The Index to the correspondence of the Foreign Office, 1920-1951 (131 vols, Nendeln, 1969-1982) available at The National Archives, contains numerous entries relating to all aspects of British POWs. In spring of 1943 American personnel captured in the Tunisia Campaign arrived. IMDB lists twenty-one films on the theme, most prominently the 1963 production The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough. Used for punishment and for keeping peristent escapers. Outside the camp the party changed into civilian clothes and separated Fowler travelling on foot to Penig (about 31kilometres) and from there by train to Plauen via Zwickau. Four were recaptured. The Colditz Story: Directed by Guy Hamilton. The prisoners were marched towards Linz, some 128 km (80 mi) to the west. The perimeter of the each compound was secured by a double barbed-wire fence, fifteen feet in height, on top of which ran a high-voltage wire. Other reports on POW camps are held in CO 980 and HO 215. Oflag 79 Braunschweig (Formerly VIII-F) Brunswick 52-10. About 14,000 men are buried there. 88 min Sub-camps sometimes held more than 1,000 prisoners, usually split by nationality, although English speakers were usually together for this purpose. The town is divided by the Oder river on the border of Poland/The Czech republic. Stalag Luft IV Gross Tychow/Burzlaff, Poland, Stalag Luft IV Gross-Tychow (formerly Heydekrug) Pomerania, Prussia (moved to Wobbelin Bei Ludwigslust) (To Usedom Bei Savenmunde) Location N/E 54-16. Moved to Hotel Golden Lion - an annex of the Leipzig Warren lazaretto in February 1944. They were divided among the 25 huts to work as orderlies, in addition to the lower ranks that were already doing this work. 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. Stalag VIII-B and Stalag Luft VIII-B Lamsdorf, Poland (now Lambinowice), Stalag VIII-B Teschen Poland Location N/E 49-18. Part of the facilities were used as Oflag XIII-A for officers. (Much of the information from the Wo229 SHAEF reports was directly from the Swiss Red Cross representatives who had visited the camps and work commandos themselves). Located at Heydekrug- Pogegen (Pagegiai) in Lithuania. This route into Switzerland was discovered by Larive in 1940 on his first escape attempt from an Oflag in Soest. The case for the defence at War Crimes Tribunals after 1945 was often based on this, however, this was overruled as Germany had signed, and hence was argued to be in breach of the rules they had pledged to uphold, regardless of which countries' POWs they were dealing with. The original content was at Category:Colditz prisoners of World War II. In April 1944, most of the prisoners were transferred to Oflag 79 near Braunschweig and the camp was closed. At 07.30 the escape party left the store, timed to be shortly after the change of the German sentries the idea being that the new sentries would be unaware of who had already entered the store. Only operated for 3 months from August until November 1942. On 18 December 1944 the camp was bombed by U.S. aircraft. Nearest Village Lauta, 85 British POWs here. The forts had been built at the end of 19th century to defend the western border of Kingdom of Prussia. who wins student body president riverdale. 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. The camp was divided into three sections when liberated. Opened September 1939, closed January 1942. Access to full details of seamen born less than 100 years ago may be restricted. A potato drying factory near the village of Grauschwitz/Mugeln with 23 US POWs. The previously marked Secret files from SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) 254-1 files held at the National Archives (1,036 pages long) under reference WO229/5/0/1. Broke into Kommandant's office, cut hole into storeroom, out of storeroom in German and Polish orderly uniforms. SHAEF reports of February 1945 show 224 French and 172 Greek POWs held here, although we have seen letters from Polish Officers also kept here earlier in the war. 2928797 Private Walter Murray Queens Own Cameron Highlanders died 13/8/1942
In April 1943 Oflag XIII-B was opened nearby, with officers transferred from Oflag XIII-A at Nuremberg. During the Second World, War Oflag IV-C, situated in the thousand-year-old Colditz Castle, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for enemy officers. In October 1941 the British officers were transferred to Oflag VI-B in Warburg. Importantly for other internees in the camp, among the 68 Dutch was Hans Larive with his knowledge of the Singen route. Opened July 1941, 119 other ranks were held here on 26/2/43. As with all POWs, escape was always in mind. The Stalag served as the base for distribution of International Red Cross packages and mail. For three months after their removal the camp was used as a transit camp for Soviet prisoners. Opened 7th July 1942 with a capacity of 4000. In reality, however, successful escapes were rare. Although listed as 'under construction' the camp reported having 14 officers & 1,337other ranks on 26th February 1943. Stalag IV-C Wistritz Bei Teplitz Bohemia Location N/E 50-13. Shelter was either a barn or under the stars, in the rain, snow, or whatever happened to be. Over the next few days the column was attacked from the air several times. 