Stalag VIII-B was a

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

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. P ...

during

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 opposin ...

, later renumbered Stalag-344, located near the village of Lamsdorf (now

Łambinowice Łambinowice (german: Lamsdorf) is a village in Nysa County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Łambinowice. It lies approximately north-east of Nysa and south-west of ...

) in

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

. The camp initially occupied barracks built to house British and French prisoners in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. At this same location there had been a prisoner camp during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71.

Timeline

In the 1860s, the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

established a training area for artillery at a wooded area near Lamsdorf, a small village connected by rail to

Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city loc ...

and

Nysa Nysa may refer to: Greek Mythology * Nysa (mythology) or Nyseion, the mountainous region or mount (various traditional locations), where nymphs raised the young god Dionysus * Nysiads, nymphs of Mount Nysa who cared for and taught the infant ...

. During the Franco-Prussian War, a camp for French prisoners of war was established here, which housed some 3000 French POW's. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, a much larger POW camp was established here with some 90,000 soldiers of various nationalities interned here. After the treaty of Versailles, the camp was closed down. It was reopened in 1939 to house

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

prisoners from the German

invasion of Poland 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 aft ...

, which started

in September 1939. Later during the war, approximately 100,000 prisoners from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

British Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

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Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

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 populous ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the Isle of Man, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

passed through this camp. In 1941 a separate camp,

Stalag VIII-F Stalag VIII-F was a German prisoner-of-war camp for Soviet Red Army and Polish Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK) prisoners during World War II. It was located at the northern end of a Germany Army training area at Lamsdorf, Silesia, (n ...

was set up close by to house the Soviet prisoners. In 1943, the Lamsdorf camp was split up, and many of the prisoners (and ''Arbeitskommando'') were transferred to two new base camps Stalag VIII-C Sagan (modern

Żagań Żagań ( French and german: Sagan, hsb, Zahań, la, Saganum) is a town in western Poland, on the Bóbr river, with 25,731 inhabitants (2019). The town is the capital of Żagań County in the historic region of Silesia. Previously in the Zielon ...

) and

Stalag VIII-D Stalag VIII-D was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp ('' Stammlager'') located at the outskirts of Teschen, (now Český Těšín, Czech Republic). It was built in March 1941 on the grounds of a former Czech barracks. It was later known as ...

Teschen (modern

Český Těšín Český Těšín (; pl, Czeski Cieszyn ; german: Tschechisch-Teschen) is a town in the Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. Český Těšín lies on the west bank of the Olza r ...

). The base camp at Lamsdorf was renumbered Stalag 344. The

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

reached the camp on 17 March 1945. In 1945-1946, the camp was used by the Soviet-installed Polish Ministry of Public Security to house some 8000-9000 Germans, both prisoners of war and

civilians Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

. Polish army personnel being repatriated from POW camps were also processed through Łambinowice and sometimes held there as prisoners for several months. Some were later released, others sent to

Gulag The Gulag, an acronym for , , "chief administration of the camps". The original name given to the system of camps controlled by the GPU was the Main Administration of Corrective Labor Camps (, )., name=, group= was the government agency in ...

s in Siberia. About 1000-1500 German prisoners died in the camp due to malnutrition, lack of medicine and acts of violence and terror by the guards. Camp commander

Czesław Gęborski Czesław Gęborski (; 5 June 1924, Dąbrowa Górnicza – 14 June 2006) was a captain of the security forces of the People's Republic of Poland. He is best known for his role as commander of the Łambinowice transfer and internment camp created ...

was later put on trial for his role in running the camp.

Stalag Luft VIII-B

By 1943, the famous camp for Allied flight personnel in Sagan -

Stalag Luft III , partof = ''Luftwaffe'' , location = Sagan, Lower Silesia, Nazi Germany (now Żagań, Poland) , image = , caption = Model of the set used to film the movie ''The Great Escape.'' It depicts a smaller version of a single compound in ''Stalag ...

- had become so overcrowded that about 1,000, mostly non-commissioned flight personnel, were transferred to Lamsdorf. A part of Stalag VIII-B was separated by building new barbed-wire fences, designated Stalag Luft VIII-B. Thus a camp within a camp was created. However all food was provided from kitchens operated by army personnel in the camp proper.

Medical facilities

British and Allied surgical patients Stalag 344-E Feb 1944

The hospital facilities at Stalag VIII-B were among the best in all

Stalag In Germany, stalag (; ) was a term used for prisoner-of-war camps. Stalag is a contraction of "Stammlager", itself short for ''Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschaftsstammlager'', a literal translation of which is "War-prisoner" (i.e. POW) "enlisted" "ma ...

s. The so-called ''Lazarett'' was set up on a separate site with eleven concrete buildings. Six of them were self-contained wards, each with space for about 100 patients. The others served as treatment blocks with operating theaters,

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

and laboratory facilities, as well as kitchens, a morgue, and accommodations for the medical staff. The lazarett was headed by a German officer with the title ''Oberst Arzt'' ("Colonel Doctor"), but the staff was made up entirely of prisoners. They included general physicians and surgeons, even a neurosurgeon, psychiatrist, anesthesiologist and radiologist.

Evacuation and repatriation

In January 1945, as the Soviet armies resumed their offensive and advanced into Germany, many of the prisoners were marched westward in groups of 200 to 300 in the so-called

Death March A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinguished in this way from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Convent ...

. Some died from the bitter cold and exhaustion. The lucky ones got far enough to the west to be liberated by the American army. The unlucky ones got liberated by the Soviets, who instead of turning them over quickly to the western allies, held them as virtual hostages for several more months. Many of them were finally repatriated towards the end of 1945 through the port of

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

on the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

Arbeitskommandos

There were more than 700 subsidiary '' Arbeitskommandos'' (working parties outside the main camp) located in various places in present-day southern Poland and northern

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. In the second issue of ''The Clarion'' (the camp magazine) in February 1943, the RC Chaplain Father John Berry says that "...there are about 600 Working Parties and ..... you will be able to guess why so many of you will have not yet had a visit". Arbeitskommandos were set up to house lower ranks that were working in the coal mines, quarries, factories and on railways. Among them were: *

Siołkowice Siołkowice (german: Schalkowitz or ''Schalkendorf'') is the name of two villages in Poland, in the Opole Voivodeship, close to the village of Popielów. One is named Stare ("Old") Siołkowice, the other being Nowe ("New") Siołkowice. The vill ...

