Stalag Luft Iwas a GermanWorld War IIprisoner-of-war (POW) campnearBarth,Western Pomerania,Germany,for capturedAlliedairmen. The presence of the prison camp is said to have shielded the town of Barth fromAllied bombing.[1]About 9,000 airmen – 7,588 American and 1,351 British and Canadian – were imprisoned there[2]when it was liberated on the night of 30 April 1945 by Soviet troops.[3]

Stalag Luft I
Barth,Western Pomerania
Stalag Luft I is located in Germany
Stalag Luft I
Stalag Luft I
Coordinates54°22′25″N12°42′31″E/ 54.37361°N 12.70861°E/54.37361; 12.70861
TypePrisoner-of-war camp
Site information
Controlled byNazi Germany
Site history
In use1940–1945
Garrison information
Garrison900 officers and men
OccupantsRAF,RAAF,SAAF,USAAF,and RCAFPOWs

Camp history

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The camp was opened in 1941 to hold British officers, but was closed in April 1942, when they were transferred to other camps. It was reopened in October 1942, when 200RAFNCOs fromStalag Luft IIIwere moved there. From 1943, American POWs were sent to the camp.[4]

Stalag Luft I consisted of a West Compound (also referred to as the South Compound) and North Nos. 1, 2, and 3 Compounds, separated by German quarters. According to Lt Col Charles Ross Greening, Senior Officer in North Camp 1, "Our barracks were rough, wood frame structures standing on small foundation posts about 8 to 10 inches off the ground. The Germans had dug a series of shallow trenches underneath the barracks to allow guard dogs to creep along and detect any tunnelers. Occasionally, the German guards themselves crawled into the trenches and listened to the conversations of the prisoners in their rooms." North No. 1 Compound had amess hall,where bread, potatoes, and vegetables provided by the Germans were supplemented with food parcels supplied by theRed Cross.Greening states "The parcels included tins and packets of such items as jam, cheese, powdered milk, meat, sardines, margarine, raisins, chocolate, coffee, sugar, and crackers." An escape committee composed of senior camp officers approved all submitted escape plans. According to Greening, "In all, 140 tunnels were dug at Stalag Luft 1." The camp held about 9000 men prisoners.[5]

Commanders

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Evacuation

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On 30 April 1945, the prisoners were ordered to evacuate the camp in the face of the advancing SovietRed Army,but the Senior American Officer, ColonelHubert Zemke,refused to give the order. After negotiations between Zemke and Commandant Oberst (Colonel) Gustav Warnstedt, it was agreed that to avoid useless bloodshed the guards would go, leaving the POWs behind. The next day, the first Soviet troops arrived.[4][5]: 217–218 

The Soviet troops treated German civilians in the area badly, but American and Commonwealth personnel were treated with respect (the liberated POWs were careful to wear armbands on which their nationality was written in Russian). The Russian soldiers replaced the Germans as guards and locked the gates and refused the Allied soldiers to be evacuated[citation needed];almost two weeks later[citation needed]a US Colonel showed up[who?]and threatened to shoot the Soviet Commander if he didn't allow his "Allies" to be released.[citation needed]He ordered the gates opened and the prisoners to be evacuated.

B-17 Bombers that had all of their armaments taken out were flown in and all remaining Allied prisoners were evacuated by air, between 13–15 May, in "Operation Revival".[7]

British POWs were returned directly to Great Britain, while the Americans were sent toCamp Lucky Strike[8]north-east ofLe Havre,France, before being shipped back to the United States.[9]

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The Stalag is the setting of the 2017 filmInstrument of War,featuringJack Ashtonas1st Lt. Clair William Cline(9/30-1917, Stearns Co., MN - 9/17/2010, Tacoma, Pierce Co., WA), a U.S. bomber pilot imprisoned at the camp from February 1944 to April 1945 who built a violin while a prisoner. The film also depicts the prisoners' refusal to evacuate and the negotiations between the Senior U.S. Officer and theKommandant.[10]

