World War II prisoner of war camp - Stalag Luft I

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World War II - Prisoners of War - Stalag Luft I 

A collection of stories, photos, art and information on Stalag Luft I


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May 2007

Roy Kilminster - The camp forger at Stalag Luft I describes some of the undercover work that was carried out by Royal Air Force prisoners-of-war in Germany during World War 2.

Luft Magazine -  The May 1943 publication of Luft Magazine by RAF POWs in the South/West compound.

Dr. W. Martin Nichols - Camp Medical Officer at Stalag Luft I - RAMC

Joe Flieger's Trip to Barth -  From Morris Roy's book "Behind Barbed Wire" illustrated by Joseph Elgin

John Edward Thompson - The Road Traveled - an autobiography and obituary

Eugene L. Senfield - His horror story - the circumstances resulting in him becoming a prisoner of war
 

April 2007

William Branigan - Royal Air Force navigator - his complete YMCA wartime log and other memorabilia from Stalag Luft I

Sterling L. Tuck - His bail-out and POW camp story.

Albert E. Smith - Artwork from his YMCA log

Stalag Luft IV - Photos of Stalag Luft IV Memorial at former camp site

Sitemap - A sitemap to help you find info faster.

Documents - New documents added

Books - New Books added

Poetry - New Poems added

Major Fred Bronson - New items and information

Contribution Guidelines - Guidelines for submitting information to us for publication on the site.
 

March 2007

Easter at Stalag Luft I  - Easter Sermon by Padre Mitchell at Stalag Luft I in 1945.

Diary of Delivery - Charles Early's wartime diary on the joyful liberation of Stalag Luft I and the horrors of the concentration camp discovered at the airdrome.

North Compound, Special Order 15 - dated February 13, 1945

North Compound, Daily Bulletin -  dated July 9, 1944


North Compound, Daily Bulleltin - February 26, 1945

North Compound Daily Bulleltin - March 31, 1945

North Compund 2, Daily Bulletin - April 18, 1945

South Compound  - Order from the Senior British Officer
  - April 17, 1944


German Kommandant Memo to Senior American Officer  - June 1, 1944

German Kommandant Orders - April 27, 1944


German Kommandant Orders  - June 24, 1944

Special Notice to POWs after Liberation


Special Order # 5 - Post Regulations dated May 3, 1944

Frank J. Page - Tail Gunner - excerpts from his War Log

Okey DeRaimo - scans from his wartime log

New Poems added to Poetry section

John Maciejowski -  YMCA diary

Veterans History Project - Free Interview on CD for Veterans - John O'Shea will record any WWII veteran on compact disk and give them a free copy of the recording, so that they and their families can hear the veteran's words in their own voices telling of their time in the war.   This is absolutely free and The Library of Congress has helped promote this project.   A copy will also be sent to the Library of Congress.

Caricatures of South Compound, Barracks 2, Room 3 men

John J. Rogers - Co-pilot of B-17 "Pretty Baby", photos of crew and plane

Video of B-17 at an air show - Bill Gleason goes for a ride.


 

February 2007


Roland H. Martin - a memoir concerning the separation of the Jewish POWs at Stalag Luft I

George Gill -  Drawings from the camp and a very well researched and interesting paper by his grandson on the events concerning the RCAF F/O's shoot down.

John Johnson -
German Savoir Faire - a short story about an event occurring at Stalag Luft I

John Kyler -  a Stalag Luft VI, IV and I POW

Richard Musgrave - Brief Bio by his niece

Walter Neuwirth -
The Military Experiences of Walter Neuwirth

Desmond Plunkett - A Great Escaper from Stalag Luft III.  One of the 23 who were not executed upon recapture, he instead was sent to Stalag Luft I for the remainder of the war.   Of the 76 that escaped, 50 were executed and 3 made their way back to the Allies.  Several of the escapers had been at Stalag Luft I prior to their transfer to Stalag Luft III. Jimmy James has written a book about his experiences titled "Moonless Night", which details his stay at Stalag Luft I, as well as his escape as part of the Great Escape, and later an escape from a concentration camp. 

 

January 2007

 

"One Cold Night and a Rosary" -  A touching story from a Stalag 4B POW.

Dominick J. Tutino -  Bombardier - excerpts from his War Log

Joseph Reus - 2006 German TV interview (mostly German, but some English)

Nelson Gidding - Academy Award nominated screenwriter and POW at Stalag Luft I, writer and director of "Hit the Bottle".

