Stalag 344,Stalag VIIIB,,Stalag 8A

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by mcct, Aug 25, 2008.

  1. mcct

    mcct Junior Member

    Tracing my fathers POW camps..can anyone give me more info please
    thanks you
     
  2. Herakles

    Herakles Senior Member

    I can give you information about Stalag8A

    It was a frightful place. Many of the Aussie 6th Div ended up there when captured in Greece. One Sth. Aust. sergeant. a journo in peace time wrote about it. I'm very sorry but I don't have the details of his book here so can't tell you them. the scale of the atrocities were on par with the Japanese.
     
  3. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    Stalag VIIIB was renamed 344 in the latter stages of the war.

    Check out my site for details on Stalag VIIIB/344 and another link to a very informative site on Stalag VIIIB/344.

    My Service Life

    There is a site on Gorlitz, Stalag VIIIA at

    Stalag VIIIA
     
  4. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    Stalag VIIIB was renamed 344 in the latter stages of the war.

    Check out my site for details on Stalag VIIIB/344 and another link to a very informative site on Stalag VIIIB/344.

    My Service Life

    There is a site on Gorlitz, Stalag VIIIA at

    Stalag VIIIA


    Stalag V111B was orginally at Lamsdorf until re-designated Stalag 344.
    There was quite a large Russian Compound at 344 which was seperate from that of the Commonwealth Captives.

    V111B was then allocated to a Camp at Teschen. There were a great many Work camps based on Teschen including the Coal Mines at Niwka.
     
  5. mcct

    mcct Junior Member

    many thanks to those who have replied..amazing info I didnt know existed
     
  6. mcct

    mcct Junior Member

    CAN ANYONE DIRECT ME TO INFO ON THESE PLEASE..THESE ARE CAMPS MY FATHER WAS IN AND i WOULD LIKE MORE DETAIL IF POSS
     
  7. brispencer

    brispencer Member

    many thanks to those who have replied..amazing info I didnt know existed
    My father was also in Stalag VIIIB from 1940 - 1945 and took part in teh march from Lamsdorf Jan - March 1945. I have a 1939 Greman roadmap which details the route plus a list of places that the prisoners stopped or laid up during the march. Happy to send you a copy if you are interested.
     
  8. mcct

    mcct Junior Member

    brispencer.....would be very grateful for a copy of that mapcan u advise best way fro me to conatct you
    thanks you
    mcct
     
  9. ADM199

    ADM199 Well-Known Member

    brispencer.....would be very grateful for a copy of that mapcan u advise best way fro me to conatct you
    thanks you
    mcct


    There is a very good account of the march from Lamsdorf to Zeigerhein, again it is in the U.K. National Archives. WO311/221 is the File.
    I copied it some years ago for two former inmates; Roy Cawston of the C.L.Y. and Cyril Medley of the 11th R.H.A.

    There was one inaccuracy in the report though. One man was named as being killed on the march;but when checking with C.W.G.C. I found the wrong name was given.

    About the same time I did copy an aerial photo of the Camp,which after consideration by former inmates was found to be of the Russian Compound.

    This was sent to the Camp Museum at Lamsdorf via a lady in Ireland.
     
  10. brispencer

    brispencer Member

    I will send copy plus list of places where column (not necessarily my father's) stopped during the march. I will need a name and addrees so maybe you coul dPM me.
    I am trying to find somewhere I can get these pages scanned (they are A3 size) so I can load them onto internet but until then am copying and posting to interestd parties (so far from UK, Canada and Australia).
    Just had advice to try taking photo's which I can do so will try in next few days.

    Admin Edit: As it's never a good idea to put straight email addresses on the open internet I've altered Brian's so robotic spammers that crawl the web shouldn't pick it up.
    Those wishing to contact him just need to replace the '(a)' with the usual '@' symbol.
    Sorry for interrupting - Adam.
     
  11. brispencer

    brispencer Member

    brispencer.....would be very grateful for a copy of that mapcan u advise best way fro me to conatct you
    thanks you
    mcct
    MCCT, please see response above
     
  12. brispencer

    brispencer Member

    Adam,

    Thanks for advice, as I work in IT I should know better. Have edited mail now.

    You live and learn.

    Bri
     
  13. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    You'd be OK with the altered (at) in place of the @ symbol Bri, I'm certain you'd never get any rubbish from the site's denizens, but those automated bots are buggers.
     
  14. mcct

    mcct Junior Member

    sorry Bri been away for a few days...not sure how to PM you??/keen to get in contact
    Regards
    Charles (MCCT)
     
  15. mcct

    mcct Junior Member

    Brian..have found a tape my father left me...details of Egypt,Helwan(spelling?/),Baggush Box ,lost from his battalion for 3 days and nights and captured approx 20 mins from Tobruk...then up to Durner(spelling??) and on to Benghazi...then talks about being in hold # 2 of the Jason and some details of the terrible torpedoeing....later some talk of the capitulation and Mt Pangau you spoke of the other night.....called it a Hell camp ...then another camp he couldnt remember the name of ..somewhere South of Berlin..any ideas??..he said it was "big with Russians,belgians ,French and some dutch blokes"..then to Poland...after this he was trucked to Nuremberg and talked of the RAF dropping flares which marked them out and then the Bombers would come in and bomb outside the flare perimeter
    From here he marched for 5-6 weeks and "saw much of germany by night"...sadly he passed away before the tape was complete...wher was this march going too

    hope this is of interest
    regards
    MCCT
     
  16. brispencer

    brispencer Member

    Have PM'd you
     
  17. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Durner(spelling??)

    That would be Derna, I suspect.
     
  18. brispencer

    brispencer Member

    My father was in Stalag VIIIB from June 1940 - Jan 1945 and took part in the march from Lamsdorf into Germany Jan - April 1945. He left a map (German 1939 roadmap) detailing the route he took and I am attching links to the 5 relevant pages. On the first map the march starts at Lamsdorf 21/1/1945. He notes (in the margin) Cosel timber yard so I assume that may have been where he was detailed to work during his captivity. At the end of the march he told us he escaped and found his way to American forces which might explain his date of 12th April as reports of this march tend to date the columns finding the Americans about a week later.

    I hope these maps are OK. Using Photbucket I have found that you can enlarge maps to a variety of sizes so are clearly and legible. I don't know if the maps can be taken off Photobucket but I have copies on my PC so maybe can send them if you have an interest.

    The links are:

    http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/brispencer/map1.jpg

    http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/brispencer/map2.jpg
    <O:p> </O:p>
    http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/brispencer/map3.jpg
    <O:p> </O:p>
    http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/brispencer/map3closeup.jpg
    <O:p> </O:p>
    http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w22/brispencer/map4.jpg

    On Lamsdorf United there is a document listing the days marches and places where the column stops. This may not be the same column but it follows the same route until last map so gives a good indication of distances travelled and types of places they stopped.

    regards

    Brian
     
  19. penderel

    penderel Junior Member

    My Grandfather was in Lamsdorf. My Mom just went on a tour to the camp there. We know that he was in the camp but was back in South Africa by March 45. He told his sister that he escaped. I must post up his records of when he got back.
     
  20. Verrieres

    Verrieres no longer a member

    Hi
    Plenty of interesting information and photographs relating to this camp .
    Please follow the link below;-

    Lamsdorf Reunited - Sojourn in Silesia

    Regards
    Verrieres

    PS Have posted a photograph of a Christmas Card from 1942 originating from VIIIB
     

    Attached Files:

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