Notable prisoners

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  • Nicholas Alkemade,RAF rear-gunner who survived a fall of 18,000 feet (5,500 m) without a parachute when his aircraft was shot down in March 1944.
  • Bohdan Arct,squadron leader in the Royal Air Force and commander ofNo. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron,Polish fighter pilot of thePolish Air Forces in France and Great Britainin World War II, member thePolish Fighting Teamin North Africa, and future writer.
  • John L. Armstrong Sr, on 28 August 1944, was shot down while attacking a railway locomotive in hisP-51 Mustang.On 3 September 1954, he flew aNorth American F-86 Sabreto take the world speed record over a 500-kilometre (310 mi) course, flying at 1,045.206 kilometres per hour (649.461 mph). He died two days later when his aircraft broke up during an attempt to increase his record.[11]
  • Bernard Barker,United States Air Forcebombardier,later famous as aWatergate burglar.
  • Lowell Bennett, American correspondent for theInternational News Service.[5]
  • Jimmy Buckley,BritishFleet Air Armpilot and escape organiser (known as "Big X" — note that a character in the filmThe Great Escapeis also so named, but has a different fate).
  • Josef Bryks,CzechoslovakRAFVR fighter pilot and serial escaper (September – November 1944).[12]
  • John J Carroll, P38 Pilot 55th Fighter Group, shot down over the Netherlands, 1943, Later Vice president of Knorr Broadcasting WKNR (KEENER13) Detroit. Later, Owner Operator of Carroll Broadcasting Inc.
  • John M. Conroy,originator of thePregnant Guppytransport aircraft and founder ofAero Spacelines
  • John Cordner, RAF Lancaster Navigator, Later Headmaster of the Naval School, Singapore
  • Roberta Cowell,RAF fighter pilot, and later the first British person to undergoSex reassignment surgery
  • Philip Crossman, the youngest pilot in the US Army Air Corp and later USAF Colonel; the Czech Republic erected a monument to Crossman and his crew for their defense of the city of Palacov[13][14]
  • Harry Day,BritishRoyal Air ForceWing Commander and Senior British Officer at this and numerous other camps, survivor of the "Great Escape".
  • Harry Besson, was shot down when flying 31/10/43 and captured. He was a RAF pilot born in Stamford Lincolnshire in 11/02/1921
  • James 'Dixie' Deans,RAF sergeant and World War II bomber pilot, guided 2,000 Allied POWs across Germany in what was known as the "Long March".
  • Robert J Duffy, USAAF 2nd Lt. B-24 Co-Pilot from Iowa City, Iowa. Became prominent attorney in Savannah, GA and author of the autobiography, "Every Step of the Way."
  • Sonny Eliot,[15]USAAFB-24bomber pilot, later weatherman onWWJ (AM)950 inDetroit,Michigan.Eliot did weather reports on both TV and/or radio since just after returning home from World War II.[16]
  • John Fancy,British, RAF air observer/navigator whose tunneling escapes from various German prisoner of war camps during the war earned him the nickname "The Mole", and inspired the book and filmThe Great Escape.
  • Augustine Fernandez, career officer in the USAAF, bombardier in the B-17, author of the bookPOWerful memories.
  • Bill Fowler,RAF pilot who later escaped fromOflag IV-C(Colditz Castle).
  • Frank E. Funk, American navigator, 772nd Squadron, 463rd Bomb Group, 15th Air Force. Parachuted out of sabotaged[citation needed]B-17 on his seventh mission. Later dean of University College at Syracuse University, 1970-1988.[17]
  • Francis "Gabby" Gabreski,top American fighteracein Europe in World War II, ajet fighterace in *Korea,and career officer in the USAF with more than 26 years service.61st Fighter SquadronCommander at time of capture.
  • Vermont Garrison,USAAF, 1st Lt. P-51 pilot, with 7.3 victories. AF-86 Sabredouble ace inKoreawith 10MiG-15shot down. Vice commander of the8th Tactical Fighter Wing,and flew a full tour of bombing and fighter missions overNorth Vietnam.
