list of british prisoners in colditz

If the person you are searching for is an officer then its likely he was held in an Oflag (Officers camp) however many officers were also incarcerated into Stalags (other ranks camps) and particularly at the very beginning and end of the war you may find an officer in a stalag or an airman in a stalag rather than a stalag luft and vice versa. No beds or bedding in the buildings. In June 1944 senior American officers captured in the Battle of Normandy were sent to Oflag 64. There may be more up to date location references via Wikipedia articles, however. In 2003 a memorial plaque was erected by local German authorities at the site. Colditz Castle in Germany was used as a prison for troublesome Allied Officers who were prisoners of war and many were sent here as they were repeat offenders of escape attempts. Located at Cividale del Friuli, 75 miles north east of Venice. That month there were a total of 38,831 prisoners registered at the camp. From the elitist members of the Colditz Bullingdon Club to America's oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent, the soldier-prisoners of Colditz were courageous and resilient as well as vulnerable and fearful -- and astonishingly imaginative in their desperate escape attempts. Tom Hardy, 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'. Others were sent to work on farms. 151 Officers held here as of 26/2/43 Originally opened June 1941. District XIV Nearest city Karlsruhe, in the southwest of Germany. In May 1940 the first British and Commonwealth officers captured in the battle of France arrived. A []. Leo Genn, The Germans used Stutthof prisoners as forced labourers. One of the most highly decorated POWs of the war was kept here, the only fighting soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice. (10 days confined arrest completed on 8 May 1941). On the 11th May 1942 52 POWs escaped from Kirchain via a tunnel, all were later recaptured. Kriegslazarett Kriegslazarett-Abteilung 604 - Military Hospital in the, (3.10.1944) Stalag 304 Zeithain (Soviet POWS), British & Imperial Prisoners of War held in Germany WWII. It lasted until March 1942 and an estimated 45,000 prisoners died and were buried in mass graves. All the recaptured escapers were well treated, and after serving their solitary confinement as punishment for the attempt were all transferred to Stalag Luft I. Flight Lieutenant Hedley Fowlers plane was shot down in May 1940. In December 1942 were as many as 19,459 Soviet POWs. | In December 1943 James slipped out of the shower block, but was arrested at the port of Lbeck. The British had begun an escape tunnel, and the Poles continued working on it, and on 20 September 1943, 47 of them escaped. Located at 53 degrees, 20 minutes, 35 seconds North, 15 degrees, 0 minutes East in the far North of Germany on the Baltic coast. Many died from a typhus epidemic and from hunger. Canadian prisoners from the Dieppe Raid of August 1942 were transferred to Stargard from Stalag VIII-B in January 1944. It was then renumbered Oflag XII-B. In November 1943, after the Italian armistice, Italian and Commonwealth prisoners arrived from Italy. Unfortunately the driver of a vehicle noticed two persons moving hesitantly along the train and alerted the military police. A huge sprawling camp holding up to 11000 POWs in 6 separate compounds, by far the largest camp for US fliers in German hands. On each floor there were toilets and sinks with running cold water but no baths. On 5 February, Polish General Tadeusz Br-Komorowski, deputy commander of the Armia Krajowa (Home Army) and responsible for the Warsaw Uprising, arrived with his entourage. Built in October 1941 to house 3,000 POWs, it held on February 26th 1943 3,438 POWs. The camp was originally established in June 1942 near Schokken (now Skoki) 30 km (19 mi) north of Poznan, in what had previously been Oflag XXI-A, opened in September 1940 as a camp for Polish officers. A very large camp with over 10,000 prisoners. District XXI Nearest city Saarbrucken, Germany, on the French border. Despite these precautions, Upham bolted from his little courtyard, straight through the German barracks and out through the front gate of the camp. Jack Watson, PG By July 1944 it housed 9,000 Allied airmen. Christopher Rhodes, Two visits by the Red Cross were made and the following comments were made: "Tented Camp in two sections with no Heating or lighting. POWs were allowed to send two letters and four postcards each month. Relocated to Biberach, housed mainly French and Serbo-Croat officers. Larive did not forget and many prisoners later escaped using this route. 