UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945 Name: J M Starr Rank: Pilot Officer Army Number: J92649 Regiment: Royal Canadian Air Force : Officers & Other Ranks POW Number: 53425 Camp Type: Stalag Luft 7 Camp Number: L7 Camp Location: Bankan, near Kreulberg, Upper Silesia, Poland Section: Royal Canadian Air Force : Officers & Other Ranks TD
Thanks for this report. Under the circumstances, to keep adding to a diary- great stuff! No wonder slight errors were made. Karlsruhe was mentioned twice, on Jan. 20 and Feb. 8. May be there were 2 karlsruhe in these days? Stefan.
Hi Stefan I only see Karlsruhe mentioned once. They reached Karlsruhe on January 20th. February 8th was the end of their journey at Stalag IIIA. Marbuk's report summarizes the daily distances at the end of the diary which concludes on February 8. (The walking ended in Goldberg on February 5th and a train took them to Luckenwalde.) I also have a diary of this march that was written by my father-in-law in my website, that gives the modern-day names of the towns on the route. There are many accounts of the route walked and slight differences in where and when they stopped because of the great number of men who were marching. Wartime Diary of Robert E. Toomey - The Forced March Claude
Hi Claude, That site is wrong in quite a few places. Jim Starr was on ME613. I have his RCAF service file (see attached) Dave
anyway, kreuzburg is Poland today and the mentioning of the river Oder makes sense, Both are in the East, while Karlsruhe is in the West (river Rhine).
The "Karlsruhe" referred to in the march from Bankau to Luckenwalde is ID'd in the TNA report on the march as "Carlsruhe". The POWs marched to Winterfeld on 19 January 1945. On the 20th "leaving at 5 am to march as far as Carlsruhe, a distance of 12 kms, where they arrived at 10 am. At Carlsruhe the POWs were accommodated in an abandoned brick factory where two field kitchens with a capacity to cook for 200 men were provided to cook for 1550 POWs". Mr Wiki says it's now known at Pokoj, Poland. Pokój, Opole Voivodeship - Wikipedia Regards, Dave
Thanks Dave Yes, I see that his name was Jim, not Joseph. My father-in-law also got the information wrong, I guess. I cannot find any record of a James Starr in RCAF Squadron 429.
Stefan, Dave: I have only seen it spelled Karlsruhe, in at least 3 diaries besides my father-in-law's diary. It is spelled Karlsruhe in the book "The Long Road" by Oliver Clutton Brock. This excellent and well-researched book details what it was like at Stalag Luft 7 and on the march. All prisoners are listed in the book including when they arrived, and there are some interesting stories about many of the POWs in that camp. It took a lot of digging for me to find the modern Polish names of the towns on the March from Bankau in January 1945: The German names below were mentioned in his Robert Toomey's diary. Walking route: Bankau = Bakow, Poland Kreuzberg = Klucsbork Winterfeld = Zawisc Karlsruhe = Pokoj Buchitz = Buszyce Wansen = Wiązów Gros Jenkwitz = Jankowice Wielkie Strehlen = Strzelin Petrowitz = Piotrowice Karzen = Karczyn Heidersdorf = Łagiewniki, Dzierżoniów County Langseifersdorf = Jaźwina Pfaffendorf = Książnica Pilzen = Schweidnitz = Świdnica Standorf = Stanowice, Świdnica County Jauer = Jawor Peterwitz = Piotrowice k Jawora Goldberg = Zlotoryja Train route from Goldberg Leignitz = Legnica Sagan = Żagań Cottbus = Chosebuz Calau = ? Luckenwalde, Germany
Actually Pilzen is now "Boleścin, Swidnica County". Boleścin, Świdnica County - Wikipedia This makes sense as it is mentioned in Toomey's diary of "The Forced March" being on the route Toomey took. Pfaffendorf (Książnica) to Pilzen (Boleścin, Swidnica County) to Schweidnitz (Świdnica) to Standorf (Stanowice, Świdnica County)