  • John C. Giraudo,USAAF B-24 pilot, later became a POW a second time when he was shot down during the Korean War in 1953.
  • Cornelius P. Gould Jr., 2nd Lt. P-51 Pilot and Tuskegee Airman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Later became the Founding President of the Ohio Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
  • Charles Ross Greening,an American bomber pilot who participated in theDoolittle Raid.
  • William F. Guillaum., 2nd Lt. B-25 Mitchell Bomber Pilot from Cannelton, Indiana. Flew 51 bombing missions and helped organize Stalag Luft I prisoner resistance.
  • Van Hixson,USAAF 1st Lt. B-17 Pilot who later served as The Adjutant General of theUtah National Guard.
  • Jimmy James,9 SqnRAF pilot and survivor of the"Great Escape".
  • Hugh Lake Jameson, B-17 pilot who had played center for Clemson on the first Cotton Bowl (American football) game. His footlocker left behind in England was recovered by family members in 2012.
  • Gerald W. JohnsonCommander of theEighth Air Forceduring theVietnam War,63d Fighter SquadronCommander at the time of capture.
  • Lawrence N. Kalgreen, USAAF 2nd Lt. B-24 Pilot from Akron, Ohio. Later became president of the Akron Bearing Company.
  • Nicolas Koskinas, Greek,Hellenic Air Forcefighter pilot; became chief of theHellenic Tactical Air Force Commandin 1967.
  • Mark Linenthal Jr, American navigator; later poet and professor San Francisco State University.[18]
  • James "Cookie" Long,9 SqnRAF pilot, later escaped from Stalag Luft III in "The Great Escape",but was recaptured and shot by the Gestapo.
  • RA "Bob" Hoover,American fighter and test pilot, who escaped the camp and then stole aFocke-Wulf Fw 190and flew it to Allied territory.
  • Einar A. Malmstrom,356th Fighter GroupCommander and namesake ofMalmstrom Air Force Base.
  • Loren G. McCollom,353rd Fighter GroupCommander.
  • John C. Morgan,ex-RAF bomber pilot and USAAF B-17 pilot, the onlyMedal of Honorrecipient to become a POW in World War II.
  • Brian Paddon,RAF pilot who later escaped from Oflag IV-C (Colditz Castle).
  • Ray Parker, American pilot who from April 1944 to May 1945 editedPOW WOW,an underground newspaper within the camp that distributed information of the outside world to the prisoners.
  • Donald Pleasence,later known as an actor in such films asYou Only Live TwiceandHalloween.He also had roles in bothThe Great EscapeandThe Great Escape II: The Untold Story.
  • Lt Col Luther H Richmond, Commanding Officer of the 486th Fighter Squadron,352nd Fighter Group,was downed by flak while attacking an anti-aircraft position in his P-51. He was a prisoner from April 15, 1944, until May 1945. He retired from the USAF as a Major General in 1970.
  • John TL Shore,9 SquadronRAF pilot, successfully escaped from Stalag Luft I, via 'blitzkrieg' tunnel under incinerator, on 19 Oct 1941 and made a home run to England via Sweden.
  • Saul Sitzer,Career USAAF/USAF. WW2, Korea, Viet-Nam 357th FG 363 Fighter Squadron. On 2 Jan 45 crashed near Cologne in P-51 44-14490. Hit by ground fire on a low level strafing run (second pass over a train), AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ ETO w/ 2 stars. USAF Ret 1972 Lt Col.
  • Brad "Buster" Slaven, child actor with numerous credits prior to the war and additional credits as an adult actor after the war. Retired from Western Airlines as a pilot.
  • Joseph E. Smith, RAF pilot, survivor of several escape attempts and later a director ofNHS Scotland.
  • John Henry Smythe,Sierra-Leonean RAF navigator, later a Queen's Counsel and Attorney-General of Sierra Leone.[19]
  • Henry R. Spicer,sentenced to death for "inciting a riot". Scheduled to be executed the next day after the day the camp was liberated.[20]
  • Roy Wendell, PR director for Fairchild Republic Co., developed public relations strategies for A-10 Warthog, B-1 Lancer
