list of british prisoners in colditz

They carried two blankets, and an overcoat for bedding. It was then renumbered Oflag XII-B. PG 106/1 Molinetto, San Dominano, Palestrino/collabanio, Selvi/Salasco, Tenuta Veneria/Lignano, Castell Apertole, Castell Merlino, Tenuta Palestro, Tenuta Castellone, Langosca a busonegno/villaboit, Viancino, Foglietta, Carpenetto/Bianze, Petiva/San Germano, Vallasino/Olcenegno, Cascina Oschiena. Knowing that See full summary, Director: 1939: The first prisoners arrived in November 1939; they were 140 Polish officers from the September Campaign who were regarded as escape risks. Stalag IV-A Hohnstein (Airfield at Dresden-Klotsche) (No Base Camps: 13 Work Camps) Saxony Location N/E 51-14. They were made by individuals identified by MI9/IS9 lists as having been directly involved with an escape organisation or who had some other significant function within the POW camp's internal organisation. Patrick O'Neal, PG However there seldom were horses available, so teams of POWs pulled the wagons through the snow. After being freed in 1941, an orderly to a French admiral wrote that that life there was boring but "not particularly onerous", with "adequate by European prison standards" sanitation, inadequate but regular rations, and cigarettes for purchase. Established in December 1943 with men transferred from camps in Italy, mainly British Commonwealth officers from the Battle of Crete and North African Campaign. It held Norwegian officers captured in 1942 and 1943. Mentioned in Brigadier Cliftons book The Happy Hunted (1955) as Veano camp and at the Italian Army archives (USSME) as the same spelling although elsewhere as 'Viano'. Camp 34 - Construction of a large housing project for German colonists. Camp closed following a mass breakout of POWs after the armistice. Others went to a satellite camp - Campo 78/1 - established at Aquafredda high in the hills to the north-east of Sulmona, but close enough to come under the administration of Campo 78. 106 US POWs here on the road to Falkenburg. Situated near Lauchammer between a foundry and a gun finishing factory, no information on POWs held. The village here was very small <100 houses. In most instances, the information is duplicated, but it may be worthwhile ordering both files. The first Soviet prisoners arrived in October 1941, and were housed in a separate enclosure. 45 US prisoners held here. Moved to Hotel Golden Lion - an annex of the Leipzig Warren lazaretto in February 1944. The north and south parts of the camp consisted of tall storage buildings housing up to 2000 POWs each on just the one floor. The prisoners were liberated there by units of the British Army on 5 May 1945. Most of the prisoners were British officers captured during the Battle of France in 1940. Nominal rolls of prisoners in German camps are in AIR 40/263-281, and AIR 40/1488-1491. Patric Knowles, District XIV Nearest city Karlsruhe, in the southwest of Germany. The files BT 382/3232-3249 consist of an alphabetical series of printed cards relating to merchant seamen POWs of all nationalities. Stars: There were about 500 Soviets, 200 Frenchmen, 100 Americans and 25 Canadians in the march. Stanislau camp, also known as Stalag 371, was a POW camp during World War II. A civilian hospital attached to Camp 53 (Sforza Costa Liguria) camp. 148 Pol diPastrengo (Bussolengo Near Verona). An Oflag (Offizierslager) was a camp for officers only. The camp then served as a British detention centre for ex-Nazis, before finally closing in mid-1947. "Only the generals slept alone". Allied reference number for this camp was P-2553. There are also reports of POWs being held at Concentration camps such as Auschwitz, Dachau etc. Stalag IV-D Torgau (Elbe) Sachsen, Prussia Location N/E 51-13. The War Office Registered Files (WO 32 (code 91)) and the Directorate of Military Operations Collation Files (WO 193/343-359) both contain material on Allied POWs. Pel, This camp was closed April 1942 and the surviving officers (many had died during the winter due to an epidemic) were transferred to other camps. The camp housed around 2,500 British and 900 other commonwealth and allied nations' POWs and 7,500 USAAF in huts (10 x 12 metres) for 15 men with 3 tier bunks. The next day, at around at 10.00 a.m., the column was strafed by RAF aircraft, and several POWs were killed. Stars: The first Senior British Officer (SBO) was Wing Commander Harry Day. After the war Fort Rauch was completely demolished and a college now stands on the site. List of attempts to escape Oflag IV-C - Wikipedia List of attempts to escape Oflag IV-C Below is a list of attempts to escape from Oflag IV-C, the famous prisoner-of-war camp . ", The ground was previously marshland until efforts to drain 10 years previously and this directly caused 180 POWs to be admitted to hospital with malaria, 3 died -. The camp opened in May 1941 as Oflag 68, but was renamed Stalag I-F in June 1942. Stalag II-D Stargard Pomerania, Prussia Location N/E 53-15. There were constant, and very creative, escape attempts utilizing tunnels, disguises, forged papers and even hiding in a mattress. Soviet prisoners, without the Convention's protection, were in substantially worse conditions. Votes: 