(''Schalkendorf'') - work to strengthen the embankments on the Odra River (50/80 POWs) *Dzierżno (''Stauwerder''), present-day district of

Pyskowice Pyskowice (german: Peiskretscham) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highlands. It is situated in the ...

*E1 in Łabędy (''Laband'') - (Lager I - Train station) - 1st work at ''Siemens-Bau-UNION'', next at Łabędy (''Laband'') ironworks (221 POWs) Huta "Łabędy" Gliwice *E2 in

Koźle Koźle (german: Cosel) is a district of Kędzierzyn-Koźle (since 1975), Poland and is at the junction of the Kłodnica and Oder rivers, km southeast of Opole. The district has a Roman Catholic church, a medieval chateau, remains of a 19th-centu ...

(''Cosel''), present day district of

Kędzierzyn-Koźle Kędzierzyn-Koźle (german: Kandrzin-Cosel, szl, Kandrzin-Koźle) is a city in southern Poland, the administrative center of Kędzierzyn-Koźle County. With 58,899 inhabitants as of 2021, it is the second most-populous city in the Opole Voivodes ...

(102 POWs) *E3 in Blachownia Śląska (''

Blechhammer The Blechhammer ( en, sheet metal hammer) area was the location of Nazi Germany chemical plants, prisoner of war (POW) camps, and forced labor camps (german: Arbeitslager Blechhammer; also Nummernbücher). Labor camp prisoners began arriving as ...

''), present day district of

at ''Oberschlesische Hydrierwerke A.G.'' *E8 in

Krapkowice Krapkowice (; german: Krappitz; szl, Krapkowicy) is a town in southern Poland with 16,301 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Opole Voivodeship, straddling both banks of the Oder River at the point where it joins with the Osobłoga. It is the re ...

(''Krappitz'') at a paper mill run by ''Natronzellstoff-und Papierfabriken A.G., Werk Krappitz-Zellstof u.Papierfabrik'' (Fabryka Celulozy i Papieru Natronowego w Krapkowicach) (102 POWs) *E17 in

at a cement factory *E22 in

Gliwice Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional cap ...

-Sośnica (''Gleiwitz-Oehrigen'') at Sośnica (''Sosnitza'') coal mine (290 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E25 in Radoszowice (''Rauschwalde'') *E27 coal mine *E30 in

-Zakrzów (''Oppeln III (Sakrau)'') at a cement factory (''Oppeln III Portland-Zementwerke''/Cementownia "ODRA") *E31 in Smolarnia (''Pechhütte'')/ Chrzelice (''Schelitz'')/ Łącznik (''Lonschnik/Wiesengrund'') *E42 in Rudawa (''Rothfest'') at a paper mill run by "Rothfest Papierfabrik dr.Albert Spenner GmbH" company (Głuchołaskie Zakłady Papiernicze Zakład Rudawa) *E51 in

Zabrze Zabrze (; German: 1915–1945: ''Hindenburg O.S.'', full form: ''Hindenburg in Oberschlesien'', Silesian: ''Zŏbrze'', yi, זאַבזשע, Zabzhe) is an industrial city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Sil ...

-Mikulczyce (''Hindenburg-Klausberg (Mikultschütz)'') at Mikulczyce (''Abwehrgrube'') coal mine (533 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E55 in Zabrze-Biskupice (''Hindenburg-Borsig'') at Pstrowski (''Hedwigs-Wunschgrube'') coal mine; Borsig-Koks-Werke *E62 in Gliwice-Sztygarów (Ligota Zabrska) (''Gleiwitz-Steigern (Ellguth-Zabrze)'') (23 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E71 in

Nowa Ruda Nowa Ruda ( cs, Nová Ruda, german: Neurode, szl, Nowŏ Ruda) is a town in south-western Poland near the Czech border, lying on the Włodzica river in the central Sudetes mountain range. it had 22,067 inhabitants. The town is located in Kłod ...

(''Neurode'') at the Piast (''Rubengrube'') coal mine, building gym "Turnhale" and barracks, and in Drogosław (''Kunzendorf''), present-day district of Nowa Ruda *E72 in

Bytom Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', german: Beuthen O.S.) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capital ...

(''Beuthen'') at Bytom (''Beuthengrube'') coal mine (171-204-600 POWs) *E74 in Domecko (''Althaus'') *E75 in

Knurów Knurów (; german: Knurow; szl, Knurōw) is a city near Katowice in Silesia, southern Poland. Knurów borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of two million. Knurów is located in the Silesian Highlands, ...

at the Knurów coal mine (262 POWs); 3 prisoners were shot while escaping in 1944 *E88 in Wełnowiec (''Hohenlohehütte''), present-day district of

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

, at the Król (''König'') coal mine, "Agnieszka" (''Agneschaft'') east shaft of the Król mine in Agnieszka (''Agneshütte'') colony (177 POWs), and in

Chorzów Chorzów ( ; ; german: link=no, Königshütte ; szl, Chorzōw) is a city in the Silesia region of southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central cities of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population ...

(''Königshütte'') at Prezydent (''Königsgrube'') coal mine *E90 in Olszyniec (''Erlenbusch'') (Nieder Tannhausen) *E93 in Zakrzów (''Sakrau'') at a limestone quarry *E94 in

Malnia Malnia (German ''Mallnie'', 1936-45: Odergrund) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Gogolin, within Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Gogolin Gogolin is a tow ...