Claude McCrocklin - New page with wonderful drawings and interesting memoirs.


Col. Einar A. Malmstrom - the Senior Allied Officer of the South Compound at Stalag Luft I

Final trip to visit Stalag Luft I and Stalag Luft IV planning beginning. Sign up now to learn more as details develop. Join us. 

Rodolph Case - Large collection of memorabilia from Stalag Luft I

Google Earth - Stalag Luft I  - The Compounds, the Memorial, the Church, the Flak School.  Zoom in and see them as they exist today. This is cool.  You will need to download the free version of Google Earth.  See exact longitude and latitude information on chart on this page.  You will recognize the memorial by the triangle of trees when zooming in.    Extra - Click here to download an overlay of the South/West and North 1 compound aerial view around early 1944 (note includes flak school in error).  You can toggle this overlay on and off after you download by checking or unchecking the box in the Places section of Google earth.  In looking closely at this it appears the memorial is directly across the street from where the cooler was located.  Here are the coordinates for the memorial. Simply fly to 54 22 08.84 N, 12 43 26.84 E in google earth.

 

December 2006


United States Air Force Academy honors Colonel Zemke as Class of 2009 Exemplar

Prisoner of War database  - Search the United States National Archives Prisoner of War Database

Prisoner of War database for RAF/RAAF/RCAF/RNZAF/SAAF and Occupied Countries 

New Poems

Charles C. "Tip" Clark's memoirs

Christmas and Stalag Luft I

Group Photos 23 thru 56 added

Piggyback Hero - Lt. Glenn Rojohn

 

November 2006


Videos of the Evacuation of the Prisoners from Stalag Luft I after Liberation in May 1945 (in 3 parts)   
 

May 2005
South Compound - Barracks 10 listing

More Letters from Lyndon B. Johnson  to Stalag Luft I POW Dwight Chiles' mother.

MayDay Memories - by Ken Covington, Stalag Luft I POW.  Remembering the Russian dance troupe. With photos by Roy Kilminster - RAF POW.

POWWOW - April 14, 1945 issue - This issue is just 2 days after Roosevelt's death and tells that Harry Truman is the 33rd President of the United States.   Received from Mr. Charles R. Steinforth. 
 

POWerful Memories - Book by Augustine Fernandez, a B-17 bombardier and POW at Stalag Luft  1.
 

April 2005


Rodolph Case - Above the Clouds - A poem by his younger brother Larry

November 2004

Dwight Chiles A letter to his mother from Lyndon B. Johnson with news of the liberation of Stalag Luft I.

Donations - A request for financial help for an exhibit in Barth. Germany, the former site of Stalag Luft I.

August 2004

John H. Bryner - B-17 Tail Gunner and Stalag Luft 1 POW

June 2004

More Photos of Stalag Luft I

April 2004 article published in the Foreign Service Journal about Verne Woods and the Black Swan.

April 2004

Savannah Reunion - April 15 - 20, 2004.  We had a wonderful reunion. Here are some photos from it.

March 2004

Nathaniel G. Raley - P-38 Pilot and Stalag Luft I POW - Link to a video interview and written memoirs.    E-mail Col. Raley at colnatgraleyp38@aol.com

December 2003

Several new links to information and stories on Stalag Luft I and IV  added to Links page.
 

November 2003

New Photos - 3 new Stalag Luft I photos from William J. Harding's daughter & 4 photos of Canadian POWs at Stalag Luft I

North 1 Barracks 8 - Complete listing of POWs by rooms.

Leonard Hansen - Handmade American Flag at Stalag Luft I during World War II.

Coleman D. Moberly - Interview in "The Sentinel Echo", London, Kentucky, dated May 3 & May 10 1984

April 2003


The Interrogators - 2 new interrogators names at Dulag Luft were added to The Interrogators page.

North I and North 2   New listings for various rooms.

March 2003


A Request for donations from the "Documentation and Dialogue Center of Barth Association" and a message from Helga Radau in Barth, Germany
 


June 2002
 


Loren G. McCollom - Notes and drawings from his YMCA log.  Included are copies of the smuggled notes he received from Col. Spicer (while he was in solitary awaiting his court ordered execution).

Color Photos of Stalag Luft I - From the book "The Mighty Eighth- The Colour Record" by Roger A. Freeman
 


May 2002
 


John Cordner - A RAF navigator and POW at Stalag Luft I.  Here we have a copy of his POW camp diary, beautifully illustrated.  The original diary resides in the Imperial War Museum in England.