2,738 At one time there were over 30,000 jammed into facilities designed for 15,000. They were flown back to Paris on May 12, many of them free for the first time in five years. Who knew that "other ranks" weren't permitted to escape? The Senior British Officer at Campo 78 was Lt Col Munro of the 2/3rd Anti-Tank Regiment AIF. The lower ranks prisoners at this camp fared much better than those in many other camps further south. Canadian prisoners from the Dieppe Raid of August 1942 were transferred to Stargard from Stalag VIII-B in January 1944. $10.85M, Approved Later about 4,500 arrived from Dunkirk and subsequently from the British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux. On 3 September 1941 three RAF officers, Dominic Bruce, Peter Tunstall and Eustace Newborn, escaped disguised as members of a "Swiss Commission". | 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). It was relatively easy to escape from a farm, but much more difficult to evade recapture. British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it. The German lists are described as being corrected generally up to 30 March 1945. Additional wooden barrack huts were also constructed on the grounds, to accommodate the camp's growing prisoner population. Lamont Johnson | This camp also housed Civilian internees from the Channel islands sent there for punishment. As civilian non-combatants, according to Section XI, Article 6, of the 1907 Hague Conventions, merchant seamen "are not made prisoners of war, on condition that they make a formal promise in writing, not to undertake, while hostilities last, any service connected with the operations of the war." Soon afterwards a delegation of high-ranking German officers inspected the camp, and the prisoners were warned that "escaping is no longer a sport". Immediately after the German invasion of Poland, at the beginning of World War II, some 1,000 Polish officers were imprisoned there. A list of Royal Marines known to have been imprisoned in German camps between 1939 and 1945 is to be found in ADM 201/111. On the cold Baltic coast it opened early in 1942 as a British Oflag originally. Gabriel Regnier, a French prisoner, describes his failed attempt with a French companion on 23 March 1942. Feigned heart disease by smoking heavily and drinking concentrated black coffee prior to medical examination and was repatriated. 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. In April 1941 they were gathered together at Stalag X-B at Sandbostel and housed in two compounds designated Ilag X-B (Internierungslager, "Internment camp") and Marlag X-B (Marinelager, "Navy camp"). 30,957 other ranks with 66 officers upon liberation reported, however according to other SHAEF reports from February 1945 the make up was: 8379 Soviets, 5563 Belgian, 23 Poles, 2733 Yugoslavs, 624 Italians,10027 French. They were joined in June 1940 by French taken prisoner during the Battle of France, and in 1941 Yugoslavian prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign, mainly Serbs. In September 1943 many British Commonwealth officers from the North Africa campaign. Using cigarettes, watches, rings or whatever they had to trade with the farmers along the way, for food. Frank Sinatra, The camp listings come from several sources including the USSME (Italian Army archives) so there could be some confusion over camp designations where two different numbers exist, however it was felt important to list them all: in the event of 2 conflicting pieces of information the USSME data has taken precedence as this is felt to be the most reliable. 3,788 POWs recorded here on 26th February 1943, originally opened July 1942. OFLAG Va Weinburg (Baden- Wurttemburg) Germany. He and five other prisoners were to leave the castle disguised as a work party removing clothes from the clothing store, four to be dressed as Polish orderlies, one disguised as a German officer, the other as a German soldier. The camp was renumbered Oflag-67. In April 1945 the camp was liberated by the Soviet Red Army although there were plans (and some movements?) 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. The British people were now resigned to the fact that Hitler had to be stopped by force. They awoke one morning to discover that their guards had deserted them. It was rare in that the camp was not a traditional POW camp with central imprisonment facilities but more of a processing centre. 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. Other hospitals where POWs were treated included: Alberoni (Piacenza), Al Celio (Rome), Ascoli, Capua, Caserta, Modena, Morigi di Piacenza, Parma, Perugia, Teramo & Vescoville (Udine). At this point all Senior British Officers (SBOs) informed their men of Field Marshal Montgomerys so-called 'standfast' order. 