(''Mallnie/Odergrund'') - "Emilienhoff" Vorwerk, limestone quarry, "Bata" shoe factory and construction ''Reichsautobahn'' motorway; ex-property Malnia "Emilienhof" belonged to Graf von Sponeck *E110 in Dzierżno (''Stauwerder''), present-day district of

- exploitation of aggregates (39 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E114 in

Velké Kunětice Velké Kunětice (german: Groß Kunzendorf) is a municipality and village in Jeseník District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants. Geography Velké Kunětice is located about northeast of Jeseník and north ...

(''Gross Kunzendorf'') at a stone quarry and factory *E115 in Dobra (''Burgwasser''). Three POWs escaped on 18 August 1941 *E116 in Bělá (''Bielau'') *E119 in

Mankovice Mankovice (german: Mankendorf) is a municipality and village in Nový Jičín District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 600 inhabitants. History The first written mention of Mankovice is from 1374. During the Ge ...

(''Mankendorf'') at a sawmill *E126 in

-Półwieś (''Oppeln-Halbendorf'') *E131 in

Gogolin Gogolin is a town in southern Poland, in Opole Voivodeship, in Krapkowice County. It has 6,682 inhabitants (2019). It is the seat of Gmina Gogolin. Geology and palaeontology Gogolin gives its name to the Gogolin Formation whose strata were firs ...

- Tiefbau Pollok - stone quarry *E138 in

Racibórz Racibórz (german: Ratibor, cz, Ratiboř, szl, Racibōrz) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Racibórz County. With Opole, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of Upper Silesia, being t ...

(''Ratibor'') - steel works (''Schondorff Hegenscheidt Werke Ratibor'') (30 POWs), accommodation in a restaurant *E149 in

Rachowice Rachowice (german: Rachowitz, 1936-1945: Buchenlust) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Sośnicowice, within Gliwice County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately west of Sośnicowice, west of Gliwice ...

(''Buchenlust'') - forestry work (68 POWs) *E150 in Przywory (''Oderfest'') *E151 in

-Maciejów at the Ludwik-Concordia (''Concordia-grube'') coal mine, Maciej shaft (''Westschacht'') 1941-42 Gewerkschaft Castellengo-Abwehr A.G.~ Vereinigte Oberschlesische Huttenwerke AG Gleiwitz Werk Donnersmarckhutte *E152 in Górażdże (''Goradze/Waldenstein'') at a limestone quarry *E154 in Golina-

Pomianów Dolny Pomianów Dolny is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ziębice __NOTOC__ Gmina Ziębice is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Ząbkowice Śląskie County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its ...

(''Gollendorf-Nieder Pomsdorf'') *E155 in

-Port (''Cosel-Oderhafen'') within present-day city limits of Kędzierzyn-Koźle, at the ''Siemens Papier- und Zellstofwerke Feldmuhle AG'' (Zakłady Papieru i Celulozy Kędzierzyn-Koźle) *E159 in

Domašov nad Bystřicí Domašov nad Bystřicí (, formerly Domštát; german: Domstadtl) is a municipality and village in Olomouc District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 500 inhabitants. Domašov nad Bystřicí lies approximately north-east o ...

(''Domstadtl'') at a quarry *E162 in

Zdzieszowice Zdzieszowice (; german: Deschowitz, 1936–1945: ''Odertal O.S.''; szl, Źdźyszowicy) is a town in Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided i ...

(''Oderthal/Deschowitz'') - ''Schaffgotsch Benzin Werke GmbH Odertal'', POWs held near Odertal-Bahnhof-Hotel building *E171 in

Vápenná Vápenná (until 1949 Zighartice; german: Setzdorf) is a municipality and village in Jeseník District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,200 inhabitants. Vápenná lies approximately north-west of Jeseník, north of Olo ...

- ''Setzdorf III'' at Neugebauer limestone quarry (29 POWs) *E172 in Vápenná - ''Setzdorf I'' at a quarry of Alojs Rösner (20 POWs) *E173 in Vápenná - ''Setzdorf II'' at a quarry of Anton Latzel (60 POWs) *E183 in

Bierutów Bierutów (german: Bernstadt in Schlesien) is a town in Oleśnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Bierutów. The town lies approximately south-east o ...

(''Bernstadt''), probably at a sugar factory (''Zuckerfabrik Bernstadt'') *E191 in Steblów (''Stöblau'') *E195 in Kopalina (''Roding/Kopaline''), today part of the village of

Ścigów Ścigów (German: Schiegau) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Strzeleczki, within Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Location It lies approximately west of Strzeleczki, west of Krapkowice, and s ...

*E196 Opoleonoora - cement factory *E198 in Słupiec (''Schlegel''), present-day district of

, at the Słupiec (Jan Baptysta/Jan - Nowa Ruda - ''Johann Baptista-Grube'') coal mine *E199 in

Wałbrzych Wałbrzych (; german: Waldenburg; szl, Wałbrzich; sli, label= Lower Silesian, Walmbrig or ''Walmbrich''; cs, Valbřich or ) is a city located in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in southwestern Poland. From 1975–1998 it was the capital of W ...

(''Waldenburg'') at a glass factory in the Biały Kamień district (''Weißstein Glashüttenwerk Weihrauch & Zimmer'') *E201 in Dzierżysław (''Dirschel'') at a gypsum mine *E203 in Opole, cement works *E209 in Bobrek, present-day district of

, at the Józef shaft of the Bobrek coal mine (''Gräfin Johanna Schacht'') (111/141 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E211 in

Trzebnica Trzebnica (Polish pronunciation: ; german: Trebnitz, cs, Třebnice, szl, Trzebńica) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in west-central Poland. It is the seat of Trzebnica County, and of the smaller administrative district (gmina) called Gm ...

(''Trebnitz''), railway work *E218 in

Pławniowice Pławniowice (german: Plawniowitz) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Rudziniec, within Gliwice County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Rudziniec, north-west of Gliwice, and west o ...