Leland C. Potter - Copies of his artwork from his YMCA diary.  A Stalag Luft IV POW originally, transferred to Stalag Luft I in late January 1945.

Donald J. Hyerdall -  
Rather than wait for the Draft to call him up, Don decided to enlist so he could choose the branch of service. Don was 19.   He became a Bombardier with the 96th Bomb Group, 337th Bomb Squadron.  After surviving a couple of ditching experiences, on the return from well protected Germany targets, he joined the ranks of POWs during a bomb run on Sept. 19, 1944 to Frankfurt, Germany, his 23rd mission (out of the required 25), to the Frankfurt Marshalling Yards.  After the Russians liberated Stalag Luft 1, Don and another American bought a car for two packages of Lucky Strike cigarettes.   They drove into camp and the other POWs were flabbergasted that they drove in with a car!  Be sure to read about the results of his fast talking, accompanied by good luck, and how he returned to England and later to the United States.

Ernest "Perk" Chumley - We had the privilege of traveling throughout Germany/Austria and returning to Luft 1 with Perk Chumley and all of his family (children and grandchildren) in September 2001.  Perk joined the ranks of POWs on his 4th mission to Steyr, Austria on April 2, 1944.   After winning, in a lottery for his barracks, 1 of 2 YMCA diaries, Perk kept a very detailed account of camp life and this diary assists him as he shares his detailed memories of camp life with us.  He recounts many aspects of life at Barth, including playing in a North Compound vs. South Compound basketball championship game.  Perk retired with over 33 years of combined military service with the rank of full Colonel in the "Illinois Air National Guard". Also included is a moving poem his wife wrote after she received the MIA notice and a letter from the only member of his crew that wasn't on the plane with them the day they were shot down, in which he relates his thoughts and feelings on what it felt like to lose the crew that he had trained with for eight months.  Many items of interest are on this page.

Col. H. R. Spicer's famous speech given on October 31, 1944 to the POWs in North 2 compound that earned him the death sentence from a German court.  Also included is a document from the United States Archives of an interview of Col. Spicer concerning this event and his treatment by the Germans, dated August 4, 1945.
 


April 2002
 


Admiral H. T. Mayo's Daily Publication for June 21, 1945 - Liberty ship carrying 5,000 former Prisoners of War back to the United States from LeHarve, France. Articles include candid comments of crew and the ex-POWs, along with cartoons and general ship info.

Letters From Home - 2 new letters added to this page.  A father who lost his only child, writes to a surviving crew member and a mother's  heartfelt letter to her son who she has not heard from in a very long time. 


Ray Trombley - "Prune Face and The Brow" is the haunting yet inspiring tale of how four flying school classmates came to meet again in prison camp. And how two of them teamed up to face and conquer with humor and guts the terrible injuries each had suffered.   Don't miss this one!

Loren "Mac" McCollom - Additional Info added -  link to a biography created by his grandson

Bob Swift - Newspaper article published in Erie Sunday Newspaper - "A Jump In The Nick Of Time Saved Airman's Life"

Dulag Luft - Wetzlar photos -  2 photos of Dulag Luft Wetzlar

The Guards - Additional German Administration and Intelligence Section guards identified by name in group photo.

Camp Photos - some new photos of Stalag Luft I  POW camp, mostly the South compound.

The Gods Fall Down -  another Kriegie poem added to our Poetry page

Map of German POW Camps during World War II as of December 31, 1944.

Daily Bulletin - for North Compound I issued by Lt. Col. C. Ross Greening dated  February 26, 1945.  This was issued at the beginning of the starvation period or "Hungry March" as it was know to some of the POWs.  It gives the reader good insight into the conditions inside the camp.

 


March 2002
 



Kenneth "Sam" Webster - At the start of the second World War, Webster was working as a photo engraver at Springfield's Crowell-Collier Publishing Co.  A year later, he found himself classified as an Army Air Corps pilot, even though he'd never even been on a plane before.  That hardly mattered to him.  Days after his 21st birthday Kenneth (Sam) Webster was re-baptized a terror flieger.   He was captured near Stuttgart and served his time in Luft 1.  Many years later, he and his wife returned to Norwich,  England and to his crash site in Ameland where they were the honored guests of the grateful towns. Did you ever wonder what happened to your parachute after you were captured?  Sam knows!

