Opened September 1939 Closed August 1st 1940. Girot KIA: Gestapo, May 1944. This camps commandant Calcaterra was killed by Italian Partisans in 1943, had this not happened he would have faced a war crimes tribunal for his brutality against the POWs in his charge. From the Camp looking north through the perimeter barbed wire system, there was a spectacular view of the Dolomites and the mountains of nearby Yugoslavia. When the offensive of the Soviet Red Army resumed in 1945, all inmates were marched westward on 28 January 1945. In spring of 1943 American personnel captured in the Tunisia Campaign arrived. 116 min According to a SHAEF report of February 1945 the camp held: 25 British, 7201 US, 16234 Soviets, 851 Belgians, 3 Poles, 1676 Yugoslavs, 1111 Italians and 16935 French. I was fortunate enough to visit Colditz Castle, 25 miles south-east of Leipzig, in July last year when on holiday in Germany. In June 1941 the massive influx of Soviet prisoners from Operation Barbarossa began. Home organisations and families could also send parcels either directly or by organisations set up to aid POWS via the Red Cross containing all manner of items from sports and games to books and some clothing. The red brick stables were converted to barracks to house prisoners when the site was converted to a POW camp in October 1939. 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. Votes: 2,738 The history of this camp began in the area called "Il Pollino" that belonged to the Ravano family (ex Gherardesca) and, at the beginning of 1940, was used as a prison camp for POWs. The famous camp of The Great Escape of 24/3/44 and the Wooden Horse escape of October 1943. 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. Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially. | There was also a sub-camp, designated Oflag XXI-C/Z established at Grune bei Lissa (now Gronwko, near to Leszno), between September 1943 and January 1945. Miraculously only two Soviet prisoners were killed in the camp. Opened in July 1941 in Suwalki/Sudauen in Poland (also known as Stalag IF see listing) mostly housing Soviets, a very large number of deaths were reported here from a peak population of over 100,000 men. In the summer of 1941 Australians and New Zealanders captured in Greece and Crete during the Balkans Campaign arrived in the camp. 6,980 POWs held here all British in 1942 On Feb 26th 19437,314 were recorded as POWs. Bryan Forbes At the peak there were about 10,000 prisoners at the camp. Records of the ICRC are in FO 916, continued in WO 224. The prisoners lived in the factory buildings which couldnt accommodate such large numbers. Jack Lee, The castle was home to some 400 officers for much of the war yet, despite the security measures in place, there were a number of significant attempts at escape made. The camp was opened as Oflag VII-D in February 1941, but in November 1941 became a sub-camp of Oflag VII-C, and was redesignated Oflag VII-C/Z. Located at Schirwindt (Sirvintos) in Lithuania. The likely centre for the main part of the camp was in Willenberg, 3km south of the catle on the river Nogat. Dulag 135/1 Athens Greece Location N/E 38-23, Dulag 377 Gerolstein (TL 71) Rheinland, PrussiaLocation N/E 50-06, Dulag Luft POW Camp Chalons-Sur-Marne FranceLocation N/E 49-04, Dulag OB Chartres France Location N/E 48-01, Dulag Wetzlar (Transit) Klosternald, Rheinland, PrussiaLocation N/E 50-08. After another train journey the men were force marched from Kiefheide, with many men being bayoneted or shot before they reached Stalag Luft IV in Gross Tychow. Florence Desmond, | In June 1940 additional forts were added to the camp to accommodate British soldiers. POW Quarters were roomy and designed so as to be cool and airy in the hot summer months. 4,000 lower-ranked British, South African and Ghurka prisoners, mostly from the surrender of Tobruk, were held in two compounds of tents, with very poor conditions and food shortages. In 1940, a concentration-camp escapee assumes the identity of a dead British officer, only to become a prisoner of war. h means hauptlager main camp, z means zweiglager or a sub camp. Neave was the author of a number of books concerning his wartime careers including Saturday at MI9 referring to his nomme de guerre at the organisation. Broadcast Sun 26 Feb 2023 at 9:30pm. Stars: The major subcamps were Thorn and Elbing. Stalag XII E Metz, located at Fort Queuleu , replaced the Frontstalag 212 & was in operation for 5 months only from 20 July 1940 to 2 December 1940. Used for punishment and for keeping peristent escapers. Michael Redgrave, On 14 April 1945, as the U.S. Army approached, the officers were marched out of the camp. Stars: Researchers should note that these reports mostly relate to the European, Mediterranean or North Africa theatres of war. Originally a Hitler Jugend camp, then in October 1939 it housed Polish POWs, and after the fall of Belgium/France it came to cram in around 30,000, originally designed for half that number. 