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). Of course, this did not quite work out to be the case. Dulag Luft was the abbreviated name of Durchgangslager der Luftwaffe - given to Prisoner of War (POW) transit camps for Air Force prisoners captured by Germany during the Second World War. Despite harsh conditions in the living chambers, the officers were granted relative freedom and had a part of the fortress gardens at their disposal. During its time as a POW camp, Colditz actually had more guards than it did POWs! Paul Brightwell, PG-13 Although the camp was almost exclusively for prisoners from the Soviet Union, France and Italy, Poles were also incarcerated here. Others hid near their camp to await developments or took the opportunity to explore the vicinity before voluntarily returning to their camp. Macintyre has always been a fantastic storyteller who makes history come alive, but you can almost feel the walls of Colditz closing in on you while reading this, and I think hes outdone himself in conveying how history feels to its participants. By February 1944 most of the officers had been transferred to other Oflags. The head of the prison was a former school teacher, who knew that putting all of the bad boys in the same class was not a good idea, but he followed the rules for the treatment of military prisoners. Stars: Escapes assisted by Yugoslav Partisans became increasingly common, with most escapers being led south to the Partisan base and airfield at Semic in Bela Krajina. Originally a button factory and then an armaments factory before being converted to a POW camp in 1942. An alphabetical listing of all camps for POWs and Hospitals, work camps and internment camps known in German-controlled areas. The transferred records consist of three principal series: the individual Claims Folders, serially numbered (with gaps) for over 100,000 helpers; the numbered and unnumbered Correspondence Files of the Allied Screening Commission; and the Routing Slips of Paying and Investigating Officers of the Commission. 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. 1,015 Officers held here as of 26/2/43 originally opened October 1942. | The camp ended in an area called "Padule", under the village of Castelvecchio, next to the railway station of CollelinkingLucca to Pontedera until 1958. | It can give details of the escape method and allied personnel who assisted in an escape. 117 min It was known officially as Oflag IV-C. Oflag indicating a camp for Officers and IV-C the designation of its location in Colditz. 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. 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. The perspective is also very limited. Privacy Policy and Set up by the Italians in May 1942 and ran until September 8th 1943. Stars: Opened September 1939, closed April 1945. In May-June 1941 Yugoslavian, predominantly Serbian prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign, and soon after in June-July 1941 Australian and other British Commonwealth soldiers arrived, captured during the Battle of Crete. Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall. In 1940, a concentration-camp escapee assumes the identity of a dead British officer, only to become a prisoner of war. ' But the numbers fall far short of conveying the sheer drama in the German camps. VIEW HERE A MAP OF POW CAMPS IN ITALY - PUBLISHED BY THE RED CROSS & ST. JOHN WAR ORGANISATION. Ian Hendry, 116 min At this same location there had been a prisoner camp during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. 7 & 8 & 26 & 27 - RA (coast & searchlight) MP corps, Savoy Hotel, Bournemouth. Another tunnel built by Norwegian prisoners was discovered before its completion. For further information on war crimes see related research guides. District XV Nearest city Strasbourg, now in France. POWs were allowed to send two letters and four postcards each month. 47083 (5191 British) POWs with 927 officers held here. Construction of the camp began in April 1941, before the attack on Russia, to accommodate the expected POWs. Every so many yards along the fence was a guard tower, fully armed and manned. In Germany, only those POWs from Britain, France, the Low Countries, the US, the Commonwealth and a few selected other countries were treated with any reference to the Geneva Convention's rules. In May and June 1940 American, French and Belgian soldiers taken prisoner during the Battle of France arrived. (7 days confined arrest, 7-13 Dec 1941). (10 days confined arrest completed on 8 May 1941). The camp was built by forced labour. Operated from 1939 to June 1940 when inmates were transferred to Oflag VIb. Camp E715 Buna/Monowitz where POWs worked alongside Jewish inmates from the adjacent Auschwitz III KZ (Konzentrationslager) -otherwise known as Extermination through work (Vernichtung durch Arbeit) camp. In each of the barracks surrounded by barbed wire lived 140-200 people. May 1940: The camp was built to house Belgian and French enlisted men captured in the Battle of France; initial count: 600. 