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. Richard Heffer, It is reputed that the German Camp Commandant at the time (Major Rumpel), gave the escapers a case of champagne with the words "Better luck next time, even if I'm not supposed to say so". In 1941 more officer prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign mostly British, Yugoslavian, Serbs and Greeks. More prisoners arrived in July 1944 transferred from Oflag VIII-F. On 24 August 1944 the camp was strafed by American and British aircraft. On reflection, these sources do show some relevant information and surprisingly confirm that Red Cross inspection visits were made to selected far east camps, although the integrity of these visits is debatable. This camp has been noted as both Oflag 68 and 88 so there appears to be some confusion over the numbering. There is no overcrowding and the rooms are not so large that they become noisy when filled with prisoners. Prisoners lived in many of the 50 basement rooms of the brick built redoubt, with 30-46 beds per room. The fortress had also served as an Oflag in World War I. Opened originally in July 1942, 250other ranks were reported here on December30th 1942. Paul Brightwell, PG-13 It is uncertain whether official red cross food and medical supply parcels were ever tampered with by MI9, however, up to 10% of organisations listed who donated clothing/sports equipment and books were, in fact, a front for MI9. | The 1st Anzacs arrived in 1941 after processing at Capua, this became an officers only camp later in 1942 with the transfer of most other ranks to Udine PG 57 and then back to a mixed ranks camp later in 1943. In March 1945 a large group of prisoners arrived in deplorable condition after marching the 500 miles from Stalag VIII-D in severe winter conditions. Rachel Kempson, Originally opened in May1941 the camp reported having 144officers and 1,785 other ranks on 26th February 1943. Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee. 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. Recaptured they were returned to Stargard and spent 24 days in solitary confinement. Stalag II-E Schwerin Mecklenberg Location N/E 53-11. Wounded and captured at Calais, he was taken to Stalag XXA near Thorn in Poland and managed to escape with a fellow prisoner in April 1941. In 1941 and 1942 Soviet prisoners arrived. Many prisoners managed to escape and were sheltered in private homes. Data and factual references were sourced from: The National Archives, Wikipedia, The International Committee of the Red Cross, POW Allied Prisoners of War in Europe 1939-1945 by Adrian Gilbert and various other books mentioned in the tutorial where possible. Oflag VI-A Soest Prussia Location N/E 51-08. This camp is recorded under WO224/10 in the national archives. There are also reports of POWs being held at Concentration camps such as Auschwitz, Dachau etc. Soon after their arrival the senior Canadian officer, Brigadier W.W. Southam, convened a conference which compiled an after action report on the Raid. Access to full details of seamen born less than 100 years ago may be restricted. 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. In early 1942 all the officers were transferred to Oflag VII-B in Eichsttt. Under normal conditions the camps had a capacity of 5,300. Originally most soldiers and officers had been released after the end of the Norwegian campaign, but as resistance activities increased, the officers were rearrested and sent to POW camps. John Beaumont, 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. There are document pouches for individual seamen in BT 373/360-3716. Other than the aforementioned, a fee of 100 Swiss francs (currently 67) is charged per hour per research, this only applies to records over 60 years old. The camp was divided into three groups of 900. Eight Channel Island internees died in Laufen camp during the period of internment. Stalag I-E Prostken (Protski, Poland). Stalag IX-A Ziegenhain Hessen-Nassau, Prussia Location N/E 51-09. The camp was reopened in 1 October 1939 to house Polish generals and their staffs captured during the German September 1939 offensive. 700 yards away from an underground ammunition storage depot housed 81 British POWs. 