Oflag XXI-B and Stalag XXI-B were

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

s for

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

s and enlisted men, located at Szubin a few miles southwest of Bydgoszcz,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, which at that time was occupied by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Timeline

* September 1939 – The Germans established a camp for arrested Polish civilians, mostly the intelligentsia, arrested as part of the ''

Intelligenzaktion The ''Intelligenzaktion'' (), or the Intelligentsia mass shootings, was a series of mass murders which was committed against the Polish intelligentsia (teachers, priests, physicians, and other prominent members of Polish society) early in the ...

''. * October 1939 – First Polish soldiers captured during the German

Invasion of Poland (1939) The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...

brought to Szubin, ''Kriegsgefangenenlager Schubin'' prisoner-of-war camp for Poles established. The camp was built around a Polish boys' school by adding barracks. Polish POWs were used for the expansion of the camp. * December 1939 - The Germans formally established the Stalag XXI-B2 POW camp in Szubin, and the Stalag XXI-B1 POW camp in Antoniewo near

Skoki Skoki (german: Schokken) is a town in Poland, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Wągrowiec County, with 3,779 inhabitants (December 2004). It is located about 40 km north of Poznań. It is the seat of the administrative district ( gmina) called ...

, both for Polish POWs. * March-May 1940 - Polish POWs were transferred to other camps, located in Germany. * June 1940 - French officers were brought here from the Battle of France. * August 1940 - Stalag XXI-B2 was renamed to Stalag XXI-B; Stalag XXI-B1 in Antoniewo was renamed to Stalag XXI-B/Z, and made a branch camp of the Stalag XXI-B in Szubin. * September 1940 - Oflag XXI-B for Allied officers established. Its first prisoners were the French. Stalag XXI-B and Oflag XXI-B co-existed next to each other for three months. * December 1940 – Stalag XXI-B was relocated to the nearby village of Tur. Polish officers, previously held together with enlisted men in other camps, were moved to Oflag XXI-B. * 1941/1942 – All French officers had been transferred elsewhere prior to the arrival of British officer POWs. * September 1942 – British and Commonwealth officers of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

and

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

were transferred from

Oflag VI-B Oflag VI-B was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp for officers (''Offizerlager''), southwest of the village of Dössel (now part of Warburg) in Germany. Camp history In 1939, before it was a POW camp, the area was originally planned to ...

Warburg Warburg (; Westphalian: ''Warberich'' or ''Warborg'') is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany on the river Diemel near the three-state point shared by Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is in Höxter distri ...

following its temporary closure. These included airmen from

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

and other occupied countries serving in the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, as well as airmen from the Allied Air Forces -

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

RNZAF The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeal ...

RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

, SAAF,

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. * October 1942 – More British RAF Officers and

NCOs A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

arrive from Stalag Luft III to help relieve overcrowding there. * November 1942 – A second batch of British RAF officers arrive from Stalag Luft III * October to March 1943 - Newly captured British, American and Allied Air Force officers arrive in batches transferred from Dulag luft. * March 1943 – A mass escape through a tunnel occurs - 35 men escape, albeit none are successful in reaching neutral territory. * April 1943 – The camp is cleared of all POWs - all being sent to the enlarged Stalag Luft III. * The camp was later re-opened and re-numbered Oflag 64 for American officers only.

Notable prisoners

* William Ash – American serving in RCAF, escapee and future author *

Anthony Barber Anthony Perrinott Lysberg Barber, Baron Barber, (4 July 1920 – 16 December 2005) was a British Conservative politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1970 to 1974. After serving in both the Territorial Army and the Royal A ...

– RAF pilot and future Chancellor of the Exchequer *

Per Bergsland Sgt Per Bergsland (17 January 1918 – 9 June 1992) was a Norwegian fighter pilot and POW in the German POW camp Stalag Luft III and one of only three men to escape to freedom in the " Great Escape". Sports career During the 1930s Bergsland c ...

– Norwegian pilot serving in RAF and Great Escape *

Josef Bryks Josef Bryks, MBE, (; 18 March 1916– 11 August 1957) was a Czechoslovak cavalryman, fighter pilot, prisoner of war and political prisoner. In 1940 he escaped the German occupation of Czechoslovakia and joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer ...

–

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

RAFVR fighter pilot and serial escaper (1942 – March 1943). * Jimmy Buckley RN –

Pilot and escapee * Flight Lieutenant CC Cheshire – RAF Pilot and brother of

Leonard Cheshire Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, (7 September 1917 – 31 July 1992) was a highly decorated Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot and group captain during the Second World War, and a philanthropist. Among the honours Cheshire received as ...

VC *

Aidan Crawley Aidan Merivale Crawley (10 April 1908 – 3 November 1993) was a British journalist, television executive and editor, and politician. He was a member of both of Britain's major political parties: the Labour Party and Conservative Party, and wa ...

– RAF Officer and future author, journalist and MP * Wing Commander

Harry Day Harry Melville Arbuthnot Day, (3 August 1898 – 11 March 1977) was a Royal Marine and later a Royal Air Force pilot during the Second World War. As a prisoner of war, he was senior British officer in a number of camps and a noted escapee. Ea ...

, Great Escape survivor, who was Senior British Officer November 1942 – March 1943 *

Johnnie Dodge Major John Bigelow Dodge (15 May 1894 – 2 November 1960) also known as "the Artful Dodger" was an American-born British Army officer who fought in both world wars and became a notable prisoner of war during the Second World War and survived ...

– British Army officer and Great Escape survivor * Flight Lieutenant Bertram James –

Pilot and Great Escape survivor *

Robert Kee Robert Kee (5 October 1919 – 11 January 2013) was a British broadcaster, journalist and writer, known for his historical works on World War II and Ireland. Life and career He was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham, and read history ...

– RAF Pilot and future author and journalist * Oliver Philpot – RAF Pilot and escapee * Peter Stevens – RAF pilot of German-Jewish birth and serial escapee * Jorgen Thalbitzer – Danish pilot serving in RAF *

Eric Williams Eric Eustace Williams (25 September 1911 – 29 March 1981) was a Trinidad and Tobago politician who is regarded by some as the " Father of the Nation", having led the then British Colony of Trinidad and Tobago to majority rule on 28 October ...

– RAF Officer and escapee * Albert W Harris - Private. The Buffs Royal East Kent Regiment.

References

Sources

* * * {{cite web , url= http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/commonwealth_craig2.htm , last=Gustavsson , first= Håkan , title=Squadron Leader George Dudley Craig OBE, RAF no. 90285 , work=Biplane fighter aces , publisher=Håkan Gustavsson , date=1 September 2008

Timeline

Notable prisoners

References

Sources

See also