SAARF, POWs, and Tensions between Allies

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Durand
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SAARF, POWs, and Tensions between Allies

#1

Post by Durand » 05 Jun 2003, 12:51

Hallo,

In "The Last Escape: The Untold Story of Allied Prisoners of War in Europe 1944-45" by John Nichol and Tony Rennell the authors write about a fascinating episode of which I had never heard. During the final months of the war in Europe, British and American political and military authorities received reports that the Germans were evacuating POWs from camps located in areas that were close to being liberated by Allied forces. Columns of prisoners were being force marched into the Germany's interior. Up to that time, the British and American authorities assumed it likely that Germans would leave the camps to be overrun. Fearing German intentions at this stage of the war and in light of reports of movement, plans were made for battalion sized units of the First Allied Airborne Army to be inserted to protect POW camps beyond the immediate range of advancing ground units. These units would secure and defend the area until the arrival of reinforcements.

Three-man reconnaissance teams were to be dropped in advance of the battalion sized forces to send back intelligence on conditions regarding the enemy positions, terrain, and the situation of the POWs. The plan called for the creation of 120 such teams. This force was called the Special Allied Airborne Reconnaissance Force (SAARF) and was commanded by Brigadier J.S. Nichols. They began training in March 1945.

As it turned out, the first operational mission for the teams from the SAARF was to thwart Soviet, rather than German, intentions. Among the issues discussed by the Big Three at Yalta in February 1945 was that of the return of liberated Allied POWs. Stalin agreed that British and American POWs would be returned to the West through the port at Odessa. In the following months, British and American authorities learned that the Soviets were not fully complying with the agreement. They received information that the Soviets routinely reported low and inaccurate figures for the numbers of POWs in their hands, Soviet authorities prevented POWs from reaching Odessa, and many of the POWs were being mistreated. The western Allies were also concerned that the Soviets intended to use British and American POWs as hostages to ensure western compliance with the Yalta Agreement.

In late April 1945, elements of the U.S. Ninth Army were located approximately 25 miles from the town of Altengrabow. Located approximately 60 or 70 miles west of Berlin, Altengrabow was the site of Stalag XIA. The western Allies believed that 150,000 POWs, including 18,000 British and American, were held there. Operation Violet was launched early in the morning of Aril 25. Six SAARF teams dropped into the area. They discovered that the number of POWs in the area was much lower than anticipated. There were approximately 20,000, of whom 2,000 were British and American. The teams also learned that Red Army units were close by and it appeared likely that they would reach the camp before a ground force from the Ninth Army could move forward. The SAARF took the initiative and contacted the local German military commander. An arrangement was made for a local truce between the Germans and the Americans. The SAARF then evacuated all the British and American POWs, some Belgian and French POWs, and all of the sick and wounded. The operation continued until the Soviets arrived on May 4 and demanded that the evacuation be stopped.

Can anybody provide additional details regarding this episode? I am also curious as to the name and fate of the local German commander.

Regards,

Durand

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Graham Clayton
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Re: SAARF, POWs, and Tensions between Allies

#2

Post by Graham Clayton » 11 Apr 2011, 05:46

Durand,

Here is some extra information, taken from "The Special Allied Airborne Reconnaisance Force" by Les Hughes, included in "USA Airborne: 50th Anniversary" , Bart Hagerman (Turner Publishing Company, 1990)..

The overall operation was codenamed "VIOLET", and featured 6 teams - 2 British, 2 American and 2 French. The American teams were given the names CASHBOX and PENCIL. One of the French teams was captured by advancing Russian troops. After three weeks of being held prisoners and being interrogated, they managed to escape and make it back to France.

Remaining SAARF members travelled to Germany by road, and were involved in repatriating POWS and finding suspected war criminals, before the SAARF was disbanded in July 1945.
"Air superiority is a condition for all operations, at sea, in land, and in the air." - Air Marshal Arthur Tedder.


CarolineParis
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Location: Paris, France

Re: SAARF, POWs, and Tensions between Allies

#3

Post by CarolineParis » 09 Oct 2017, 18:23

Hello,
My father was part of the SAARF. He was French.
He past away 3 years ago. But he told me that they had "discovered", or "come across", with his Americans team friends, a concentration camp- I can't remember if it was Dachau or Buchenwald.
Does any of have any information about that?
Do you know where I could find information about what they went through, wether in Germany, or when they trained- was was the training?
Thank you very much.
Caroline

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