5879272 Sergeant C H Jones Pioneer Regiment died 15/8/1942. | Director: Allied prisoners - British, Dutch, French and Polish - pool their resources to plan numerous escapes from the "escape-proof" German P.O.W. More prisoners arrived in July 1944 transferred from Oflag VIII-F. On 24 August 1944 the camp was strafed by American and British aircraft. The Colditz Glider. There was still little or no food available, and the pace was much slower, advancing 4-5 miles a day. He was killed in action on 1 September 1944, commanding the second Battalion of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps, and is buried at Airaines Cemetery in France. Although designated as a POW camp, this appears like many mainly Soviet POW camps to actually be a slave labour camp. They were then moved out to other camps, the Commonwealth flying personnel to Stalag Luft III Sagan, others to Oflag XXI-C Ostrzeszw. Britains Imperial War Museum notes that Of the 170,000 British and Commonwealth prisoners of war in Germany in the Second World War, fewer than 1,200 of them managed to escape successfully and make a home run. Their escape, on 14 October 1942, took place with two other officers. The address for those interned after escaping from Germany/Italy into Switzerland is: Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports. Located at coordinates 54 degrees 25 minutes North, 20 degrees 32 minutes 5 seconds east. Near Arezzo and had mostly Indian inmates, also known as 'Caserta.'. Additional wooden barrack huts were also constructed on the grounds, to accommodate the camp's growing prisoner population. Located at Prostken in Poland, close to Stalag Ib/PR. Washing and laundering is done in the courtyard, where the linen is hung out for drying. In Rommel's second offensive on Tobruk in June 1942, most of the South African 2nd Division was captured. On January 5th 1942 - Airey Neave and Anthony Luteyn successfully escaped from Colditz Castle, Germany, Neave being the first British officer to accomplish this feat. As in other permanent camps the sheets on the beds were the biggest surprise to new arrivals. The camp covered an area of 37,000 square metres, divided into two sections but not separated by barbed wire. II Bereitschaftspolizeiabteilung ("2nd Riot Police Division") of the Bavarian State Police. Andrew V. McLaglen The area in between contained the guard house, a prison block, fuel bunker, and the camp hospital. Stalag IV-D/Z Annaburg (Formerly Oflag 54.E) Sachsen, Prussia Location N/E 51-13, Stalag IV-F + Work Camps Hartmannsdorf-Chemnitz Saxony Location N/E 51-12. At most other camps there were several nationalities, although they were usually separated into national compounds. Littledale and Stephens, with forged papers, caught the morning train from Rocklitz to Chemitz. In 1933 it was established as one of the first Nazi concentration camps, to house German communists. The book 'Fascism's European empire' (Italian Occupation during the second world war) by Robert Rodogna which originally used the USSME (Italian Army archives) for camp listings. The bunk beds were in blocks of nine- three on the top, three in the middle and three on the bottom. When the Wehrmacht invaded the Netherlands they were short on material for uniforms, so they confiscated anything available. District XVIII Nearest city Frankfurt am Main in the west of Germany. The camp Dulag Nord was located between Marlag and Milag. Due to various adverse factors, there were few successful escapes in the South East Asia theatre of war. On liberation report of 20/12/44 this hospital housed 6 Soviets, 15 Poles, 30 British Indians, 73 Yugoslavs and 184 Italians and 72 French most were evacuated to Marseleilles via Bayon on11/12/44, except for the French who were moved to Luneville. The others were at Oerbke (Stalag XI-D (321)) and Wietzendorf (Stalag X-D (310)). On the 16th April Oflag IV C was captured by American soldiers from 1st US Army. The report also confirms which permanent camps the POW was held in, making this record fairly definitive. District X Nearest city Hanover, in the middle north of Germany. Raffaella Carr, POWs were allowed to send two letters and four postcards each month. It is estimated that over 4,000 British and Allied personnel escaped or evaded capture across Europe during the Second World War. In June 1940, part of Stalag IV-A was separated and made into an Oflag for Belgian, British, and French officers taken prisoner during the Battle of France. World War II prisoner-of-war escapes are a staple of adventure fiction. Stalag 366 also had a branch in White Podlaska, which until late 1942/43 was an independent Dulag. During WWI it was a Military prison, before becoming a garrison for the Polish army after 1918. Located at 56 degrees, 7 minutes North, 11 degrees, 27 minutes East. Most POWs captured in the North Africa campaign were handed onto the Italians for processing. Lieutenant Airey Neave was the first British officer to make a successful escape from Colditz, one of the most famous POW camps. Each camp had its own sports field, and there was also a library with around 3,000 books. As of 2012 the site of the camp is occupied by the barracks and training school of. In reality, overall victory in Italy took far longer than anticipated. 189 officers held here in an ex Monastery, as of 26/2/43originally opened May 1942. The camp was liberated by the U.S. Army on 3 April 1945. Most of them attempted, (some many times) to escape, using ingenious and simple methods. The camp was liberated by troops of the U.S. 12th Armoured Division on 29 April 1945. David Greene, PG-13 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. Great book! "Only the generals slept alone". He returned to the UK in October 1945. Stalag XXI-D Posen (Posnan) Poland Location N/E 52-17. Located at 53 degrees, 20 minutes, 35 seconds North, 15 degrees, 0 minutes East in the far North of Germany on the Baltic coast. 351 officers held here as of 26/2/43originally opened April1941. The camp was built in September 1939 to house Polish prisoners from the German September 1939 offensive. Helgoland Soviet forced labour camp, 1500 prisoners. 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