00:00. From 21 January 1945, many of the prisoners, particularly British and Commonwealth, were marched through Nazi-occupied Czech lands to Stalag XIII-C in Bavaria or Stalag XIII-D Nrnberg. Italian camp rosters up to 1943 are very scarce and difficult to source, if the person you are searching for remained a Prisoner after 1943 it may well be useful to search the German camp records as they have a definite possibility of being recorded there. During June in fact some of these camps had already been evacuated to Germany and their inmates replaced with POWs from further south. I.e. 1941: February, 200 French officers arrived. Placed on swampy ground,with a damp, cold climate, it is one of the most notorious prisoner-of-war camps. 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. There were also camps designated Oflag 65 at Strasbourg in France, Wurzach in Germany, Schaulen in Lithuania and Osnabruck in Germany. Nick Tate, OFLAG IX a/h Spangenberg-Kassel Hessen-Nassau, Prussia. The Germans used Stutthof prisoners as forced labourers. Opened July 1941, 119 other ranks were held here on 26/2/43. Every evening the guards would dump out the meal for the day on the muddy earth. Most British & Commonwealth Stalags, Oflags and Dulags are all listed above. Among the Italian prisoners, who were mostly soldiers who did not surrender to the German army after the Cassibile armistice, was journalist and writer Giovannino Guareschi, who wrote here La favola di Natale (A Christmas Fable) on Christmas, 1944. At the end of 1943, and presumably, because some high ranking Nazis had realised the war was not going so well for them, Red Cross parcels were also accepted for KZ (concentration camps), these consisted almost entirely of food and medical supplies, although there is little evidence these reached the desperate inmates. Everyone would scramble for what they could get. In 1941 more officer prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign mostly British, Yugoslavian, Serbs and Greeks. To relieve overcrowding, some of the officers were transferred to Oflag VII-C/Z in Tittmoning Castle. The escapers, including Day, Buckley, Johnnie Dodge and future Carry on Film star Peter Butterworth were all recaptured within a week. He returned to the UK in October 1945. 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. Disembarking in Italy, POWs were given a quick clean-up at their port of disembarkation, usually Brindisi or Taranto. The British part was quite small. Despite harsh conditions in the living chambers, the officers were granted relative freedom and had a part of the fortress gardens at their disposal. The camp was built on the site of an old chicken farm, approximately 300 yards north of the main Frankfurt to Bad Homburg road. Also, Papers dealing with the treatment of British POWs in German hands are in DEFE 2/1126-1128. On 14 February 1945 the Americans and British were marched out of the camp westward in advance of the Soviet offensive into Germany. Disguised as members of the league of German girls. 92 British POWs held at this camp near Laussig. Stalag XIII-C Hammelburg Om Main Bavaria Location N/E 50-10. Oflag IVC, Colditz, 1941. It was later used by Germans (SS) as a main transit camp (Durchgangslager) for deportation to Germany of Jews and political opponents. There was a Military Hospital nearby at Ascoli(Piceno) Old Palace with Colonnade and gardens, situated in the town itself. In early 1942 three officers managed to hide inside empty boxes in a truck that was unloading food supplies. Littledale and Stephens, with forged papers, caught the morning train from Rocklitz to Chemitz. If so they were required to complete a form 'Q'. Also listed as 'Gavi-Serravalle Scrivia Piedmont'. They successfully hid in one box-car full of boxes. | Christopher Rhodes, The prisoners were given the remaining Red Cross parcels; you could carry as much as you could. Army medical units were detached to deliver medical attention. Anthony Steel, The site chosen was on a river plain of the Natisone, south-west of the town of Cividale and the nearest railway line. To the south were four more blocks; three were for senior officers, while the fourth housed their ordonnance ("orderlies"). 'Under construction' on USSME reports of late 1943 it appears this camp was relocated possibly from Bolzano to Acquapendente (Viterbo) at some point. 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. ' But the numbers fall far short of conveying the sheer drama in the German camps. Building work commenced on 5th June 1942 and the camp could house up to 6000 POWs. Those prisoners are extremely interesting. Another SHAEF report on camp strengths dated February 1945 showed: 986 British, 1734 US, 9486 Soviets,9 Belgian, 2 Polish,1665 Yugoslavs,1449 Italians and 15692 French were at this camp. It was created in November 1939 for Polish officers captured in the September campaign. Stalag I-B Hohenstein East Prussia Location N/E 53-20. Conflicting reports from various sources place this also as PG 93 and relocated at Fontanellato in Parma. These included many Americans and British airmen from Stalag Luft III. They were moved to a different location closer to Cuxhaven, Westertimke, in 1942. Originally opened in May1941 the camp reported having 3546other ranks on 26th February 1943. 