(''Flössingen'') - 17 POWs worked in the estate of Count von Ballestrem *E234 in Czerna (''Tonhain/Tschirne'') at a brickyard *E243 in

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

(''Breslau'') at municipal gasworks in the Tarnogaj (''Dürrgoy'') district ("Städtische Gasanstalt Dürrgoy") *E247 in

Głubczyce Głubczyce ( cs, Hlubčice or sparsely ''Glubčice'', german: Leobschütz, Silesian German: ''Lischwitz'') is a town in Opole Voivodeship in southern Poland, near the border with the Czech Republic. It is the administrative seat of Głubczyce Co ...

(''Leobschütz'') *E253 in

Polska Cerekiew Polska Cerekiew (, german: Groß Neukirch) is a village in Kędzierzyn-Koźle County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Polska Cerekiew. It lies approximately south of Kędzi ...

(''Neukirch'') *E255 in

Twardawa Twardawa (german: Twardawa, 1936-45: Hartenau, szl, Twardŏwŏ) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Głogówek, within Prudnik County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland, close to the Czech border. It lies approximately east ...

(''Hartenau'') at a sawmill *E256 in

Zlaté Hory Zlaté Hory (; until 1948 Cukmantl, german: Zuckmantel) is a town in Jeseník District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monu ...

(''Zuckmantel'') *E265 in

Kolonowskie Kolonowskie (german: Colonnowska, sometimes ''Kolonnowska'', 1936–1945 ''Grafenweiler'') is a town in Strzelce County, Opole Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,309 inhabitants (2019). It is the seat of Gmina Kolonowskie which has been officially bilin ...

(''Grafenweiler'') at "Kartonagenfabrik Colonnowska GmbH" *E267 in

Baborów Baborów (german: Bauerwitz) is a small town in southern Poland near Głubczyce, in the Opole Voivodeship, Głubczyce County, Gmina Baborów. As of December 2021, it has a population of 2,844. History The first mention of the town comes from 12 ...

(''Bauerwitz'') at a sugar beet factory (64 POWs) *E268 in Muszczyna (''Moschendorf'') near

Złotoryja Złotoryja (; german: Goldberg, ; Latin: ''Aureus Mons'', ''Aurum'') is a historic town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in southwestern Poland, the administrative seat of Złotoryja County, and of the smaller Gmina Złotoryja. Having been granted t ...

(Stalag VIII-A Görlitz) *E276 in

Otmuchów Otmuchów (pronounced: ; german: Ottmachau) is a town in Nysa County, Opole Voivodeship, Poland, with 6,581 inhabitants (2019). Etymology The city was mentioned for the first time as ''Otemochow'' in 1155. It was named in its Old Polish form ''Ot ...

(''Ottmachau'') at a sugar beet factory *E283 in Racibórz (''Ratibor'') at a sugar mill *E287 in Polska Cerekiew (''Neukirch'') *E288 in Baborów (''Bauerwitz'') *E291 in

Radzikowice Radzikowice (german: Stephansdorf) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Nysa, within Nysa County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Nysa and west of the regional capital Opole. The ...

(''Stephansdorf'') *E294 in Radzikowice (''Stephansdorf'') at a sugar beet factory E297 in Starenhiem Markat Gardening. *E303 in Pietrzykowice (''Petersweiler'') at a sugar beet factory *E324 in Dębieńsko (''Gross Dubrnsko''), present-day district of

Czerwionka-Leszczyny Czerwionka-Leszczyny (german: Czerwionka-Leschczin) is a town in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the only town in Rybnik county (which is separate from Rybnik city) and the seat of the larger Czerwionka-Leszczyny municipality whi ...

- 25 POWs worked in private estates (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E330 in

Tuły Tuły (german: Thule) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Lasowice Wielkie, within Kluczbork County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately south of Kluczbork and north-east of the regional capital Opole. ...

(''Thule'') *E332 in

Rudziniec Rudziniec (german: Rudzinitz, 1936-1945: Rudgershagen) is a village in Gliwice County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Rudziniec. It lies approximately north-west of Gli ...

(''Rudgershagen'') - 37 POWs worked in private estates; (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E341 in

Żyrowa Żyrowa (german: Zyrowa, 1936-1945: ''Buchenhöh'') is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Zdzieszowice, within Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately north of Zdzieszowice, east of Krapkow ...

(''Zyrowa/Buchenhöh'') - 25 POWs *E354 in

Krnov Krnov (; german: Jägerndorf, pl, Karniów or ''Krnów'') is a town in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts The town is made up of town parts of Pod Bezru� ...

(''Jägerndorf'') at a saw mill and timber goods factory *E363 in Kuźnia Raciborska (''Ratiborhammer'') -1940-43Eng POW(80), "Schondorff-Hegenscheidt Werke" ("RAFAMET") factory making aircraft parts *E364 in

Niemysłowice Niemysłowice (german: Buchelsdorf, szl, Niymyslowice) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Prudnik, within Prudnik County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, close to the Czech border. It lies approximately north-wes ...

(''Buchelsdorf'') at a saw mill *E365 in

Strzelce Opolskie Strzelce Opolskie (german: Groß Strehlitz, szl, Wielge Strzelce) is a town in southern Poland with 17,900 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Strzelce County. Demographics Strzelce Opolskie is one of th ...

(''Gross Strehlitz'') at a lime quarry (150 POWs) *E371 in

Głuchołazy Głuchołazy ( ; german: Ziegenhals, also known by Głuchołazy#Symbol and etymology, other names) is a historic town in southwestern Poland with approximately 13,534 inhabitants as of 2019. It is located within the Nysa County of Opole Voivodesh ...

(''Ziegenhals'') at a furniture factory (''Pantke und Scheitza'') *E373 in Vlaské (''Blaschke''), Czech Republic at a sawmill *E389 in

(''Rudgershagen'') at a sawmill "Sägewerk" (15 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E393 in Łaziska Średnie (''Mittel-Lazisk''), present-day district of

Łaziska Górne Łaziska Górne (german: Ober Lazisk, szl, Gōrne Łaziska) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highland ...

, at a power station (158 POWs); (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E399 Sudetenland Cardboard Factory *E406 in

Zátor Zátor (german: Seifersdorf) is a municipality and village in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known ...