  • Don Widmark, USAAF, brother of Hollywood actor and western starRichard Widmark.
  • Ian WaddyNew Zealand fighter pilot; Squadron Leader ofNo. 486 Squadron RNZAF;shot down in a Typhoon on a "Ramrod" (bombing mission) over France.
  • Hubert Zemke,career officer in the USAAF, fighter pilot in World War II, and a leading USAAF ace. He was the Senior Allied Officer in the camp at the time of liberation, and arranged for the POWs to remain in the camp instead of evacuating.479th Fighter GroupCommander at time of capture.
  • Bernard Thomas Moynahan Jr.,Second Lt. Navigator, shot down after being attacked by fighters on a mission to Brunswick, Germany on 21 Feb 1944 in B-17G 42-39814 that exploded in mid-air and crashed near Wunstorf, GR.,[21]nominated by President John F. Kennedy as Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, becoming Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Nichol, John; Rennell, Tony (4 September 2003).The Last Escape: The Untold Story of Allied Prisoners of War in Germany 1944–1945.London: Penguin Books.ISBN978-0-14-100388-7.Archived fromthe originalon 20 February 2014.
  2. ^Smith, Mary; Freer, Barbara (2008)."World War II - Prisoners of War - Stalag Luft I".merkki.Archivedfrom the original on 13 March 2020.Retrieved30 November2011.
  3. ^Wilson, Bradford P. (2010).Everyday P.O.W.California: Storyteller Press.ISBN978-1-880053-03-4.
  4. ^ab"Stalag Luft 1 Barth at the Baltic Sea".gps-practice-and-fun.2011. Archived fromthe originalon 9 December 2011.Retrieved30 November2011.
  5. ^abcGreening, C. Ross (2001). Dorothy Greening; Karen Morgan Driscoll (eds.).Not As Briefed: From the Doolittle Raid to a German Stalag.Pullman: WSU Press. pp.178–192, 207.ISBN9780874222593.
  6. ^National Archives, War Crimes Index Card Files.
  7. ^Nichol, John (2002).The Last Escape: The Untold Story of Allied Prisoners of War in Germany 1944–45.Viking. p. 226.ISBN0670910945.
  8. ^"Cigarette Camps: Camp Lucky Strike".Archived fromthe originalon 18 February 2015.Retrieved26 September2012.
  9. ^"Camp Lucky Strike".wwii.memorieshop.2008.Archivedfrom the original on 21 May 2013.Retrieved30 November2011.
  10. ^Harris, Sarah (2017-11-15)."BYUtv shows healing power of music in new WWII drama".DeseretNews.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-09-25.Retrieved2017-11-24.
  11. ^Swopes, Bryan (2015)."3 September 1954".This Day in Aviation.Archivedfrom the original on 13 March 2016.Retrieved13 March2016.
  12. ^"Josef Bryks".Free Czechoslovak Air Force. 20 February 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 25 October 2017.Retrieved27 October2017.
  13. ^"Crossman - #5993".461st.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-11-12.Retrieved2019-11-09.
  14. ^"Philip J. Crossman".Bowling Green Daily News.19 January 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-11-09.Retrieved2019-11-09.
  15. ^"bio of Eliot".Archivedfrom the original on 2013-03-16.Retrieved2012-11-18.
  16. ^"Beloved Detroit Weatherman Sonny Eliot Dies".CBS Local.2012-11-16.Archivedfrom the original on 2012-11-19.Retrieved2 December2012.
  17. ^"Frank E. Funk Collection".Veterans History Project.The Library of Congress. 21 May 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2024.Retrieved10 August2013.
  18. ^"Mark Linenthal".Archivedfrom the original on 2014-02-07.Retrieved2014-01-03.
  19. ^Stokes, Tim (9 January 2021)."The airman from Sierra Leone who was shot down over Nazi Germany".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2021.Retrieved8 January2021.
  20. ^"World War II - Prisoners of War - Stalag Luft I".Stalag Luft I Online.Mary Smith and Barbara Freer.Archivedfrom the original on 23 January 2021.Retrieved4 September2020.
  21. ^"Bernard T Moynahan | American Air Museum".Archived fromthe originalon 2024-06-12.Retrieved2024-12-18.
  22. ^"Bernard Thomas Moynahan Jr".

Literature

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