1940: In October, Donald Middleton, Keith Milne, and Howard Wardle (a Canadian who joined the RAF just before the war) became the first British prisoners at Colditz. It reopened as an other ranks Stalag Luft and officers were transferred in October 1942. The first prisoners, 140 Polish officers, arrived in 1939 and the castle was officially renamed as Oflag IV-C. It is understood that he wished for a slightly earlier start to catch a train for his intended escape route. District IX Nearest City Altona, near Hamburg in the middle North of Germany. The US and British POWs stood fast as per their orders when liberated and were later evacuated via a nearby Airfield some 32 miles to the south of the camp to Le Havre and homewards then by Sea. Then a separate camp, Oflag II-E, was built for them on the west side of the main road. At Colditz, there were more than 30 successful escape attempts including ten by British and Commonwealth Officers. New Zealand Brigadiers James Hargest and Reginald Miles escaped to Switzerland. Stalag IV-A Hohnstein (Airfield at Dresden-Klotsche) (No Base Camps: 13 Work Camps) Saxony Location N/E 51-14. Located at Hadamar, near Limburg an der Lahn in western Germany. An air strike on 6 December 1944 killed 118 POWs, there being no air raid shelter provided. Lamont Johnson The camp was liberated by the U.S. 3rd Army on 5 May 1945. They give details of name, rank and service/army number as well as regiment/corps, prisoner of war number and, presumably, the camp location when the register was made. Records of some 125,000 captives with surnames A-L can now be fully searched in our catalogue, Discovery, and you can see when we expect to fully catalogue the remaining pieces by looking at this page, under arrangement. On 25 February 1945 most of the remaining prisoners were forced to march westward in advance of the Soviet offensive and endured great hardships before they were freed by Allied troops in April 1945. Polish prisoners from the German September 1939 offensive were placed in Stalag II-A. Drama, War. Sandbostel lies 9 km south of Bremervrde, 43 km northeast of Bremen. Only Dutch officers and a few Soviet officers remained. It was designed to hold 10,000 men, was the largest in the 3rd Military District, and was considered a model for other camps. In late 1943 an escape committee started digging a tunnel which was to pass under the barbed wire fence, but in March 1944, upon receiving news of the disastrous results of the "Great Escape" from Stalag Luft III the escape committee ordered a shut-down of the operation. Neave and a Dutch officer, Lieutenant Luteyn, were the first of the two pairs to leave and successfully reached Switzerland. Camps in Italy were normally prefixed PG prigionieri di guerra (prisoner of war), however the full title is campo concentramento prigionieri di guerra hence abbreviations may have the title Campo 57 or PG 57 etc so CC is also commonly used. Stars: A number of camps were administered under this designation housing around 30,000 POWs/Internees as of February 1945, the camps liberation was controlled under the Twelfth Army Group (US). It was then used as a temporary camp for French and Serbian officers. David Greene, PG-13 Stars: 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. Stalag VIII-B and Stalag Luft VIII-B Lamsdorf, Poland (now Lambinowice), Stalag VIII-B Teschen Poland Location N/E 49-18. Newly released documents at The National Archives show the three remarkable and successful escape attempts made by three British-born Officers Flight Lieutenant Hedley S Fowler, Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Bolton Littledale, and British Army Lieutenant Airey M S Neave. Oflag II-D was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp located at Gross Born, Pomerania (now Borne Sulinowo, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland). Opened May 15th 1944, Located at coordinates 53 degrees 56 minutes 41 seconds North, 16 degrees 10 minutes 20 seconds east. The prisoners were transferred to other camps, though a small number stayed behind to carry out construction work as the site was adapted for the use of GEMA (Gesellschaft fr und mechanische elektroakustische apparate) in developing radar systems The sub-camp was closed in June 1943. Approximately 6,000 officers and orderlies were in the camp. A second tunnel, about 40 m (130 ft) long, was built from April to August 1944. On the night of 17 September 1943 a large group of prisoners escaped. The castle was first used as a camp in 1933-34, named KZ Hohnstein. Most prisoners were used in coal mining work in the Ruhr valley. The camp had field post number 31686, and held up to 30,000 POWs from Poland , Belgium , France , Soviet Union , Yugoslavia , Italy & Great Britain. 