SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

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seaburn
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SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#1

Post by seaburn » 22 Jun 2017, 15:58

I believe Steiner may have been held in a UK prisoner of war camp in 1945, but have no details to confirm this. Can anyone confirm this and if so, which camp was it.

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Ian Mc
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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#2

Post by Ian Mc » 23 Jun 2017, 02:51

He's listed as being a POW at Island Farm POW camp in Wales, but I don't know the exact date.


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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#3

Post by steve248 » 23 Jun 2017, 08:26

I do not think Steiner was in British hands and does not appear in the list of Waffen-SS generals held at Island Fram camp:
http://www.specialcamp11.co.uk

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#4

Post by Jan-Hendrik » 23 Jun 2017, 09:51

per Stockert he went into US captivity...

Jan-Hendrik

Max Williams
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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#5

Post by Max Williams » 23 Jun 2017, 12:41

steve248 wrote:I do not think Steiner was in British hands and does not appear in the list of Waffen-SS generals held at Island Fram camp:
http://www.specialcamp11.co.uk
Excerpt from SS Elite, volume 3:
"...What was left of Steiner’s Army surrendered on 3rd May 1945 to the 2nd British Army, and Steiner became a prisoner-of-war. He was transferred to the UK and held at Island Farm Special Camp 11 in South Wales on 9th January 1946. He was moved on 31st January 1946 to the London District Cage at Kensington Palace Gardens for interrogation, and was held there until he was returned to Island Farm Camp on 2nd March 1946. Steiner had two more sessions at the London Cage, from 11th June 1946 until 2nd September 1946, and 8th May 1947 until he was handed over to the Americans on 6th November 1947. They transferred him to the internment camp at Garmisch in Bavaria."
Max.

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#6

Post by steve248 » 23 Jun 2017, 14:03

Steiner does not appear in the UK National Archives (Kew) search engine. This means there is no file title carrying his name.
I have a list of London District Cage interrogations, that I compiled from LDC files at Kew. There is no mention of Steiner.
The Island Farm link does not mention Steiner - I have no connection to them or their website.

So if Steiner was brought to the UK why are there no interrogations available in UK National Archives.
Intriguingly, among the Waffen-SS generals listed on the Island Farm website as brought to Britain, there no interrogation reports for Ballauf, F.H. Franz, von Jena and Keilhaus.

Somewhat difficult to understand what these men had to say that continues to be kept secret for so long.

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#7

Post by Max Williams » 23 Jun 2017, 14:26

Steve,
As you point out yourself, the available interrogation reports do not include a number of SS Generals known to have been in British captivity. Also, I have come across several senior SS officers who confirm they were held at Special Camp 11, but there is no record of them being held there. The British archives are plainly not exhaustive and certainly can never be relied upon as a sole source of information. It is therefore dangerous to assume a person was not held in British captivity just because his name does not appear on available interrogation records or in the website compiled records of a particular POW camp. I am sure Steiner is not the only example. My Steiner information is confirmed by Andreas Schulz in his book "Die Generale der Waffen-SS und der Polizei" Band 5, pp 471-472 and in original paperwork from the post-war Steiner estate.
Max.

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#8

Post by seaburn » 23 Jun 2017, 15:26

Thanks for all the information supplied. My question araises from an assertion by a German POW that Steiner had informed him of some important information. This POW however was held at Camp 18 featherstone park from May 1945 and his assertion was made in November of that year. So the date posted of Steiner arriving at Camp 11 in 1946 is problematic if it is supposed to coincide with his arrival in the U.K. However with his whereabouts shrouded in some mystery, he may well have been in the country sooner.

My Officer said or more accurately it was translated as him stating 'General Steiner informed me...' The information given was something my Officer had been unaware of before he had been captured in August 44.

I have of course only presumed this to be Felix Steiner, both men were W-SS but not directly connected. I'm not sure if they met at Camp 18, perhaps Steiner passed through pre November 45 or if they could have met at the London cage where my subject of interest would also have 'visited' on a number of occasions

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#9

Post by steve248 » 23 Jun 2017, 16:06

Max,
I have no interest in Steiner.
I simply gave information that he was "missing" in British archives.
I am more interested that Otto Ohlendorf is "missing" in British archives and known to have been extensively interrogated in London during the summer 1945.

However seaburn will be more interested than I in knowing the actual source for Steiner being in Britain.

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#10

Post by Blanusa » 23 Jun 2017, 18:35

Hello,

According to the link posted in this thread, Steiner was at the specified camp. At the very bottom of that link there is a headline reading "INFORMATION NEEDED". There it is stated that:
The following is a list of POWs who can be confirmed as having been held at Island Farm but we don't have either a photograph or biographical information.

If you can provide either, then we would be extremely grateful:
And here one can find:
34 SS-Obergr u. Gen d. W-SS Felix STEINER
It appears that there is some information confirming Steiner to this camp, while details are not available.


Best regards
Blanusa

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#11

Post by Ian Mc » 23 Jun 2017, 20:07

[quote="steve248"]I do not think Steiner was in British hands and does not appear in the list of Waffen-SS generals held at Island Fram camp:
http://www.specialcamp11.co.uk[/quote]

He's on the list on the Island Farm website. http://www.specialcamp11.co.uk/Miscellaneous%20POWs.htm

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#12

Post by seaburn » 23 Jun 2017, 21:09

Thanks for posting Ian Mc. Is this a list typed up by the person who made the website ? If so, sadly It would not be enough to cite as a valid reference. It would seem from Steve248's experience that the UK listings' are not always reliable to validate a POWs known whereabouts at a certain time and therefore it's Steiner's own assertion of his location that would have to be used.

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#13

Post by Ian Mc » 23 Jun 2017, 23:06

I have no idea who "typed up" the list. I only know it is stated as being a list of "confirmed POW names" on a website dedicated to the history of Island Farm POW camp.

You could always contact the site owner for the origin of his information, as his email is on the homepage.

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#14

Post by seaburn » 23 Jun 2017, 23:23

Ian Mc wrote: You could always contact the site owner for the origin of his information, as his email is on the homepage.
Will do, thanks.

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Re: SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner

#15

Post by Max Williams » 24 Jun 2017, 00:38

steve248 wrote:Max,
.....I simply gave information that he was "missing" in British archives.
But you said
steve248 wrote:I do not think Steiner was in British hands and does not appear in the list of Waffen-SS generals held at Island Fram camp:
http://www.specialcamp11.co.uk
I was countering this statement which appears to be incorrect.
Max.

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