Stalag XXI-D
Encyclopedia
Stalag XXI-D was a German
World War II
PoW
Camp based in Poznań (Posnan)
, Poland
.
in 1939 and the establishment of the Reichsgau Wartheland
, Poznań became the administrative centre of 'Wehrkreis XXI' (Military District
XXI). Some of Poznań's eighteenth century forts
were used as prison camps. Most notorious of these was the concentration camp, Fort VII
, which was predominately used to house Polish prisoners.
Some other forts, along with labour camp locations in the surrounding countryside, were used to hold PoWs. These collectively formed Stalag XXI-D and accommodated just over 3000 prisoners in total.
On the eastern, right, bank of the River Warter
, near to the present day St. Roch bridge, stood Fort Rauch, the most southern of the right bank fortifications. Although partially demolished during the 1920s, it was used to accommodate about 750 men. An ICRC report of August 1941 described the fort as being “a circular building, made of red brick with three floors each with its windows facing an interior court which acts as the hub of the fort. There is no overcrowding and the rooms are not so large that they become noisy when filled with prisoners.” Prisoners lived in many of the 50 basement rooms of the brick built redoubt
, with 30-46 beds per room. Other rooms were used as a common room and theatre. After the war Fort Rauch was completely demolished and a college
now stands on the site. 52°24′7.20"N 16°57′3.60"E
Further to the north-east, Fort IIIA (Fort Prittwitz) was used to hold Gaulist French soldiers. In 1993 Fort IIIA was converted for use as a crematorium. It is set in what are now grounds of the Milostow cemetery, which contains graves and memorials to Poznań's many war dead. 52°25′0.62"N 17°0′5.69"E
Of the west, left bank forts, Fort VIII (Fort Grolman) was also used to house British and French prisoners.; The fort still stands, located to the south of Stadion Miejski, home to Lech Poznań football club
.
Work camps were established in a wide area in and around Poznań. These included;
Working Camp 4, Ostrowo
Krotoszyn d14;
Kuhndorf (possibly located at or near Sołacki Park renamed 'Kuhndorfpark' during the occupation in the Niestachów, Jeżyce area of north west Poznań.);
XXI-D/Z Schildberg
June–December 1943 (about 130 km south-west of Poznań),
XXI-D/Z Montwy
September–December 1943 (near Hohensalza about 107 km north-east of Poznań), and even as far away as
Litzmannstadt/Łódź (Lodz) about 200 km to the east and closer to Warsaw
than Poznań. Despite the distance, administration of the work camp at Łódź fell under Stalag XXI-D for part of the war. One group of PoWs were billeted in a disused textile dye works and worked in engineering workshops under the control of the German Ordinance Corps, supplying repair services for the Russian Front. This Ordnance Corps was known as H.K.P 20 (translated as Rearguard Vehicle Repair Park).
The German Army training area at Warthelager a few miles north of Poznan, was the location of a PoW working camp between July 1940 and June 1942. Initially a sub-camp of Stalag XXI-B, by September 1941 became camp 11 of Stalag XXI-D. Prisoners moved between three locations within a few kilometres during that period, including a disused Polish Cavalry stables. Prisoners worked, for example, filling bomb craters.
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...
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...
PoW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
Camp based in Poznań (Posnan)
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, Poland
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...
.
Description
Following the invasion of PolandInvasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
in 1939 and the establishment of the Reichsgau Wartheland
Reichsgau Wartheland
Reichsgau Wartheland was a Nazi German Reichsgau formed from Polish territory annexed in 1939. It comprised the Greater Poland and adjacent areas, and only in part matched the area of the similarly named pre-Versailles Prussian province of Posen...
, Poznań became the administrative centre of 'Wehrkreis XXI' (Military District
Military district (Germany)
During World War II Germany used the system of military districts to relieve field commanders of as much administrative work as possible and to provide a regular flow of trained recruits and supplies to the Field Army...
XXI). Some of Poznań's eighteenth century forts
Poznań Fortress
Poznań Fortress, known in German as Festung Posen was a set of fortifications in the city of Poznań in western Poland, built under Prussian rule in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
were used as prison camps. Most notorious of these was the concentration camp, Fort VII
Fort VII
Fort VII, officially Konzentrationslager Posen , was a Nazi concentration camp set up in Poznań in occupied Poland during World War II, located in one of the 19th-century forts which ringed the city...
, which was predominately used to house Polish prisoners.
Some other forts, along with labour camp locations in the surrounding countryside, were used to hold PoWs. These collectively formed Stalag XXI-D and accommodated just over 3000 prisoners in total.