Bill Miller - is quite the story-teller.  In this excerpt from his book, A Letter To My Grandchildren, he details his final mission, capture, several visits to German air-raid shelters as a POW,  Dulag Luft, and finally life at Stalag Luft 1.  He recounts many humorous POW "tales" and was actually present at Col. Spicer's famous speech.  Bill even managed to slip Col. Spicer some fudge while Spicer was in the cooler awaiting execution after his German court-martial.  

Paul Canin -  spent eight months at Stalag Luft I as a prisoner of war. It was a dramatic and impressionable period of his life and it has had a lasting affect on him; for the good he believes. Learn what valuable life lessons he learned from his experience as a prisoner of war in this beautifully illustrated memoir. Paul was nicknamed "Remy" (short for Rembrandt)  by his fellow POWs.

Caleb Reeder - A P-47 fighter pilot tells a true "horror story" which results in his imprisonment at Stalag Luft I.  After enduring beatings by a mob of angry citizens, the simple statement  " Roosevelt made me" seems to have saved him from a lynching party.  This story originally told in the book "Behind Barbed Wire" by Morris J. Roy.  Photos supplied by his son.

The Five Bodies Found after liberation mystery solved.  We finally learn the true story of who they were and what happened to them.


Books on Stalag Luft IV -  Five books written by Joseph P. O'Donnell on Stalag Luft IV and the Death March across Germany. Available for purchase from the author.

Photos of Stalag Luft IV -  In February 1945 approximately 1,500 Stalag Luft IV POWs were moved to Stalag Luft I when the camp was evacuated due to the approaching Russians. The POWs that were not sent to Stalag Luft I, were instead sent on what has become known as the "Death March" or the "Black March". They were made to march all over Germany in the bitter cold in an effort to flee the advancing Russians.  Here are some photos of Stalag Luft IV which were taken in the summer of 1944. 

Taps - From the American Ex-POW Bulletin.  Obituary notices of Stalag Luft I POWs.
 


February 2002
 


Elroy F. Wyman -  was shot and killed by a German guard on March 18, 1945.  Here we have the details of this event as told by his former roommates and a sketch of him with a brief bio from the YMCA log book of Paul Canin.

The Caterpillar Club  - Information on club and obtaining a new membership and/or obtaining replacement pins and membership cards.  Also included is a little history on the parachute.

John "Red" Morgan  must be the only draft-classified 4-F to serve with the air forces of three nations, fly 26 combat missions with the RAF and the USAAF, earn our country's highest decoration for valor, and spend 14 months as a POW. This tough, tenacious Texan was truly an American Hero.

Ulrich Hausmann - was a German war correspondent, a POW interrogator at Dulag Luft and himself a POW in England. Here he shares some of his very interesting memories of Adolph Galland, Hermann Göring and his own "home style" interrogation of 2 British POWs at Dulag Luft in several letters to Philip Wright.

Richard M. Roper - a B-17 pilot with 100th Bomb Group and POW at Stalag Luft I is added to our "Kriegies" page. Includes a document signed while in the camp by Lt. Col. Greening and Col. Zemke concerning the Kriegie Kraft Karnival to be held after the war.
 


January 2002
 

 

The Saga of Murder, Inc. - A German Propaganda Victory -  Kenneth D. Williams ( a Stalag Luft I POW)  was shot down over Germany wearing a flight jacket with “Murder, Inc.” written on the back.  The Germans made much propaganda out of this.  Here is his story taken from the U.S. Air Force Oral History Program.

Lt. Charles L. Early's  story and his wonderful, colorful drawings of life at Stalag Luft I, from his YMCA Log Book.

Good Buddy Goes For Good Cause -  Wherever you are, Good Buddy, Bill White’s got a confession.   He ate your cat about 56 years ago!  It was during what U.S. Prisoners of War in Germany’s Stalag Luft I called ‘Hungry March’. The Red Cross parcel supply had stopped and the POWs trying to exist on just the German rations were literally starving in the camp.

 


December 2001
 


List of POWs at Stalag Luft I - A listing by last name of approximately 6,559 of the 8,939 prisoners of war held at Stalag Luft I when it was liberated in May 1945. Additional info includes the POW's home state and the compound held in at Stalag Luft I

Philip Wright  - Wright, a lusty, crusty, fun-loving retired Air Force pilot, recently reunited with his old plane-or at least parts of it: pieces of windshield, some engine parts, a couple of 50 caliber bullets as big as Cuban cigars-thanks to an extraordinary set of coincidences and a young German man with a metal detector.   A very interesting well written story!!!