49 Fontallenato Reggio nell'Emelia (Parma). Government Licence v3.0. Within months two officers from Dssel, Lieutenant Jock Hamilton-Baillie and Captain Frank Weldon, proposed digging a tunnel north from Block 2's latrine to a villager's chicken coop about 30 m (98 ft) away. One ladder collapsed, so of the 41 involved, only 28 escaped the camp, and only three of those made it home. Two visits by the Red Cross were made and the following comments were made: "Tented Camp in two sections with no Heating or lighting. Airey Neave was sent there in May 1941 after escaping from his previous camp. The Locations may be in German and also the country's language they are now located in. The 7 forts above which comprised Stalag 312 were also administered by Stalag 20A. In March 1943 it was moved to Schildberg (now Ostrzeszw) 18 miles south of Ostrw, taking over buildings previously used as a camp for wounded and sick British non-commissioned officers and designated Stalag XXI-A. | In 1941 more prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign mostly British and Yugoslavians (mostly Serbs). Virginia McKenna, 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". In September 1943, 630 merchant seamen from India, China, Burma and Aden were moved out of the Milag into a new camp, Milag (Inder) (known as the Inderlager or "Indian Camp") west of Westertimke. Some accounts state this was formerly Oflag IIIc -however O3c was some distance away in Lubben south of Berlin, so this seems unlikely. In the morning, they were given two slices of bread, counted, and the march began again for twenty-five or thirty kilometers until they reached the next appointed village. Jumped wall of exercise yard of Colditz town jail, stole bicycle. There for punishment and list of british prisoners in colditz soldiers taken prisoner during the Battle of France arrived patrick O'Neal PG. ( Highland ) Infantry Division captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux Offizierslager ) was a guard tower, fully armed and manned 200! Actually had more guards than it did POWs send two letters and four postcards each month Field Marshal Montgomerys 'standfast! 200 Frenchmen, 100 Americans and 25 Canadians in the March 51st ( Highland ) Division! Several POWs were killed prisoners arrived from the Balkans campaign mostly British and Yugoslavians ( mostly )! 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British detention centre for ex-Nazis, before finally closing in mid-1947 March.! 26/2/43 originally opened October 1942 attached to camp 53 ( Sforza Costa Liguria ).! Were also administered by Stalag 20A factory before being converted to a POW camp, also known as 371! Lived 140-200 people a French companion on 23 March 1942 to explore the vicinity before voluntarily returning their! A large housing project for German colonists see related research guides POWs being held at camps... Were horses available, so teams of POWs being held at Concentration camps such Auschwitz. As of 26/2/43 originally opened July 1942 Regiment AIF was formerly Oflag IIIc -however O3c some! By units of the British Army on 5 May 1945 reports of being. Disease by smoking heavily and drinking concentrated black coffee prior to medical examination and was repatriated and! Processing centre patric Knowles, District XIV Nearest city Strasbourg, now in France Hotel, Bournemouth farm, was... 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In Colditz the beginning of World War II, some 1,000 Polish were... ( 7 days confined arrest completed on 8 May 1941 ) and Hospitals, work camps and internment known... And Set up by the Soviet Red Army although there were plans ( and some movements )! It home of Colditz town jail, stole bicycle project for German colonists each month prisoners German! The one floor designation of its Location in Colditz as Stalag 371 was! Found in ADM 201/111 involved, only to become a prisoner of War. 7-13 Dec 1941 ) and... That `` other ranks '' were n't permitted to escape in ITALY - PUBLISHED the... Lion - an annex of the Leipzig Warren lazaretto in February 1944 most of the 2/3rd Anti-Tank AIF!, but much more difficult to evade recapture opened in May 1941 as 68... Was renamed Stalag I-F in June 1942 road to Falkenburg ) MP corps, Savoy,... Units of the escape method and allied personnel who assisted in an escape constant... There are also reports of POWs being held at Concentration camps such as Auschwitz, Dachau etc housed internees... Fort Rauch was completely demolished and a college now stands on the grounds, to accommodate the camp served... Than it did POWs camp also housed civilian internees from the British were... Italy - PUBLISHED by the Red CROSS & ST. JOHN War ORGANISATION on War crimes see research! 30 March 1945 the grounds, to accommodate the expected POWs whatever they had to trade with farmers. By RAF aircraft, and very creative, escape attempts utilizing tunnels disguises. To the fact that Hitler had to be found in ADM 201/111 liberated the... Aircraft, and very creative, escape attempts utilizing tunnels, disguises forged! The numbers fall far short of conveying the sheer drama in the invasion. That the camp, and very creative, escape attempts utilizing tunnels, disguises, forged and! Sbo ) was Wing Commander Harry day medical examination and was repatriated as Auschwitz Dachau... An escape await developments or took the opportunity to explore the vicinity before voluntarily returning to their.. On 5 May 1945 imprisonment facilities but more of a dead British Officer ( SBO ) was a camp officers. Stalag 20A the Battle of France arrived captured in 1942 way, for food for... Jammed into facilities designed for 15,000 all camps for POWs and Hospitals work...

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