(''Seifersdorf'') at a brickyard *E411 in

Szombierki Szombierki (german: Schomberg) is a district of Bytom, Poland, located in the southern part of the city. Szombierki Heat Power Station and Szombierki Coal Mine (KWK Szombierki), both recognized as important historical and industrial monuments, ...

(''Schönberg''), present-day district of

, at the

Szombierki Coal Mine Szombierki Coal Mine is a former coal mine in Szombierki, Bytom, Poland. It was created in 1870 from several smaller coal fields. From mid-1990s it begun to be retired. In 2004 its winding tower "Krystyna" (formerly Kaiser Wilhelm) was added to ...

(''Hohenzollerngrube'') (38 POWs), (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E414 in Brzezie (''Hohenbirken''), present-day district of

, at a saw mill in Lukasyna/Dębicz (''Lukasine'') *E415 in Brzezie (''Hohenbirken''), present-day district of Racibórz, at a tile factory in Lukasyna/Dębicz (''Lukasine'') *E419 in

-Groszowice (''Oppeln Groschowitz'') at a cement factory of the ''Schlesiche Portland Zement-Industrie A.G. Oppeln'' company, which in 1941 was taken over by the ''Verenigte Ost und Mitteldeutsche Zement Aktiengesellschaft'' company *E428 in Suchy Bór (''Derschau'') at a sawmill (2nd owner was Berthold Winkler; 34 POWs) *E431 in Dolní Teplice (''Unter-Weckelsdorf''), present-day district of

Teplice nad Metují Teplice nad Metují (; german: Weckelsdorf) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,600 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages and hamlets of Bohdašín, Dědov, Dolní Teplice, Horn� ...

*E446 in

(''Zuckmantel'') - 11 POWs working at "Śliweczka" sawmill. Accommodation in the sawmill area. *E456 in Kałków (''Kalkau'') - fortifications works (60 POWs) *E460 building railway bridge *E478 in

Toszek Toszek (german: Tost) is a small town in southern Poland. It is situated within Gliwice County in the Silesian Voivodeship (province), and its population was estimated at 3,600 inhabitants in 2019. History The beginning of the settlement and fo ...

(''Tost'') at a sawmill (20 POWs); Oflag VIII-D Tost; Oflag 6& Ilag A/H POW(1249-military&civilians), buildings hospital -''Provinzial–Heil- und Pflegeanstalt (Anstalt)'' *E479 in

Tarnowskie Góry Tarnowskie Góry (German: ''Tarnowitz''; szl, Tarnowske Gōry) is a town in Silesia, southern Poland, located in the Silesian Highlands near Katowice. On the south it borders the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a megalopolis, the greater Si ...

(''Tarnowitz'') - railway work (207 POWs) *E484 in

(''Neisse'') - labouring *E486 in Nysa (''Neisse'') - labouring *E490 in

(''Beuthen'') at the railway building (32 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E494 in

- railway transport at Gliwice Wschodnie (Sośnica) (''Gleiwitz Ost'') station (52 POWs),(Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E508 in

Siemianowice Śląskie Siemianowice Śląskie also known as Siemianowice (; german: Siemianowitz-Laurahütte; szl, Siymianowice) is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice, in its central district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropoli ...

(''Siemianowitz-Laurahütte'') - work production of anti-aircraft artillery in the Laura mill (huta "Jedność"; ''Hütte "Laura" Berghütte Königs- und Bismarckhütte AG Rheinmetall-Borsig'') *E532 in

(''Stephansdorf'') *E535 in

Sosnowiec Sosnowiec is an industrial city county in the Dąbrowa Basin of southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, which is also part of the Silesian Metropolis municipal association.—— Located in the eastern part of the Upper Silesian Industria ...

(''Sosnowitz'') West at the Milowice (''Milwitzgrube'') coal mine (~500 POWs, 6 barracks) *E538 in Sosnowiec-Sielec (''Sosnowitz-Sielz'') at the Hrabia Renard coal mine (''Grad Renad Grube'') (526 POWs, barracks on Rzeźnicza street) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E542 in Łącza (''Föhrengrund'') *E543 in

Dąbrowa Górnicza Dąbrowa Górnicza is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, southern Poland, near Katowice and Sosnowiec. It is located in eastern part of the Silesian Voivodeship, on the Czarna Przemsza and Biała Przemsza rivers (tributaries of the Vistula, see ...

(''Dombrowa'') at the Paryż (''Paris'') coal mine (423 POWs), 8 barracks at the wood yard of the Koszelew coal mine (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E548 in Piasek (''Sandau'') *E550 in Brzezie (''Hohenbirken''), present-day district of

, at a tannery in Lukasyna/Dębicz (''Lukasine'') *E552 in

(''Hindenburg'') at the firm of Karl Anton at Philipstr. (40 POWs) *E560 in

Turawa Turawa (german: Turawa) is a village in Opole County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) of Gmina Turawa. It is approximately northeast of the regional capital Opole. Its population is ...

at a sawmill of Graf von Garnier *E561 in

Jaworzno Jaworzno is a city in southern Poland, near Katowice. It lies in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza river (a tributary of the Vistula). Jaworzno belongs to the historic province of Lesser Poland. The city is situated in the Silesian Voivod ...

(''Tarnowitz'') at a railway depot loading and unloading trains *E562 in Libiąż at the

Janina Coal Mine The Janina coal mine is a large mine in the south of Poland in Libiąż, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, 350 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. The mine has been erected by ''Compagnie Galicienne de Mines'', a French mining company, in 1907. B ...

(''Johanna/Gute Hoffnung'') (250 POWs) *E563 in Bory Jeleń-

at the Bory (''Robertgrube'') coal mine (157 POWs); and Jaworzno-Bory at the

Sobieski Coal Mine The Sobieski coal mine is a large mine in the south of Poland in Jaworzno, Silesian Voivodeship, 350 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. Sobieski represents one of the largest coal reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 134.1 mil ...

