Prisoners of war bulletin Vol. 2 #12 December 1944

12

The new packaging center at Brooklyn, N. Y., which began operations on September 11.
Since this photograph was taken, the volunteers have obtained their regulation blue smocks.

PACKAGING CENTERS

Since the opening of the new
Brooklyn, N. Y-, plant on September
11, the total weekly output of pris-
oner of war food packages has aver-
aged over 300,000. In the week ended
October 14, Center No. 1 at Philadel-
phia produced 79,911 packages. New
York 83,871, St. Louis 79,524, and
Brooklyn 67,455. In the following
week the record figure of 322,044
packages was reached, with Phila-
delphia producing 86,640, New York
84,158, St. Louis 77,756, and Brook-
lyn 73,490. Up to the end of October,
a grand total of over 18,000,000 pack-
ages had been filled.

DOING WELL"

A recent report on a visit to the
Lager Lazarett at Stalag VI G, lo-
cated at Bonn-Duisdorf, gave a list
of the British and American patients
undergoing treatment there. The re-
port on a wounded sergeant stated:

Here since November 1943. He had
more or less everything broken that
was humanly possible, including frac-
tures of the skull, basin, back, and
both legs. But they are all healed now,
and his only trouble at present is
an abscess on the right foot. Apart
from that, he is doing well, but he
will have to stay here for some time
for further medical supervision.

VOL. 2, No

^/

+

^K

THEUNIV;

WOUNDED AMERICANS T]v
HUNGARY AND YUGOSLa^

At the end of June, the I^j
national Red Cross reported th
there were 13 wounded Americ^^
aviators hospitalized in HungaJ'^ii
They were receiving treatment i^^l
Hungarian military hospital ^
Budapest. A report on the -^^i^^^ ^^ *^^ American National Red Cross for the Relatives of American Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees

stated that the men were being -^1 ^ „___ — ^ . ____ _________ ^__

cared for by Hungarian doctors, and ^ NO 12 WASHINGTON, D. C. DECEMBER 1944

that they were entirely satisfied tvith Z- - •

their treatment. They were sched ^^ ~'

aiSONERS OF WAR BULLETIN

uled to be transferred to

camps in

Germany as soon as they had re
covered from their wounds. Un-
wounded aviators brought down
over Hungary had been moved Sliristmas Package No. 2, packed
promptly to German camps. \. women volunteers in the Phila-

A later report by cable stated P^^^^ Center during the hottest
that several Lazaretts in Hunearv ^ ^^ '^^ summer, reached Ger-
^ J' nt via Sweden in time for dis-

The 1944 Christmas Package

containing in all about 60 wounded '^^ ' . • ■

Americans, were visited on Aueu^^^'^'^j' to American prisoners of

^ugust |, ^j^(j civilian internees held by

500

17

were visited
Besides medicine kits.

ture parcels and 2,000 standard food \^^ tin thousand Christmas pack-
packages for American prisoners of .sent in 1943 for American pris-
war had been delivered to Hungary ms of war and civilian internees in
by the International Red Cross, the rope were hardly sufficient to go
report added. ,nnd, although at the time of or-

In June, an International Com- 'i»g. the number seemed exces-
mittee Delegate also visited seven '■ No chances were
wounded American aviators hos- '^"^ ^^^^ y^^^' ^^^
pitalized in the Zemun Lazarett near ''^ shipped m Septem-
Belgrade. Each man received a Red "'^' f^Hy ^0 percent

Cross food package every week. In- T'" """""^^^

,., ,^ T-,,-^ vvccj^. Ill Americans reported

valid parcels and dothing were also :^^^ Germany it that
available. The Delegate's report ,,^ ^^^d much more
stated that the men would be trans- j^ sufficient to cover
f erred to a "permanent" camp in Ger- f,se captured since Sep-
many as soon as they had recovered, nbcr.
They had no complaints to make on Similarly, all prepara-

are now held. The aim, of course, was
to avoid railroad transport in Ger-
many as much as possible.

Much thought was given to plan-
ning the 1944 package— the basis of
it being "turkey and the 'fixins'." A
complete list of the contents follows:

Plum pudding 1 lb.

Turkey, boned meat % lb.

Small sausages % lb.

