Stalag Luft III

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hucks216
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Stalag Luft III

#1

Post by hucks216 » 08 Feb 2013, 21:51

Hello,
Would anyone know what Luftwaffe unit was guarding Stalag Luft III at Sagan in 1943/44 please?

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Re: Stalag Luft III

#2

Post by Larry D. » 09 Feb 2013, 02:15

Here is all I have. There should be numerous studies on the Stalag at the BNA Kew. The Luftwaffe-run Stalags were guarded by Landesschützen units of the Luftwaffe. For example, Dulag Oberursel was guarded by Landesschützen-Kp. d.Lw. 14/XVII and the Dulag at Wetzlar-Klosterwald by Landesschützen-Kp. d.Lw. 17/XII.

Kriegsgefangenen-Lager 3 d.Lw.
Also known as: Stalag Luft 3

Formed May 1942 at Sagan-Carlswalde in Silesia (today Zagan in SW Poland) and located 13 km ESE of Sorau (today Zary) as a POW camp for Allied airmen. Sub-divided into a Nordlager (North Camp) for Americans, a Mittellager (Central Camp) and Ostlager (East Camp) for British and other nationalities, and a Südlager (South Camp). The camp at capacity was designed to hold 10,000 prisoners.
Mar 44: 80 men escaped through three tunnels they had dug and this was immortalized in several books, especially The Great Escape (1950) by Paul Brickhill, and a Steve McQueen blockbuster movie The Great Escape (1963).
1 Dec 44: Sagan-Carlswalde with the following POW complement: 6,765 American, 3,489 British and 170 Soviet.
27 Jan 45: as Soviet forces advanced into Silesia, the Stalag Luft 3 prisoners were divided into four groups: (1) Groups 1 and 2 were transferred to Stalag VII A, (2) Group 3 was transferred to Nürnberg where it was incarcerated in a Teillager (branch camp) of Stalag XIII D; this branch camp was closed on 4 April 1945 and the men were moved to Stalag VII A/B; (3) Group 4 was transferred to Marlag/Milag Nord (Naval Camp/Military Camp North) in Westertimke/26.5 km NE of Bremen in northern Germany, arriving there on 4 February 1945.
FpN: (none assigned)
Camp Kommandant:
Oberst Friedrich-Wilhelm von Lindeiner (24 Apr 42 - ? )

[Sources: G.Mattiello/W.Vogt – Deutsche Kriegsgefangenen- und Internierten Einrichtungen 1939-1945 (Koblenz: Selbstverlag, 1986), p.166; Streim – p.397].

L.


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hucks216
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Re: Stalag Luft III

#3

Post by hucks216 » 09 Feb 2013, 09:29

Thanks for the information Larry. I asked as I have found a Soldbuch & Wehrpass to a Luftwaffe soldier who may of served in a unit called Landesschutzen Kp. d.LW 7/III Sagan-Belaria between December 1943 and June 1944 and thought there could be a link between the III & Sagan part of the name and Stalag Luft III.

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Re: Stalag Luft III

#4

Post by Larry D. » 09 Feb 2013, 15:55

As near as I can tell without being able to find a 1:100,000 or 1:200,000 scale map of Sagan from the pre-war or wartime years, both Carlswalde and Belaria were villages within a few kilometers of Sagan and were sort of like suburban villages. Both were probably in close proximity to Stalag Luft III. I would say the case is good that it was guarding the camp.

L.

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Re: Stalag Luft III

#5

Post by hucks216 » 09 Feb 2013, 16:15

Thanks for the additional follow-up Larry. I've had an email from someone who visited Stalag-Luft III in 2006 along with an ex-RAF prisoner who was held there at the time of the Great Escape. Apparantly at Belaria there was a small camp consisting of just 6 huts but with double the amount of guards (in reletive terms I presume) that was used as a punishment area for those prisoners caught doing something in Stalag-Luft III they shouldn't of been (possessing a radio set etc). The ex-RAF prisoner was being held there, apparantly along with the fighter pilot Robert Stanford Tuck & tunnel designer Wally Flood, at the time of the Great Escape. So it does look like a strong link between the unit and that particular camp.

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Re: Stalag Luft III

#6

Post by Larry D. » 09 Feb 2013, 16:53

Interesting! It has always been nearly impossible to determine locations for Luftwaffe Landesschützen units that were employed exclusively in Germany, so this adds to the historical record.

L.

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genstab
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Re: Stalag Luft III

#7

Post by genstab » 10 Feb 2013, 14:04

There is a new book about the postwar British manhunt for the Gestapo thugs responsible for the execution of the 50 recaputred airmen on Hitler's orders. Title is "Human Game" by Simon Read. I'm looking forward to getting a copy when I can find a good price.

Best regards,
Bill in Cleveland (the Big One)

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Re: Stalag Luft III

#8

Post by Mailman » 12 Feb 2013, 09:54

Stalag Luft 4 - Belaria was where my late friend was a POW from 1943 onwards. A number of years ago he produced a private run of his war memoirs. I've included his sketch of the layout of the camp
Attachments
bel 001.jpg

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Re: Stalag Luft III

#9

Post by Larry D. » 12 Feb 2013, 14:56

Yes, indeed. But a few additions and corrections.

Kriegsgefangenenlager d.Lw. 4 (Stalag Luft 4) was established at Sagan-Bolaria in 1943 and then moved to Gross-Tychow in mid-1944. It is consistently spelled "Bolaria" in German sources. At Gross-Tychow on 1 December 1944, it had 8,268 American POWs, 902 British POWs and 132 Soviet POWs for a total of 8,268. The Kommandant during 1943 was an Oberst Kurt Schröder.

L.

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Re: Stalag Luft III

#10

Post by Mailman » 12 Feb 2013, 15:41

Interesting, but what was the camp called then when my friend left in on 28th January 1945 on the forced march, which finally ended with him entering Luckenwalde? Was it 3A?

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Re: Stalag Luft III

#11

Post by Larry D. » 12 Feb 2013, 19:56

Mailman wrote:Interesting, but what was the camp called then when my friend left in on 28th January 1945 on the forced march, which finally ended with him entering Luckenwalde? Was it 3A?
This is just a guess, but it may have moved when the POW population got too large for it. The existing camp at Sagan-Bolaria then reverted back to being part of Stalag Luft III. I have no record of a Stalag Luft III A, but it is entire possible that it may have been given that designation.

L.

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Re: Stalag Luft III

#12

Post by Mailman » 12 Feb 2013, 20:34

That sounds like it too me. He left "Sagan" on 28th, and marched as follows... Karlswarde, Hanau, Gros Zelton. Birkenstadt,Granstein, Spremberg, reaching Luckenwalde on 4th February 1945.

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hucks216
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Re: Stalag Luft III

#13

Post by hucks216 » 05 Mar 2013, 12:55

The Wehrpass finally arrived and here are the entries that relate to Stalag-Luft III & IV at Sagan & Belaria respectively.
Attachments
Pigal006_final.jpg
Pigal009_final.jpg

POWCampsMuseum
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Re: Stalag Luft III

#14

Post by POWCampsMuseum » 10 Jun 2014, 15:09

hucks216, please contact me via e-mail [email protected]
Thank you.
Regards,
POW Camps Museum, Zagan, Poland

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Re: Stalag Luft III

#15

Post by Pips » 11 Jun 2014, 02:25

What happened to the Camp Commandant after the escape was discovered? I know in the movie he was taken off by the Gestapo, but did that really occur?

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