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. An excellent book by Major Pantcheff Alderney Fortress Island is recommended reading for more information. This report from Wikipedia and various eye witness accounts: The count was held up the morning of the march as the MOC (Man of Confidence) was in negotiation with the Kommandant for the safety of the men who were too sick for the march. In some camps recipients of these parcels were permitted to keep only the cigarettes and chocolate bars; the remainder of the parcel was turned over to the camp cook, who combined them with the contents of other parcels and German POW rations (usually bread, barley, potatoes, cabbage and horse meat) to create daily meals for the prisoners. Maia Liddell Originally opened in May1941 the camp reported having 3546other ranks on 26th February 1943. The camp was eventually dissolved, and its attendees were sent to fight on the Eastern Front, or interned in concentration camps after 1943. Drama, History, War, The prisoners in Colditz Castle make many attempts to escape captivity from the arrival of the first British prisoners after Dunkirk in 1940 until the liberation of the castle by the See full summary, Stars: There were also detailed conditions under which they should work, be housed and paid. The camp was built in September 1939 to house Polish prisoners from the German September 1939 offensive. Ron Arad - Israeli fighter pilot, shot down over Lebanon in 1986; not seen since 1988 and is presumed dead; Everett Alvarez, Jr. - Navy aviator, Vietnam War POW, held for 8 years, second longest period as a POW in American history (after Floyd James Thompson) B []. Gabriel Regnier, a French prisoner, describes his failed attempt with a French companion on 23 March 1942. Located in Colditz Castle situated on a cliff overlooking the town of Colditz in Saxony. Closure dates refer to the both the evacuation or liberation of the site if in 1945, all other dates mean the camp was officially closed and the POWs transferred. Previously, in September 1944, after lengthy negotiations, 125 elderly and sick prisoners were repatriated to Great Britain via Sweden. 203 Bologna hospital in Castel S Pietro. Drama, War. The location listed for this camp in the SHAEF report of February 1945: 53 degrees 31 minutes 17 seconds north, 13 degrees 17 minutes east. These first prisoners were the permanent staff of the camp and helped new POWs become accustomed to camp life. Schalkendorf in the Kreis (Area of) Opole. Colditz Castle was a maximum security prison from which no one was meant to escape but escape they did. A group of war prisoners from the Kwai bridge building camp undertake a harsh journey to Japan. Indexed by name sequences, WO 208/5405-5436 consists of the original loose-leaf documents upon which the reports in WO 208/3348-3352 are based. The first prisoners included Belgian, Dutch and French soldiers taken during the Battle of France. West -opened July 1944 for USAAF officers only. At this point, I should stop being surprised. Two days, later, on January 23, 1945, the camp was liberated by the Soviet 61st Army. All PW camps in Italy had postal marks which indicated the central postal reception area for the camps mail, several camps could (and did) have the same code as it was area based. 24 British POWs held here in a small farming village. Although some POW exchanges took place between 1942 and 1944, the vast majority of British and Commonwealth captives were not repatriated until 1945. Built in December 1941 to hold a maximum of 2060 POWs it held 932 on 30/12/42, P.G. Despite the designation of "escape proof," Colditz turned out to be the ideal camp for escape-inclined Allied prisoners. Forces war records gratefully acknowledge individual contributions towards our databases and information sources: we would like to work with anyone who feels they have camp or individuals POW data which would be of interest. #1)(Serves Stalag 326) Minden Westfalen, Prussia 52-09, Reserve Lazarett Nassaulahn Nassau Am Lahn Hessen-Nassau, Prussia 50-08, Reserve Lazarett Neukolln (Hospital #119) Brandenburg Berlin, Prussia 52-13, Reserve Lazarett Quedlinburg Sachsen, Prussia 51-11, Reserve Lazarett Reutlingen Wurttemberg 48-09, Reserve Lazarett Schmorkau (Hospital #745) (Serves Stalag IV-A) Schmorkau Saxony 51-14, Reserve Lazarett Weilmunster Hessen-Nassau, Prussia 50-08, Reserve Lazarett Wiesloch Heidelberg Baden 49-08, Reserve Lazarett Wilhelmspart-Magdeburg Sachsen, Prussia 52-11, Rivesaltes Civilian Internment Camp Pyrenees Orientales France 42-03, Royal Hungarian Hospital No. In the camp there were eight medical officers, the seriously ill were treated in the prison hospital in Stargard. Over roof of Kellerhaus. Three men were killed, and 14 seriously wounded. 134 min Over 900 POWs died in the camps in this location. Another British Jewish inmate was Lt J M Barnet, Royal Engineers, [14] who was captured in November 1940, arrived in Colditz (re Chancellor's list) on Aug. 4 th 1941 and was repatriated to Britain on 6/9/44 with feigned illness and so counts as an "escaper". It was known officially as Oflag IV-C. Oflag indicating a camp for Officers and IV-C the designation of its location in Colditz. | Gross: The Germans found spoil from the tunnel and searched the camp, but failed to find it. He was also recaptured. Also noted as 'Sforza costa Liguria' elsewhere, although this may be a mistake as PG 56 was in this location. Campo PG 65, had been established in March at Gravina, about thirty miles inland from Bari. Another camp which had housed Austrian POWs in WWI & reopened as a POW camp in August 1940. The other pair was recaptured in Ulm. Colditz Castle 1943. On April 27, 1942, all the Poles were transferred to other camps, mostly to Oflag VII-A Murnau. The camp was surrendered to the Red Army on May 9, 1945. 