Hi Folks, I recently made a trip to Kew Gardens to get info on a relative and was luckily enough to find his POW Cards and liberation questionnaire. And I'm finding the information hard to decipher, and some of it is conflicting. I'm trying to track his movement through the POW camp system but he went to so many it's overwhelming. I'll attach three sources which relate to his whereabouts, 2 from the German cards and one from the Liberation questionnaire. All of the camps are within the Werkreise XXI series of camps. Image 1 All I can gather up until now is 1. From his capture on the 30/05/40, he went to Trier, 2. He was recieved at Stalag XXI B Schubin 12 days later on the 11/06/40. 3. On 12/09/40 I'm guessing he moved from Schubin to 'XXI C/H', which refers to Wollstein. Not sure why the next line down has XXI B again. 4. The entry 3 days later on the 15th is confusing to me for several reasons. One, what is 'Italy' doing there, two, Bau Arbeits Batallion 21 was never in 'Posen' as far as I can tell, 3. Why the duplication one line down. 5. The move to Schildberg makes sense as I have a record of his admission to hospital on that date, and I thin there was a field hospital there (third image down), though the rest of that entry is hard to reconcile. Image 2 (Overleaf of image 1) 6. First few entries refers to same visit, 7. His move back to BAB21 Refers to a hospital visit, not sure what Warthelager refers to, or the words below Stalag XXI A This next image from a different card seems to show him at BAB21 later than the first card. Also, is ST 344 Lamsdorf? From his liberation questionnaire: I suppose the liberation questionnaire might be the least reliable as I doubt POWs had anything to refer to and the times/places may have been guesstimates. If anyone can help me compile a definite timeline I'd be made up. But even if you just would like to comment please do! Mark
POWs are not my scene but I believe this is him? 913826 Gnr H J (Henry James) DUNN / 140 Field Regt, RA Casualty List No 262 Dated 23 July 1940 - Missing, France 10/5 - 16/6 1940 Casualty List No 297 Dated 2 Sept 1940 - POW, previously reported missing Casualty List No 1806 Dated 12 July 1945 - Previously reported POW in German hands, now not POW WO 392/1 - Camp BAB 21 (Bau und Arbeits Battalion 21, Belchammer) / POW No 4217 WO 392/11 - Camp Stalag 344 (Lamsdorf) / POW No 4217
Hi, You really need the assistance of a member who can read “Sutterlin” script as the type (no pun) of “Old German” writing on the POW Index card is called. You may be best advised to amend your topic heading to something like “U.K. National Archive German language POW Index Card Translation Assistance Required” or perhaps a helpful moderator may do it for you? My father’s German POW Index card wasn’t as “busy” as your example and I was able to work out the details from comparison with his Liberation Questionnaire. Good Luck. Steve EDIT TO DD You might want to contact Swiss Red Cross in January 2022 for copies of records from their archives which will likely corroborate details in the sources held at Kew and may add more detail (I received a copy of a “capture card” postcard sent by my father). Requests for information about people held during Spanish Civil War or Second World War: Quarterly limit reached It’s a free service.
Thanks for the advice Steve, I'll definitely try the Red Cross in January. You have to have fast fingers from what I've read!