Camps
In Poznań itself, three forts were used to house PoWs; Rauch, IIIA and VIII.On the eastern, right, bank of the River Warter
Warter
Warter is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately east of Pocklington on the B1246 road.According to the 2001 UK census, Warter parish had a population of 159....
, near to the present day St. Roch bridge, stood Fort Rauch, the most southern of the right bank fortifications. Although partially demolished during the 1920s, it was used to accommodate about 750 men. An ICRC report of August 1941 described the fort as being “a circular building, made of red brick with three floors each with its windows facing an interior court which acts as the hub of the fort. There is no overcrowding and the rooms are not so large that they become noisy when filled with prisoners.” Prisoners lived in many of the 50 basement rooms of the brick built redoubt
Redoubt
A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...
, with 30-46 beds per room. Other rooms were used as a common room and theatre. After the war Fort Rauch was completely demolished and a college
Poznan University of Technology
Poznań University of Technology, PUT is a university located in Poznań, Poland. Poznań University of Technology is known as one of the best technical universities in Poland...
now stands on the site. 52°24′7.20"N 16°57′3.60"E
Further to the north-east, Fort IIIA (Fort Prittwitz) was used to hold Gaulist French soldiers. In 1993 Fort IIIA was converted for use as a crematorium. It is set in what are now grounds of the Milostow cemetery, which contains graves and memorials to Poznań's many war dead. 52°25′0.62"N 17°0′5.69"E
Of the west, left bank forts, Fort VIII (Fort Grolman) was also used to house British and French prisoners.; The fort still stands, located to the south of Stadion Miejski, home to Lech Poznań football club
Lech Poznan
Lech Poznań is a Polish football club based in Poznań, Poland. The club is named after Lech, the legendary founder of Polish nation.The club was established in 1922 as Lutnia Dębiec, later changing its name several times. From 1933 until 1994, the club was closely linked to Polish State Railways...
.
Work camps were established in a wide area in and around Poznań. These included;
Working Camp 4, Ostrowo
Krotoszyn d14;
Kuhndorf (possibly located at or near Sołacki Park renamed 'Kuhndorfpark' during the occupation in the Niestachów, Jeżyce area of north west Poznań.);
XXI-D/Z Schildberg
Ostrzeszów
Ostrzeszów is a town in Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the capital of Ostrzeszów County . The population is 14,490 ....
June–December 1943 (about 130 km south-west of Poznań),
XXI-D/Z Montwy
Mątwy
The village of Mątwy is located about 8 km south of Inowrocław in northern Poland. Formerly an independent village, it is currently a part of the town of Inowrocław.- Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth :...
September–December 1943 (near Hohensalza about 107 km north-east of Poznań), and even as far away as
Litzmannstadt/Łódź (Lodz) about 200 km to the east and closer to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
than Poznań. Despite the distance, administration of the work camp at Łódź fell under Stalag XXI-D for part of the war. One group of PoWs were billeted in a disused textile dye works and worked in engineering workshops under the control of the German Ordinance Corps, supplying repair services for the Russian Front. This Ordnance Corps was known as H.K.P 20 (translated as Rearguard Vehicle Repair Park).
The German Army training area at Warthelager a few miles north of Poznan, was the location of a PoW working camp between July 1940 and June 1942. Initially a sub-camp of Stalag XXI-B, by September 1941 became camp 11 of Stalag XXI-D. Prisoners moved between three locations within a few kilometres during that period, including a disused Polish Cavalry stables. Prisoners worked, for example, filling bomb craters.
Timeline
- June 1940 - August 1940 Stalag XXI-A/Z based at Poznań.
- Stalag XXI-D established 1 August 1940.
- Early March 1941 Ronald LittledaleRonald LittledaleLieutenant Colonel Ronald 'Ronnie' Bolton Littledale DSO , was a British Army officer who became a Prisoner of War and successfully escaped from Colditz Castle during the Second World War.-Early life:...
, Michael Sinclair and Gris Davies-ScourfieldGris Davies-ScourfieldBrigadier Edward Grismond Beaumont 'Gris' Davies-Scourfield was a British Army officer who became a Prisoner of War and escaped from Stalag XXI-D and Colditz Castle during the Second World War.- Early Life and Education :...
arrived at Fort VIII in a party of about 400 officers. - 28 May 1941 Littledale, Sinclair and Davies-Scourfield escaped from Fort VIII in a handcartCartA cart is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people...
of rubbish, hiding in a rubbish pit outside the camp but were subsequently recaptured and sent to Oflag IV-COflag IV-COflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
at Colditz CastleColditz CastleColditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...