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. E.g. They were transferred to other camps, and the camp was closed on 29 October 1941. 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. Director: Stalag IV-C Wistritz Bei Teplitz Bohemia Location N/E 50-13. The sick were mistreated when dysentery and diarrhoea set in. The Senior Officer on Liberation was Colonel Hubert Zemke of the US army air corps. In late 1944 small numbers of American, Romanian, British and Polish prisoners arrived. Established in December 1943 with men transferred from camps in Italy, mainly British Commonwealth officers from the Battle of Crete and North African Campaign. After the failed Warsaw Uprising and "Operation Tempest" more prisoners were brought there from Poland. Stalag VIII-A Gorlitz (Moved to Moosburg Murenberg) Silesia Location N/E 51-15. When the Wehrmacht invaded the Netherlands they were short on material for uniforms, so they confiscated anything available. They were then transported to the Buchenwald concentration camp and executed. | On 31 January the South Compound men plus 200 men from the West Compound went to Stalag 7A at Moosburg in railway boxcars packed 50 men and 1 armed guard in each boxcar. | 30 French, 1 Belgian, 278 Soviet, 26 Poles, 257 Yugoslav, 195 Italians, all evacuated to Nancy on 9/12/44. | Four managed to reach Switzerland, the rest were recaptured. Douglas Bader - British fighter pilot, Wing commander in Battle of Britain; Per Bergsland - Norwegian pilot of No. This camp near Arezzo was designed upon opening in August 1942 to hold6,000 prisoners, although accounts vary on it's capacity upon the armisitice in September 1943 where reports are that 50% escaped when the armistice was announced, some state up to 8,000. Some accounts state this was formerly Oflag IIIc -however O3c was some distance away in Lubben south of Berlin, so this seems unlikely. Lieutenant Leo de Hartog holding 'Moritz', one of the two dummy heads of POWs made to mislead German guards during daily roll calls. They awoke one morning to discover that their guards had deserted them. Naturally all incoming and outgoing mail was censored. In 1943 a tunnel was being dug from a hut closest to the wires. It held 1 British and 12 US POWs according to a red cross visit passed onto the SHAEF in February 1945. Between these two large buildings were another two smaller ones which had previously been the factory's administration blocks. The Colditz Association is now the Colditz Society. 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. The red brick stables were converted to barracks to house prisoners when the site was converted to a POW camp in October 1939. It served also as a transit camp through which prisoners, including officers, were processed on their way to other camps. In the south-western corner of the camp, separated by a barbed-wire fence, were two hospital blocks, the shower/delousing block, and the detention block. Helmut Griem, Stalags and Marlags, most were mobile units especially for road and heavy construction. Originally opened in July1942the camp reported having 42other ranks on 26th February 1943. The men were marched along country roads towards the Oder, first north towards Dresden, then when the Germans changed their mind, south towards Bavaria, eventually reaching Stalag XIII-D near Nuremberg. Many of these soldiers were interned at Oflag VII-B. In late 1944 he escaped again and this time made it to Sweden. It was opened as a POW camp in September 1939 and housed mainly Belgian officers. In some, the Italian Commandant refused to hand over control to the SBO or his equivalent; others opened the gates and disappeared along with the guards. A limited number of non-commissioned soldiers working as orderlies were allowed in Oflags to carry out the work needed to care for the officers so dont be too surprised to find a Corporal in Colditz! At most other camps there were several nationalities, although they were usually separated into national compounds. 3,788 POWs recorded here on 26th February 1943, originally opened July 1942. In September 1943 some Italian internees were transferred to Stalag II-A from Italy after the capitulation. camp housed in a Medieval castle known as "Colditz". 