems Austria Location N/E 48-15. Lager Sylt was a Nazi concentration camp on Alderney in the British Crown Dependency of the Channel Islands, in operation between March 1943 and June 1944. The Thorn Complex was a sub-camp of the concentration camp in Sztutowic (German: Stutthof). The accommodation blocks were divided into rooms, each containing from 8 to 12 men. The number of remarkable stories it contains is incredible, the pacing is fast and taut, and the inclusion of original recollections from the prisoners and one of their captors adds tremendous texture. There were seven sub camps, including Gamba, Cremona and Torbole. Up to 22,000 prisoners who had died or been murdered, were buried in 32 mass graves within the local area of the camp. Stars: From December 1944 to March 1945 XIII-D was designated Oflag 73 and used to accommodate officers of various nationalities evacuated hastily from camps in the east that were threatened by the rapid advance of the Red Army. Take a fresh look at the legendary escapes, featuring stories from both Colditz survivors and their extended families. Set up by the Italians in May 1942 and ran until September 8th 1943. At each stalag, the German Army set up local sub-camps called Arbeitskommando for factories, coal-mines, quarries, farms or railroad maintenance. (10 days confined arrest completed on 8 May 1941). In May 1943 it was decided that Colditz should house only Americans and British and Commonwealth prisoners of war, and in August 1944 it received its first Americans. Construction of the camp began in April 1941, before the attack on Russia, to accommodate the expected POWs. Vas du das Krieg est uber" - "For You the War is over." It was relatively easy to escape from a farm, but much more difficult to evade recapture. After entering the clothing store, the tunnel was sealed to allow later use (it was discovered the following day during the search for the missing officers). He/they reported directly to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who were responsible for inspecting camps and hospitals and producing reports. Stalag XVIII-C Markt Pongau, Austria (also known as Stalag 317). Food was very scarce and below starvation rations. In late 1944 he escaped again and this time made it to Sweden. I.e. Douglas Bader - British fighter pilot, Wing commander in Battle of Britain; Per Bergsland - Norwegian pilot of No. Adventure, Drama, War. District XVI Nearest city Metz, now in France. By the end of July 1941, there were more than 500 officers: over 250 French, 150 Polish, 50 British and Commonwealth, 2 Yugoslavian. 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