. - 4 Oct 1941 - Allan Wolfe, 6th Royal West Kents, captured at DoullensDoullensDoullens is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.Its inhabitants are called Doullennais and Doullennaises.-Geography:...
, placed in solitary confinement at Fort Rauch for one of three failed escape attempts. - 12 May 1942 Murder of Sapper Alexander.
- 1942? - Allan Wolfe escaped while working on a road, walked to CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and remained there until liberated by the Russians. - March 1943 - Funeral of Rifleman Cecil A. Ponsford KRRC, allegedly shot for persistent whistlingWhistlingHuman whistling is the production of sound by means of carefully controlling a stream of air flowing through a small hole. Whistling can be achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips and then blowing or sucking air through the hole...
. - 31 March 1943 - Ellis Phythian of the Cheshire RegimentCheshire RegimentThe Cheshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division.The regiment was created in 1881 as part of the Childers reforms by the linking of the 22nd Regiment of Foot and the militia and rifle volunteers of Cheshire...
, captured at TournaiTournaiTournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
in May 1940, escaped from a working party, stowed away on a train to Nancy and returned to the UK via the PyreneesPyreneesThe Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
into Spain in July 1943. He was awarded the DCMDistinguished Conduct MedalThe Distinguished Conduct Medal was an extremely high level award for bravery. It was a second level military decoration awarded to other ranks of the British Army and formerly also to non-commissioned personnel of other Commonwealth countries.The medal was instituted in 1854, during the Crimean...
in December that year. - April 1943 - Administration of H.K.P. 20 Lodz transferred from Stalag XXI-A to XXI-D.
- June 1943 - December 1943: Camp at Ostrzeszów (Schildberg) administratively transferred to Stalag XXI-D from Stalag XXI-A (remainder transferring to Oflag XXI-COflag XXI-COflag XXI-C was a German Army World War II prisoner-of-war camp for officers located in Warthegau, a western province of Poland that had been incorporated into the German Reich in 1939....
). - 15 July 1943 Shooting of two escaping British prisoners of war at Working Camp 4 (making a rifle range), Ostrowo.
- circa 1943(?) - weak beerBeerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
supplied to replace contaminated drinking water. Stolen Radio concealed in barrelBarrelA barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container, traditionally made of vertical wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. Traditionally, the barrel was a standard size of measure referring to a set capacity or weight of a given commodity. A small barrel is called a keg.For example, a...
. - 16 April 1944 Shooting of Fusilier Rigby and wounding of other prisoners of war.
- June 1944 - H.K.P. 20 Lodz physically relocated to Stalag 344 (Stalag VIII-B)Stalag VIII-BStalag VIII-B Lamsdorf was a notorious German Army prisoner of war camp, later renumbered Stalag-344, located near the small town of Lamsdorf in Silesia. The camp initially occupied barracks built to house British and French prisoners in World War I...
. - PoWs were moved out before the advancing Red Army eventually took the town at the Battle of PoznańBattle of Poznan (1945)The Battle of Poznań during World War II in 1945 was a massive assault by the Soviet Union's Red Army that had as its objective the elimination of the Nazi German garrison in the stronghold city of Poznań in occupied Poland...
in 1945.
Notable Prisoners
- Gris Davies-ScourfieldGris Davies-ScourfieldBrigadier Edward Grismond Beaumont 'Gris' Davies-Scourfield was a British Army officer who became a Prisoner of War and escaped from Stalag XXI-D and Colditz Castle during the Second World War.- Early Life and Education :...
- Hugo IronsideHugo IronsideHugo Craster Wakeford Ironside OBE was an Army Officer who during World War II tunnelled out of a Prisoner of War camp and later helped construct a glider, known as the 'Colditz Cock'.-Background:...
- Ronald LittledaleRonald LittledaleLieutenant Colonel Ronald 'Ronnie' Bolton Littledale DSO , was a British Army officer who became a Prisoner of War and successfully escaped from Colditz Castle during the Second World War.-Early life:...
- Michael Sinclair
- James Oswald Noel VickersJames Oswald Noel VickersJames Oswald Noel 'Jon' Vickers was a British trade union leader.-Early life and Education:Born in London April 6, 1916, educated at Stowe School and Cambridge where he studied History and English....
- Peter ConderPeter ConderPeter Conder, OBE was a British ornithologist and conservationist known predominantly for his contribution as Director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.-Early life:...
See also
- StalagStalagIn Germany, stalag was a term used for prisoner-of-war camps. Stalag is a contraction of "Stammlager", itself short for Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager.- Legal definitions :...
- List of German WWII POW camps
- Prisoner of warPrisoner of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
- Prisoner-of-war campPrisoner-of-war campA prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...