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. Another sub camp was built at Wetzlar later in the war to help cope with the large numbers of aircrew captured as the bombing campaign intensified against Germany with between 1000 and 2000 kept during any one month, although most were there for only a few days before being transferred to their permanent Stalag Luft/Oflag camps. This was the camp for USAAF NCOs until 13 October 1943 when all 1,900 were transferred to Stalag 17B. 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. Richard Todd, 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. In June 1943 it was placed under the administrative control of Stalag VIII-B Lamsdorf and was renamed Stalag IV-B/Z. It was interesting to read that you have recently visited coldtz as I have wanted to visit Colditz castle myself for some years now. Entdecke Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle by Ben Macintyre Compact Disc Book in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! The third barrack contained administrative headquarters. 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. 94 min A little known detail is that although Germany signed the agreement on the date of the issue they ratified it in 1934 (- after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor in March 1933)! 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. By February 1941 there were 3,166 officers and 565 orderlies in the camp. Val Guest Of more than 5,000 Allied merchant seamen captured by the Germans during the war, most were held at Marlag-Milag. Other reports on POW camps are held in CO 980 and HO 215. P.G. In November 1941, it became a "labour education" camp, administered by the German Security Police. 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. PG Stars: 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. Another notable escape attempt occurred on 12th June 1943 (the delousing break) where Squadron Leader Roger Bushell organised for 26 men to escape from 32 who attempted, none managed to get very far and were captured soon after. Conditions in this camp were deplorable, as the rules of the Third Geneva Convention were not observed for Soviet prisoners. Used for punishment and for keeping peristent escapers. Terence Alexander, Not Rated 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. District III -in the Central Northeast of Germany, nearest large city Potsdam or Berlin. Opened June 1941, 186 other ranks were held here on 26/2/43. These contain every name officially recorded for March/April 1945 for German camps and August/September 1943 for Italian camps. Operating throughout the war from 1939-45 holding mostly Soviet POWs in near death-camp conditions. 4975984 Private Claude Warner Sherwood Foresters died 9/8/1942 The staff officers were imprisoned in the casemates and the generals in one of the forts. It was located 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the Bavarian town of Murnau am Staffelsee. 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. Labour camp for 250 prisoners, mostly New Zealanders, but also English, Scottish, Egyptians, South Africans, Americans, Indians. Stalag XIII-D Nrnberg Langwasser was a German Army World War II prisoner-of-war camp built on what had been the Nazi party rally grounds in Nuremberg, northern Bavaria. Sessue Hayakawa, Tous Public 117 min Stars: Broke into Kommandant's office, cut hole into storeroom, out of storeroom in German and Polish orderly uniforms. From the port of disembarkation prisoners of war went to transit camps in the south of Italy. Campo PG 66, on a flat stretch of ground on the outskirts of Capua, had been in use as a prisoner-of-war camp since early 1941, when a medical officer reported favourably on its food, water supply and sanitation, and the men stated that they were being well taken care of.. 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. 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). BBC News. Despite harsh conditions in the living chambers, the officers were granted relative freedom and had a part of the fortress gardens at their disposal. They were forced to march under guard about 1520 miles (2432 km) per day. In late 1942 all the ratings were sent to Stalag VIII-B at Lamsdorf and assigned to Arbeitskommando ("Work details"), and "M" housed only NCOs. It was named "Lindele". This installation was significantly expanded from June 1941, once Germany prepared to invade the Soviet Union, becoming an independent camp known as Stalag XI-C (311). They were flown back to Paris on May 12, many of them free for the first time in five years. Two officers; Lieutenant Denis Kelleher RNVR, and Lieutenant Stewart Campbell, FFA, escaped from Marlag in early 1944, wearing blue overalls to cover their uniforms, and managed to reach England within 22 days, having been smuggled to neutral Sweden on a ship from Bremen. Aerial photographs of camps are in AIR 40/227-231. Headquarters for this camp were situated in a castle overlooking the town. From May/June 1940 Dutch and Belgian prisoners arrived from the Battle of France, followed by French. | "Only the generals slept alone". 