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). They only remained there for a brief time before being replaced by 43,000 French POWs, who arrived in mid-1940, and remained the largest group of prisoners until the end of the war. They were flown back to Paris on May 12, many of them free for the first time in five years. Colditz Castle, in eastern Germany, was built high on the slope of a hill and the Germans believed it was escape-proof.Throughout the war, they sent their most difficult POWs there. After the war Fort Rauch was completely demolished and a college now stands on the site. I devoured this book. Located in Laufen Castle, in Laufen in south-eastern Bavaria from 1940 to 1942. Dulag or Durchgangslager (transit camp) These camps were intelligence collection centres, Prisoners were always supposed to come to one of these before going on to a permanent Stalag/Oflag camp, stay duration could be as short as just one or two days. Director: It can take a year or more to receive information back, however, the ICRC archive records are usually also cross-referenced against the original German records and a copy of the original record is supplied which confirms all details held, these can range from a single A4 sheet to a few pages depending on whether a complaint was placed with the ICRC during the war. 86 min An incomplete nominal card index to these records is located in the Document Reading Room at The National Archives. Each subcamp was named after one of the Frisian Islands: Lager Norderney located at Saye, Lager Helgoland at Platte Saline, Lager Sylt near the old telegraph tower at La Foulre and Lager Borkum, situated near the Impot. Between these two large buildings were another two smaller ones which had previously been the factory's administration blocks. In particular, the memoir of British Army officer . Destroyed by air raids and fire in late 1944 - POWs transferred to Dulag Metzlar. Many of the prisoners also found inventive ways to get under the skin of their captors. Most were immediately sent to Arbeitskommandos (work details). This site allowed room for expansion of the camp facilities and its main feature was the ruined old Chapel of San Martino, sometimes known as San Mauro or Grupignano. Opened 09/40 closed 04/45, also listed under 'Warburg'. Beds were for officers, elderly and the sick. Some prisoners were even billeted to live with the local Austrian families. They carried two blankets, and an overcoat for bedding. Over roof of Kellerhaus. This was the first mass escape of the war by British officers, and the first tunnel constructed by RAF POWs to be completed and used. Later about 4,500 arrived from Dunkirk and subsequently from the British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux. The castle sits on a steep hill overlooking the Mulde River as it flows through the small Saxon town of Colditz, about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Leipzig. Despite these precautions, Upham bolted from his little courtyard, straight through the German barracks and out through the front gate of the camp. On the 5th September 1940 6 inmates made a break for freedom but were swiftly recaptured & sent onto Colditz (Oflag IV-c)- Harry Elliott, Rupert Barry (later Sir Rupert Barry), Pat Reid, Dick Howe, Anthony "Peter" Allan, and Kenneth Lockwood. Stalag VIII-A Gorlitz (Moved to Moosburg Murenberg) Silesia Location N/E 51-15. 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. Located in Colditz Castle situated on a cliff overlooking the town of Colditz in Saxony. . Stalag XVII-B Braunau Gneikendorf Near Krems Austria Location N/E 48-15. In January 1945 the officers were marched out westward, finally arriving at Oflag III-A in Luckenwalde, south of Berlin. It was liberated by a Soviet armoured division on 28 April 1945. Unfortunately the driver of a vehicle noticed two persons moving hesitantly along the train and alerted the military police. Some accounts state this was formerly Oflag IIIc -however O3c was some distance away in Lubben south of Berlin, so this seems unlikely. Oflag 79 Braunschweig (Formerly VIII-F) Brunswick 52-10. 168 officers were here on 26/2/43, opened originally in June 1941. camp housed in a Medieval castle known as "Colditz". It grew quickly from a few tents to a large POW camp with concrete buildings for the German officers and guards, and 40 large wooden barracks for the prisoners. On 28 January 1945 the POWs were assembled and marched westward, but after two days they were liberated by the Soviet Red Army. Stalag was short for Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager. 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. By 1 January 1945, the camp held 1,578 British, American, Soviet, Polish and Canadian troops. Director: The "horses" were wooden models that raced on a 36-foot (11 m) track, controlled by dice. There are some surviving BAOR (British Army Of the Rhine) reports reference WC/C/243 (war crimes) regarding the forced marches from Nebrandenburg camps to the Schwerin area in 1945 these can now be found at the national archives under reference WO209/1047. They crossed a bridge over the river Oder on 21 January, reached Goldberg on 5 February, and were loaded onto a train. 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. The camp was divided into three groups of 900. Fort 14 (XIV) named after Jozefa Dwernickiego. In April 1941, a French officer, Alain Le Ray, become the first prisoner ever to escape from the Colditz Castle. As of 2012 the site of the camp is occupied by the barracks and training school of. By February 1944 most of the officers had been transferred to other Oflags.