Thanks to another member of the forum, I was able to obtain the German POW index card for my cousin, Frank Lee, but I could use some help deciphering some of the details. Some of the information is self-evident: - The "England" stamp at top left identifying nationality. - POW's name - Lee, Francis - POW's DOB and County of Origin - "2.9.19. Lanc, Engl" - POW Service Number "3774896" Some of the details are a little less obvious, though. At the left of the card are 3 stamps of which only the first 2 are clear: - "Stalag" - XI-B - "Liste" - 2164S.6 (I have no idea what this is, or whether the "S" in the number is correct) - Last item unreadable but I presume it's his POW number "87239" Then at the bottom are references to STALAG VIII-C. I presume "25.11.44.m.Stlg.VIIIC" implies that Frank was transferred to STALAG VIII-C on that date, although I have no idea what the "m" is for in the middle. Am I vaguely on the right track with my guesstimation of the card's contents? I'd appreciate any corrections or additional insights. It's taken my family 73 years to finally obtain this info. Previously, we had no idea in which camp(s) he was incarcerated. Thus, any additional info would be most welcome. Many thanks, Mark
Mark "Liste" simply means "list", the "s" is an old (long) s. At the bottom, the sole letter is "n", abbreviated for "nach", meaning "to". So you are right. Aixman
Hi, The “liste” number likely refers to the POW lists that German authorities sent to Red Coss for onward transmission to Allied countries. It might be an abbreviation of “kriegsgefangenerliste” as the German casualty lists are “totenliste”. Steve
Stalag X1B was in Fallingostel. If you google "fallingbostel military museum" you'll find contact details for Kevin Greenhalgh who's the owner / curator and general expert on all things stalag / pow. Alex.
Mark, I will try to identify all, but need to brak up for this morning. I will oon be back later today Stefan.
Thanks Aixman. I'm pretty good at interpreting military documents but sometimes local quirks, like differences in handwriting conventions between German and English, introduce doubts. Thanks for the clarification. Cheers, Mark
Thanks Steve....and a HUGE THANK YOU for your suggestion about the German POW Index Cards. At long, LONG last the family has some idea of what happened to Frank after he was captured. I'm going to try the Red Cross again in January. Last time I tried, they seemed to get confused by the names I provided (I sent them a letter from Frank's brother, Sam Lee, acting as Frank's next-of-kin, and authorizing the release of information to me. I think the ICRC looked for Sam Lee and Sam Haselden but not Frank Lee. Maybe better luck this time, although they probably won't have any additional info that's not on Frank's index card.
Hi Alex, Yup...I had STALAG XI-B as Fallingbostel and STALAG VIII-C at Sagan. Prior to getting the index card info, Fallingbostel had been on my short-list of possible camps because some of his Welsh Regt colleagues who were also captured at Den Bosch in Oct 1944 were sent to Fallingbostel. Thanks for the suggestion about Kevin Greenhalgh. I'll certainly reach out to him and see if he has any additional light to shed. Many thanks, Mark
No worries, I was stationed at Fallingbostel in the 1990's, Kevin was my Staff Sergeant there. He still lives there and does a great job with the museum and POW related info. Good luck! Alex.
Hi Mark, You’re very welcome. The forum is all about sharing information. A member has contacted me by PM to let me know she applied at the same time as you and got a reply within 2 working days comprising the “holy grail” of documents from the German POW Index. In addition to the Index Card, she received a photo and fingerprints of her relative. Steve
Hi Steve, That's wonderful news, and I'm really glad others are finding needed info from these hard-to-locate resources. UKNA certainly seems to be on the ball responding to FOI requests. Given the late date of Frank's capture, I suspect niceties like taking a photo and collecting fingerprints were no longer a priority for the German military...they certainly had more pressing issues on their minds. Cheers, Mark
No worries, HA96. Thanks for checking my homework to ensure I was heading down the right path. The index card has helped me come to a reasonable conclusion about how Frank came to be liberated. Frank arrived in the UK on 11 April 1945 but died just a few hours later of malnutrition. Since receiving his index card, I've discovered that STALAG VIII-C was evacuated on 8 February 1945, the POWs marching to STALAG IX-B at Bad Orb, some 600+ km away, where they arrived between 11-16 March 1945. The camp was liberated by the US Army on 2 April. The march and lack of food at STALAG IX-B probably accounts for Frank's condition when he was liberated, and which ultimately led to his death.