*E565 in Siersza Wodna, present-day district of

Trzebinia Trzebinia (; yi, טשעבין ''Tchebin'') is a town in Chrzanów County, Lesser Poland, Poland with an Orlen oil refinery and a major rail junction of the Kraków - Katowice line, with connections to Oświęcim and Spytkowice. The town became p ...

, at the Artur (''Arthurgrube'') coal mine (120 POWs) *E571 in Grudzice (''Gruden''), present-day district of Opole, at the forestry department *E578 in

(''Peiskretscham'') *E579 in Niwka, present-day district of

- stalag called "Pawiak", 8 barracks for 600/1,000 POWs, Modrzejów (''Modrowgrube'') coal mine ("Theodor Körner" Preussag) *E580 in

Czeladź Czeladź (; yi, טשעלאַדזש, Chelodz) is a town in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie (part of historic Lesser Poland), in southern Poland, near Katowice and Sosnowiec. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river (tributary of the Vistul ...

at the Saturn coal mine, 8 barracks at Węglowa Street, 352 POWs (British paratroopers); (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E585 in ''Jagerndorf'' at a brickyard *E586 in Kazimierz, present-day district of Sosnowiec, at the Kazimierz/Juliusz (''Juliusgrube'') coal mine, POWs held in a school building at Ligonia 3a street in Pekin-Porąbka *E587 in Czeladź-Piaski at the Czeladź coal mine (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E593 in

(''Schönberg''), present-day district of Bytom, at the Szombierki Coal Mine (''Hohenzollerngrube'') (416 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E594 in

(''Königshütte Ost'') at a nitrogen plant - Górnośląskie Zakłady Azotowe (''Oberschlesische Stickstoffwerke'') (197 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E596 in

- ''Dachs'' - Piłsudski (''Friedrich-August grube'') coal mine (245/400 POWs) *E600 in

Głogówek Głogówek (pronounced , German: ''Oberglogau'', cs, Horní Hlohov, szl, Gogōwek) is a small historic town in southern Poland. It is situated on the Osobloga River, in Opole Voivodeship of the greater Silesian region. The city lies approximat ...

(''Oberglogau'') at a sugar factory - Cukrownia Głogówek (''Hotzenplotzer Zuckerfabrik'') *E603 in

(''Hindenburg'') at a rolling mill "Walzmühle-Tänzer" (31 POWs); (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E604 in Bukowo (''Georgenwerk'') - forestry work (10 POWs) *E608 in Kaniów (''Hirschfelde'') at forestry and agricultural works (50 POWs). In 1942, 2 prisoners were shot for refusing to work. *E701 in Czułów (''Czulow''), present-day district of

Tychy Tychy (Polish pronunciation: ; german: Tichau; szl, Tychy) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, approximately south of Katowice. Situated on the southern edge of the Upper Silesian industrial district, the city boders Katowice to the north, ...

, at a paper factory (''Zellulose und Papierfabrik'') *E702 in Klimontów, present-day district of Sosnowiec, at the Klimontów (''Bismarck'') coal mine, *E703 in Popielów (''Poppelau'') at a sawmill *E704 in Sukowice/ Zakrzów (''Rosengrund'') *E706 in Zabrze-Biskupice (''Hindenburg-Biskupitz'') at firm "Borsig-Kokswerke AG" and "Szczęście Ludwika" (''Ludwigsglück'') coal mine (36 POWs) *E707 in

(''Sosnowitz'') - 119 British POWs worked in area of the city (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E708 in Łabędy (''Laband''), present-day district of Gliwice - construction of railway track (101 POWs); "Baugesellschaft Kahlenbach" (64 POWs), "Vereinigte Deutsche Nickelwerke AG" (37 POWs) *E711 in

Bierawa Bierawa (german: Birawa, 1936-45: Reigersfeld) is a village in Kędzierzyn-Koźle County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Bierawa. It lies approximately south-east o ...

(''Reigersfeld'') at a chemical plant of

IG Farben Interessengemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG (), commonly known as IG Farben (German for 'IG Dyestuffs'), was a German chemical and pharmaceutical conglomerate (company), conglomerate. Formed in 1925 from a merger of six chemical companies—BASF, ...

company (246 POWs) *E711A in

at a chemical plant at Heydebreck *E714 in Blachownia Śląska (''

''), present day district of Kędzierzyn-Koźle - BAB21, BAB48 (Bau Arbeit Bataillon) from 1942 to November 1944 (550/600 POWs), both battalions merged into one battalion in March 1943 (1,100 POWs) *E715 in

Monowice Monowitz (also known as Monowitz-Buna, Buna and Auschwitz III) was a Nazi concentration camp and labor camp (''Arbeitslager'') run by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland from 1942–1945, during World War II and the Holocaust. For most of its exis ...

at the

chemical factory. Set up in September 1943, it housed about 1,200 prisoners, mostly British. *E719 in Gliwice-Sztygarów (Ligota Zabrska) (''Gleiwitz-Steigern (Ellguth Zabrze)'') at ''Reichswerke Hermann Göring'' (290 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E721 in Kałków- Łąka (''Kalkau-Wiesau'') at a sugar factory ''Zuckerfabrik Ottmachau'' *E724 in

Świętochłowice Świętochłowice (; german: Schwientochlowitz; szl, Świyntochłowice) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is also the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union metropolis, with a population of 2 million, a ...

(''Schwientochlowitz'') at smelter "Florian" (''Falvahütte'') (198 POWs) *E725 in

at the Batory smelter (''Bismarckhütte'') (268 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E727 in Miechowice (''Mechtal''), present-day district of Bytom, at a power station (346 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E728 in

Nový Bohumín Nový Bohumín, lit. "New Bohumín" ( pl, Nowy Bogumin; german: Neu Oderberg) is a part of the town of Bohumín in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. It has a population of 12,608 (2022). History It is the newest part ...

(''Neu Oderberg''), present-day part of

Bohumín Bohumín (; ; pl, , german: Oderberg) is a town in Karviná District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Bohumín is made up of town parts and villages of Nový Bohumín, ...