Italy is in fact Stlg --> short form of Stalag (we Germans have a weird tendency to abbreviate even abbreviations) The Kriegsgefangenen-Bau- und Arbeits-Bataillon 21 was formed on 15 September 1940 in the Wehrkreis XXI (Posen). In 1940 the battalion was deployed in the Wollstein area and in 1941 in the Breslau area. On 10 March 1942 the battalion was transferred to Blechhammer near Heydebreck. On 10 March 1943, the remnants of the POW Construction and Labour Battalion 48 were incorporated into the battalion. The battalion consisted of British and French prisoners of war and had a maximum strength of 1,200 men. source: G. Mattiello / W. Vogt: Deutsche Kriegsgefangenen- und Internierteneinrichtungen 1939 -1945 - Handbuch und Katalog Lagergeschichte und Lagerzensurstempel - Band 2: Oflag, BAB, Dulag etc, Selbstverlag 1987 Zugang/Woher --> Approached - Where from: WARTHELAGER* *EDIT: Warthelager was a military training area north of Posen/Poznan. A temporary collective camp for prisoners of war was set up there, where many soldiers of the BEF were also accommodated. First the English prisoners of war came to Kaniow. After the Warthelager was expanded, the prisoners of war were housed in new barracks near kitchen No. 17. Later they were relocated near Msciszewo on the Warta River. source: Warthelager in Posen - Forum der Wehrmacht see also: Confusion over Stalag XXI B Abgang - wie, wohin --> Departure - how, where: STALAG XXI A Teillager Lemmer[?] Several POW camps were grouped together into a "camp administration" or "camp group" whose external marker was a common "camp number". The headquarters of the camp administration was in the "Hauptlager". The remaining camps (3 to 25) were designated "Teillager" or "Nebenlager". (sub-camps) The location of "Lemmer" is difficult to trace nowadays, as everything in the region was renamed after 1945. Stalag 344 Lamsdorf, 11/43 - 3/45 Hope this helps. ( I am so glad that there was no Sütterlin - I would have capitulated and referred to member "raut", who obviously has a pretty good knowledge of it.) regards Olli
The gap of Jan - April 1945 on his liberation questionaire is almost certainly the time he would have been on the forced march of pow's from the Eastern camps away from the advancing Russian Forces. Several of these marches ended up at the already crowded Moosburg Camp.
Details as based on the final IIRC visit in October 1944, it does have the geographical coordinates for the camp and its satellites Story of prisoner-of-war's harrowing march across Europe retold 75 years later Story Map Series
If not known so far: Lots of information and links regarding BAB 21 Lamsdorf Working Parties from this site: BAB21 Photographs Index Page https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=AE96C2B4F0B7E1A7!13790&ithint=file%2cxlsx&authkey=!Ar5zkbBesLKY6A0 HJ Dunn listed at No 175 regards Olli
I'm trying to get a chronology of his journey before I take a deep dive into the details for each camp, and I came up with this, if anyone has anything to add I thank you in advance! 30/05/40 Captured at Watteau (Watou, Belgium) Marched to Trier 11.06.40 Arrived at Stalag XXIB Schubin 12.09.40 Arrived at XXI C/H Wollstein 15.09.40 BAB21 Established in Posen/Wollstein, Harry put on the work group. 03.09.41 Transferred to a Hospital in Schildberg, which was attached to Stalag XXIA 04.09.41 Released from hospital to Stalag XXI A 09.12.41 Sent back to BAB 21 at Posen 10.03.42 BAB21 transferred to Blechhammer, was an orderly Jan-April 1945 Marched to Moosburg 12.05.45 May Liberated
Pictures, documents and accounts with keywords BAB 21, Lamsdorf, Moosburg Story Map Series VE Day: The POW who marched hundreds of miles to freedom BAB 21 BBC - WW2 People's War - Into captivity, Abbeville 1940 - 1945 Story of prisoner-of-war's harrowing march across Europe retold 75 years later This should provide you with enough material to help you with your research on BAB 21 and the evacuation march. regards Olli
German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II - Wikipedia Military District XXI (Posen) Stalag XXI-A Schildberg (Poland) Stalag XXI-B Schubin (Poland) Stalag XXI-B Thure (Poland) Stalag XXI-C/H Wollstein (Poland) Stalag XXI-C/Z Graetz Stalag XXI-D Posen (Poland) Oflag XXI-A Schokken (Poland) Oflag XXI-B Schoken (Poland) Oflag XXI-C Schubin/Schokken/Schildberg (Poland) Oflag XXI-C/Z Grune bei Lissa (Poland)