 John H. "Jack" McCracken -  Jack was a "guest" at both Stalag Luft IV and Stalag Luft I.  His experiences are detailed in his book "For You Der Var Ist Oufer" , now listed on our Books & Videos page.  Postcards home and Stalag Luft IV roommates are listed on this page.
 


November 2001
 


The Bet at Barth -  A WWII POW Christmas story.  Many bets were made on when the war would be over.  This is a true story about a bet that every POW at Stalag Luft I on Christmas Day 1944 remembers!  It brought hysterical laughter at a much needed time and place.

Eyewitness  - A researcher in Switzerland has found 2 German eyewitnesses to my father's plane crash on November 26, 1944.  Read their accounts of the crash and see the sketch and map of the crash site sent to me.

The Roommates -  A listing of the POWs by rooms in the camp.  We need your help on this.  Please check any memorabilia you may have for a listing of your roommates and send to us at stalagluftone@hotmail.com or inquire about our regular mail address.

Alvin Millspaugh, the co-pilot of a B-24 in the 15th Air Force,  shares a story of his "scenic" tour of Europe after being shot down on his 5th mission.  He also shares his diary entry on the "Day of Days" - May 1st - the liberation day for the POWs at Stalag Luft I.

What's New - This page!  Hopefully it will help you locate new items added since your last visit.
 

October 2001


Document from our National Archives, describing the address by the Russian Red Army Commander to the people of Barth on May 9, 1945.  (It is important to note that Barth was part of the former GDR or East Germany until unification.)

Report , Photos and the Speeches of the recent Stalag Luft 1 Reunion and Conference held at the former Stalag Luft I campsite in Barth, Germany on September 8, 2001.

More Poetry and Writings found in the POWs YMCA Log Books.

Oral History -  Advice on preserving your history.
 

September 2001


Hubert Zemke - An article by Oscar Richard about the former Senior Allied Officer at Stalag Luft I, titled "A Man to Remember". Col. Zemke was much admired by his fellow POWs.

Bill Kaplan - A mid-air collision between the lead and deputy lead planes at the beginning of the bomb run leaves Bill as the sole survivor of his crew.  He is quickly captured and incarcerated and he begins his long journey to Stalag Luft I.  In the camp he has one of those believe it or not episodes when he receives a letter from his mother.

German Guards and Administration at Stalag Luft I - photos and information.

John Kirkham - A bombardier / navigator with the 379th BG flying on his 35th mission crash lands in a muddy field after plane is hit by flak.  He is captured and sent to solitary confinement in Dulag Luft then off to Stalag Luft I - North III Compound.  Photos, telegrams, letters from War Department, documents and excerpts from his YMCA diary. 
 

August 2001


Irwin Stovroff - Flying as navigator on The Passion Pit, he is shot down on his last mission (35th).  During his interrogation at Dulag Luft, he learns that his German interrogator remembers him as his former newspaper boy in Buffalo, NY!

Bert Markle -  Escape from Stalag Luft I - fascinating true story of his escape with two other POWs from Stalag Luft I,  their recapture the following day and imprisonment in a Gestapo prison for 3 weeks prior to being sent to Stalag Luft III.  
 

July 2001


 Robert Swartz -  A complete copy of his YMCA issued diary, which he used to write an ongoing letter to his parents describing everything about the camp and his life in the camp.  Includes drawings, poetry, roommates listings and the Easter sermon given in 1945 shortly before their liberation.
 

May 2001

Chuck Blaney -  shares his interesting story of being shot down by a ME-262 while bombing a target near Hamburg. He and his crew were POWs at Stalag Luft I and were recently reunited at a 50th anniversary reunion celebration set up by a German who saw the bomber crash while he was serving in the Hitler Youth Corps.

Major Cyrus Manierre - This is one of the stranger stories of luck and coincidence to come out of WW2.  An OSS agent (spy and saboteur) who manages to convince the Germans he is a downed airman after his capture and is sent to Stalag Luft I. He finds a big surprise when he arrives at the camp.  While in the camp he works as Lt. Col. Gabreski adjutant and then finds himself the lucky winner of the random drawing to box with Col. Zemke after liberation while awaiting their evacuation!

Clair Cline and the Prison Camp Violin -  photo and story-- He carved it of rough-hewn bed slats with a penknife traded for Red Cross rations. But would it play?  Every POW at Stalag Luft I remembers this violin and knew this story - truly inspirational - you will be amazed!  

 


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This site created and maintained by Mary Smith and Barbara Freer, daughters of Dick Williams, Jr.