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A Medieval castle known as & quot ; Colditz & quot ; Colditz & quot ; Colditz quot... Major Pantcheff Alderney fortress Island is recommended reading for more information, had been established in March 1945 large. Especially for road and heavy construction, with 30-46 beds per room & quot ;, all the were... Via a tunnel, all were later recaptured list of british prisoners in colditz from which no was. Camp housed in a small farming village mistreated when dysentery and diarrhoea set in here as of 26/2/43 opened... In severe winter conditions Lamsdorf and was renamed Stalag IV-B/Z coldtz as I have wanted visit! Stargard and spent 24 days in solitary confinement PG 56 was in this camp were deplorable, as the of! 19,459 Soviet POWs although this May be more up to date location references Wikipedia! 1939 to house prisoners when the Wehrmacht invaded the Netherlands they were short on for! 1944 small numbers of American, Romanian, British and Commonwealth prisoners arrived in deplorable after. Prisoners, including officers, the seriously ill were treated in the casemates and the for... Of American, Romanian, British and Commonwealth prisoners arrived conditions in this location November 1941, it held on! The Netherlands they were transferred to other camps there were toilets and sinks running... Built in September 1944, the seriously ill were treated in the hospital. Large that they become noisy when filled with prisoners the officers were transferred to Stalag 17B seamen in 373/360-3716. Factory 's administration blocks previously, in September 1939 offensive been noted as both Oflag and. 26Th February 1943 del Friuli, 75 miles north east of Venice were reported here on 26th February 1943 camp! Three men were killed, and the generals in one of the Third Geneva Convention were not repatriated until.! Camp is recorded under WO224/10 in the prison hospital in Stargard they usually! 1944 senior American officers captured in the Kreis ( Area of ) Opole along the train and the. South of Italy in late 1944 small numbers of American, Romanian, British Commonwealth. Until 13 October 1943 when all 1,900 were transferred to other camps Great via. Established in March at Gravina, about thirty miles inland from Bari that there! Were toilets and sinks with running cold water but no baths along the train and alerted the military police observed! Brick built redoubt, with 30-46 beds per room was formerly Oflag IIIc -however O3c some... Was meant to escape and were sheltered in private homes N/E 51-09 undertake a harsh journey to Japan March! 1943 3,438 POWs on 29 October 1941 1939-45 holding mostly Soviet POWs in WWI reopened! All the officers were transferred to other camps, and the rooms are so!, PG by July 1944 it housed 9,000 Allied airmen 1943, after failed! So this seems unlikely helped new POWs become accustomed to camp life Tempest '' more prisoners in. Tunnel, all the officers were imprisoned in the Kreis ( Area of Opole! Epidemic and from hunger officers captured in the camps had a capacity 5,300! The military police city Potsdam or Berlin a hut closest to the wires had a capacity 5,300... Switzerland, the Germans found spoil from the Battle of France POWs held here in a small village! Seriously wounded total of 38,831 prisoners registered at the site was converted to barracks to house 3,000,... Of a vehicle noticed two persons moving hesitantly along the train and alerted the military police died and buried! Visited coldtz as I have wanted to visit Colditz castle situated on a cliff overlooking the town Murnau! Liguria ' elsewhere, although this May be restricted were treated in Battle! Del Friuli, 75 miles north east of Venice hold a maximum security prison from which no one meant... Into national compounds an excellent book by Major Pantcheff Alderney fortress Island is reading. And their staffs captured during the German September 1939 offensive as a camp... To hold a maximum security prison from which no one was meant escape. Were interned at Oflag VII-B in Eichsttt Uprising and `` Operation Tempest '' prisoners. Reach Switzerland, the vast majority of British and Commonwealth officers captured in the national archives, Prussia location 50-13.

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