Stalag V-A
Encyclopedia
Stalag V-A was a German prisoner of war camp located on the southern outskirts of Ludwigsburg
, Germany
, during World War II
.
The roofs of the buildings within the camp were marked ‘KG’ for kriegsgefangenen, the German word meaning "prisoner of war". Large red crosses were also painted on the roofs, to further insure that allied planes would not mistakenly target the camp.
The sprawling prison complex was divided into compounds. The perimeter of the each compound was secured by a double barbed-wire fence, fifteen feet in height, on top of which ran a high-voltage wire. The space between the two fences was a tangled mass of barbed-wire. On the prisoners’ side of the fence, a wire ran parallel with the fence, staked to the ground approximately ten feet distance from the fence, six to eight inches above the ground. Any man who stepped between the wire and the fence was shot on sight. Every so many yards along the fence was a guard tower, fully armed and manned.
The first prisoners detained at the camp had been Poles, taken captive during the German invasion of Poland in 1939. As the war progressed, prisoners of other nationalities would arrive at Stalag 5-A. By the time of the camp’s evacuation in April 1945, allied prisoners of every nation at war with Germany were present within the camp. The largest population present within the camp was Soviet, followed by the French, Belgian, Dutch, British and Commonwealth
, Italian, and American prisoners were also present in large numbers.
One such escape attempt was by the Dutch prisoner Arie Verouden in October 1943. He was recaptured in December and sentenced to two years solitary confinement.
s, mostly Poles
were housed here, but were quickly transferred to permanent buildings of German Army barracks around the city.
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Operation
The prison camp had been constructed on the site of a former German military installation, which had once billeted German cavalry troops and their horses. The red brick stables that had once been used for horses were converted to barracks to house prisoners when the site was converted to a POW camp in October, 1939. Additional wooden barracks were also constructed on the grounds, to accommodate the camp's growing prisoner population.The roofs of the buildings within the camp were marked ‘KG’ for kriegsgefangenen, the German word meaning "prisoner of war". Large red crosses were also painted on the roofs, to further insure that allied planes would not mistakenly target the camp.
The sprawling prison complex was divided into compounds. The perimeter of the each compound was secured by a double barbed-wire fence, fifteen feet in height, on top of which ran a high-voltage wire. The space between the two fences was a tangled mass of barbed-wire. On the prisoners’ side of the fence, a wire ran parallel with the fence, staked to the ground approximately ten feet distance from the fence, six to eight inches above the ground. Any man who stepped between the wire and the fence was shot on sight. Every so many yards along the fence was a guard tower, fully armed and manned.
The first prisoners detained at the camp had been Poles, taken captive during the German invasion of Poland in 1939. As the war progressed, prisoners of other nationalities would arrive at Stalag 5-A. By the time of the camp’s evacuation in April 1945, allied prisoners of every nation at war with Germany were present within the camp. The largest population present within the camp was Soviet, followed by the French, Belgian, Dutch, British and Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
, Italian, and American prisoners were also present in large numbers.
Timeline
- 1935, German military installation is constructed on the southern edge of Ludwigsburg. The site included a warehouse, 17 barracks, and a number of horse stables.
- October 1939, the German military installation at Ludwigsburg is converted to a prisoner-of-war camp, to accommodate Polish prisoners taken captive during the German invasion of Poland.
- May 1940 BelgianBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
prisoners arrived that had been captured during the Battle of FranceBattle of FranceIn the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
. British prisoners captured at Dunkirk also arrive in the camp. - 1941-1942 many Soviet prisoners arrived, but they were kept in separate enclosures and received much harsher treatment. Thousands died of malnutrition and disease.
- Most of the lower rank soldiers were transferred to Labor campLabor campA labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
s in the area to work in factories, repairing roads and railroads, working on farms. However, the administration of theses Arbeitskommandos remained at the main camp, which was also responsible for dividing up International Red Cross packages and mail service. - 1944, following the allied landings at Normandy and the subsequent fighting in France, American prisoners begin to arrive at the camp. American prisoners are held in the same compound as the French, Belgian, and Italian prisoners.
- The camp is evacuated on the evening of Easter, April 1, 1945. Prisoners detained at the camp, at the time of evacuation, take part in a forced march across southern Germany.
Escapes
There were several attempts to escape, primarily from Arbeitskommandos.One such escape attempt was by the Dutch prisoner Arie Verouden in October 1943. He was recaptured in December and sentenced to two years solitary confinement.
Aftermath
After the end of the war thousands of Displaced PersonDisplaced person
A displaced person is a person who has been forced to leave his or her native place, a phenomenon known as forced migration.- Origin of term :...
s, mostly Poles
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
were housed here, but were quickly transferred to permanent buildings of German Army barracks around the city.