*E732 in

Szczakowa Szczakowa is a district of the Polish city of Jaworzno. It is located in the northern part of the city and is one of the most important rail hubs of the area. It was first mentioned in 1427 as ''Sczacowa''. In the years 1933–1956, it was a separ ...

(''Schakowa''), present-day district of

- work at railway embankments (152 POWs) *E734 in

Szopienice Szopienice-Burowiec () is a district of Katowice, Poland, located in the north-eastern part of the city. It has an area of 8.47 km2 and in 2007 had 17,139 inhabitants. The area of a district encompasses two historically important settlements ...

(''Schoppintiz''), present-day district of

*E737 in

Fosowskie Fosowskie (german: Vossowska, 1936-45: ''Vosswalde''), also called ''Wosowska'' between 1945 and 1948, is a district of the southern Polish town of Kolonowskie, Strzelce County, Opole Voivodeship, located at the Mała Panew river. History Foso ...

(''Vosswalde''), present-day district of Kolonowskie - ''Chemische Fabrik Vosswalde'' produced charcoal, which was bagged and sent out by rail, and its by-product of wood alcohol. *E738 in Trzebinia at a refinery managed by ''Erdöl Raffinerie Gmbh'' (200-300 POWs), (Stalag VIII-B Teschen). The refinery was bombed and destroyed by the Allied air force on 7 August 1944 *E739 in Zielona (''Grunkolonie''), present-day district of Dąbrowa Górnicza, at Bankowa (''Bankhütte'') Steel and Ironworks at Zielona Street (152 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E740 in

Kobiór Kobiór (german: Kobier) is a village in Pszczyna County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Kobiór. It lies approximately north of Pszczyna and south of the regional ca ...

(''Kobier'') at an ammunition depot (84 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E742 in

(''Ober Lazisk'') at ''Electrowerke'' factory (124/150 POWs), 2 barracks in the Kopania colony in Łaziska Górne *E744 in Kazimierz Górniczy, present-day district of Sosnowiec, at the Kazimierz-Juliusz (''Kasimir-Julius/Kasimirgrube'') coal mine (497/800 POWs), barracks near Brunona Jasieńskiego street. *E746 in Chorzów (''Königshütte'') - work in construction (601 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E748 in Bobrek, present-day district of Bytom, at the railway (48 POWs) (XII - 1943 - Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E749 in Pyskowice (''Peiskretscham'') at the railway (187 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E750 in

(''Kattowitz'') at Huta Baildon (''Baildonhütte'') (66 POWs) *E753 in Sierakowice (''Graumannsdorf/Schierakowitz'') - work in forestry (21 POWs) *E754 in Czeladź at the Mars coal mine (252 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E755 in Wojkowice Komorne (''Wojkowitz Komorne''), now

Wojkowice Wojkowice (german: Woikowize) is a small town in województwo śląskie, located in so-called Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. Wojkowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river (tributary of the Vistu ...

, at the Jupiter coal mine, Saturn cement mill (UK RAF, French and Italian POWs). Stalag was located in the area of today's Wojkowice prison. *E756 in

Radzionków Radzionków (; german: Radzionkau, ) is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – metropolis with the population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highlands. It is situated in t ...

(''Radzionkau'') at the Radzionków coal mine (''Radzionkaugrube'') (155 POWs), barracks located at the mine (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E757 in Kalety (''Stahlhammer'') - at a paper factory (''Zellstoff und Papierfabrik Natronag AG''/Fabryka Celulozy i Papieru Natronag S.A.) (60 POWs), the building of the factory nursery served as a POW camp; in

Chebzie Chebzie (german: Morgenroth) is a district in the east of Ruda Śląska, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has an area of 1.7 km2 and was inhabited by 1,101 people. History The settlement evolved around an inn built in the late 18 ...

(''Morgenroth''), present-day district of

Ruda Śląska Ruda Śląska (formerly ) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of two million. It is in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica River (t ...

at a zinc smelter, and in Janów, present-day district of Katowice at a coal mine (Jutrzenka/Wieczorek?) *E758 in Knurów at Dworcowa street (169 POWs, 2 buildings) *E759 in Gliwice (''Gleiwitz'') - 49 POWs worked in public transport (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E760 in Bobrek, present-day district of Bytom - work for the Narrow-Gauge Railway Authority (58 POWs) (XII - 1943 Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E761 in Bobrek, present-day district of Bytom - transport (17 POWs) (XII - 1943 Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E762 in Bobrek, present-day district of Bytom at a concrete factory (''Beton u.Monierbetrieb'') (10 POWs) (XII - 1943 Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E770 in Otmęt (''Ottmuth''), present-day district of

, at the Bata shoe factory (''OTA – Schlesische Schuhwerke Ottmuth A.G.''/Śląskie Zakłady Przemysłu Skórzanego „Otmęt”) *E778 in Skorogoszcz (''Schurgast'') - POW works in a field hospital "SS LAZARET" *E782 in Kuźnia Raciborska (''Ratiborhammer''), est. 11 July 1944 *E794 in Kędzierzyn (''Heydebreck''), present-day district of

- BAB20, BAB40 (Bau Arbeit Bataillon) from 1942 to November 1944 (550/600 POWs), both battalions merged into one battalion in March 1943 (1,100/1,180 POWs) *E795 in Burgrabice (''Borkendorf'') at ''Landesflussbauamt Neisse''/Krajowy Urząd Robót Wodnych "Nysa" *E798 in Grodziec (''Friedrichsgrätz'') - forestry work (Stalag VIII-B Teschen/Czeski Cieszyn) *E799 in

Krasiejów Krasiejów (german: Krascheow) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ozimek, within Opole County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately east of Ozimek and east of the regional capital Opole. The villa ...

(''Schönhorst'') - forestry work *E800 in Kłodnica (''Klodnitz''), present-day district of Kędzierzyn-Koźle - work in forestry *E902 in Zabrze (''Hindenburg'') at the Makoszowy coal mine (''Delbrückschachte'') (460 POWs) (Stalag VIII-B Teschen) *E902 coal mine *E22050 gas works transport

British POWs at Auschwitz

E715 was a POW camp for British prisoners which was administered and guarded by soldiers from

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

because it was a subcamp of Stalag VIII-B camp. However, as it was attached to the

Monowitz concentration camp Monowitz (also known as Monowitz-Buna, Buna and Auschwitz III) was a Nazi concentration camp and labor camp (''Arbeitslager'') run by Nazi Germany in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), occupied Poland from 1942–1945, during World War II and t ...

(codenamed Buna after the

synthetic rubber A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About 32-million metric tons of rubbers are produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubbe ...

it made) which was one of the 28 sub-camps under the control of

Auschwitz III Monowitz (also known as Monowitz-Buna, Buna and Auschwitz III) was a Nazi concentration camp and labor camp (''Arbeitslager'') run by Nazi Germany in Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), occupied Poland from 1942–1945, during World War II and t ...

, the SS had effective control. E715 was next to the I.G. Farben chemical plant just a few hundred meters away from the entrance to Monowitz. The first 200 British POWs arrived at Auschwitz in September 1943 but over the winter of 1943 another 1,400 British POWs (mostly captured in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

) were transported to E715. Between February and March 1944, 800 were transferred to camps at

and

Heydebreck-Cosel Heydebreck was a Nazi Germany village area with POW camps Arbeitskommando E711A and Bau und Arbeits (BAB, en, Building and Labor) camp 20 aWinter 2004 , b (renamed E794 in November 1944). Five km west * * in the Cosel district was a subcamp o ...

in Germany. After that, British POWs numbers remained approximately 600 for the remainder of the war. Most prisoners were put to work in machine shops making pipes and repairing chemical plant equipment. POWs regularly bore witness to the atrocities occurring at Monowitz because the SS made no attempt to conceal their brutality; the Allied prisoners routinely saw inmates from the Arbeitslagers being hanged, pushed off buildings, fatally beaten and shot. Some POWs made contact with concentration camp inmates and passed on information about the war's progress that had been acquired using secret radios in the POW camp. Sergeant

Charles Coward Charles Joseph Coward (30 January 1905 – 1976), known as the "Count of Auschwitz", was a British soldier captured during the Second World War who rescued Jews from Auschwitz and claimed he had smuggled himself into the camp for one night, subse ...

even managed to pass intelligence about the atrocities occurring at Monowitz through letters to the British War Office. This led to representatives from the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

making two visits to E715 in the summer 1944. With the start of the Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive in January 1945, Auschwitz was evacuated by the SS. The Wehrmacht closed POW camp E715 on January 21, 1945 forcing the British POWs to undertake a

forced march A loaded march is a relatively fast march over distance carrying a load and is a common military exercise. A loaded march is known as a forced foot march in the US Army. Less formally, it is a ruck march in the Canadian Armed Forces and the US Ar ...

Stalag VII-A Stalag VII-A (in full: ''Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager VII-A'') was the largest prisoner-of-war camp in Nazi Germany during World War II, located just north of the town of Moosburg in southern Bavaria. The camp covered an area of . It ser ...

Moosburg Moosburg an der Isar (Central Bavarian: ''Mooschbuag on da Isa'') is a town in the ''Landkreis'' Freising of Bavaria, Germany. The oldest town between Regensburg and Italy, it lies on the river Isar at an altitude of 421 m (1381 ft). ...

in Germany. Three days earlier, the inmates of Monowitz had been sent on their own death march to

Gleiwitz Gliwice (; german: Gleiwitz) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the re ...

near the Czech border where they boarded trains to

Buchenwald Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

in Germany and

Mauthausen Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with nearly 100 further subcamps located throughout Austria and southern German ...

in Austria. Although the British POWs received better treatment than the concentration camp prisoners, they only received slightly more food. In April 1945, the British POWs at Auschwitz were liberated by the U.S. Army at Stalag VII A in Moosburg. Sgt. Charles Coward testified about what he saw at Monowitz at the

IG Farben Trial ''The United States of America vs. Carl Krauch, et al.'', also known as the IG Farben Trial, was the sixth of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany (Nuremberg) after the end of World War ...

during the

Nuremberg trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...

I made it a point to get one of the guards to take me to town under the pretense of buying new razor blades and stuff for our boys. For a few cigarettes he pointed out to me the various places where they had the gas chambers and the places where they took them down to be cremated. Everyone to whom I spoke gave the same story - the people in the city of Auschwitz, the SS men, concentration camp inmates, foreign workers - everyone said that thousands of people were being gassed and cremated at Auschwitz, and that the inmates who worked with us and who were unable to continue working because of their physical condition and were suddenly missing, had been sent to the gas chambers. The inmates who were selected to be gassed went through the procedure of preparing for a bath, they stripped their clothes off, and walked into the bathing room. Instead of showers, there was gas. All the camp knew it. All the civilian population knew it. I mixed with the civilian population at Auschwitz. I was at Auschwitz nearly every day...Nobody could live in Auschwitz and work in the plant, or even come down to the plant without knowing what was common knowledge to everybody.
Even while still at Auschwitz we got radio broadcasts from the outside speaking about the gassings and burnings at Auschwitz. I recall one of these broadcasts was by Anthony Eden himself. Also, there were pamphlets dropped in Auschwitz and the surrounding territory, one of which I personally read, which related what was going on in the camp at Auschwitz. These leaflets were scattered all over the countryside and must have been dropped from planes. They were in Polish and German. Under those circumstances, nobody could be at or near Auschwitz without knowing what was going on.Affidavit Copy of Document NI-11696, Prosecution Exhibit 1462, Nuremberg Trials

In 1998, Arthur Dodd, a former British POW from Camp E715, published ''Spectator In Hell'', a book about his time imprisoned at Monowitz.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography
New Zealand On-line history

Camps in Silesia
* History of the Lamsdorf camps (1870, World War I, World War II Stalag 344/VIII-B, Stalag 318/VIII-F and post-war German camp) and the Blechhammer camps

External links

* * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control World War II prisoner of war camps in Germany World War II sites in Poland