Strawberry jam 6 oz.

Candy, assorted % lb.

Deviled ham__ 3 oz.

Cheddar cheese 1/4 lb.

their treatment at Zemi

■paa^iiBJBnS si tfoiqM. joj aSBjsod
'i*E£ WaOd uo J3PU3S ^jnou 'TiAvouii St ssajppfi
Avau puE psAouiaj seq ssajppe ji — jajscrajsod

■0 a 'uo^sumsBAv

aovxsoj s n

D a *gl nojSuiiiSKAV
SSOJ3 pa^ XBuoijB^ xiBDTjaray aqx

i(,q p9i{sijqnj M

H6T >iaaPVHAOM

lis were made— inso-

' as they could be by

i International Com-

ittee of the Red Cross

id the American Red

OSS— to get the pack-

K in time to all camps

d hospitals in Ger-

5uy housing American

'|soners. They were

■'Pped, along with large

'Mntities of standard

''4'"^ packages and other

''■'Pplies, on Red Cross

'Ssels from Philadel-

"ia to Goteborg, Swe-

5' and thence trans-

''pped on Swedish ves-

'^ to a north German

mM fairly close to the

■'''nips where the largest

""libers of Americans

t^KJ ::1

Contents of the 1944 Christmas package for American prisoners of war

and civilian internees in Europe. More than 75,000 of these packages were

shipped from Philadelphia.

Nuts, mixed % lb.

Bouillon cubes 12

Fruit bars 2

Dates 14 oz.

Cherries, canned 6 oz.

Playing cards 1 pack

Chewing gum 4 pkgs.

Butter 3% oz.

Games, assorted 1 box

Cigarettes 3 pkgs.

Smoking tobacco 1 pkg.

Pipe 1

Tea 1 % oz.

Honey 6 oz.

Washcloth 1

Pictures (American scenes) 2

The packages were
paid for by the United
States government, and
the contents in large
part were purchased
through the Department
of Agriculture.

Left unsaid, but im-
plicit in every package,
were the heartfelt wishes
of the American people
for the safe and speedy
return of their kinsfolk.

Unfortunately, it was
not possible to get a spe-
cial Christmas package
to American prisoners
held by Japan, but it is
to be hoped earnestly
that the large shipment
of relief supplies held in
Vladivostok, which was
picked up by the Japa-
nese steamer Hakusan
Maru early in Novem-
ber, will reach the camps
in time for distribution
at Christmas, just as the
Gripsholm supplies
shipped to the Far East
in the fall of 1943
reached the men in
most of the camps by
Christmas.

\J

Stalag Luft I

Lt. Cecil B. Fisher, AAF, who was
repatriated from Germany on the
latest exchange, wrote the following
letter in October from the Walter
Reed General Hospital, Washing-
ton, D. C., to a number of relatives
and friends of American prisoners
of war in Stalag Luft I:

Naturally, I am eager to communi-
cate with the friends and relatives of
the American prisoners whom I knew
while in Stalag Luft I. Many have
written me and before leaving Ger-
many, I received numbers of requests
from the men to communicate with
their families. I have resorted to this
form letter in order to write all
of you promptly. I hope you will
consider it as a personal letter, for
there is little more information that
I could send you if I wrote an orig-
inal message in each case.

First, I shall tell you of camp con-
ditions. The prisoners live in wooden
barracks— anywhere from 8 to 14 men
to a room. Sanitary conditions are
favorable. Inmates of the barracks
see to the cleatiliness of the barracks
themselves, equipment being fur-
nished by the Germans. Each prison-
er receives one Red Cross food parcel
per week. This is supplementary to
the German issue of food and assures

Reports on German Camps

quick, pancake flour, etc. I xvould ? Tprisoners in August and Sep-
send meat since they receive mSL \^2ls so large that tents had

VOL.2

each man of enough to eat. No one
is suffering from lack of food. Cloth-
ing and shoes are issued to each man
upon his arrival in camp. Laundry is
done by the prisoners themselves.
They are required to do no work by
the Germans, and anything they do
is purely voluntary.

The YMCA made it possible for
us to obtain musical instruments,
sports equipment, and books. We had
two orchestras in camp, one sym-
phonic, the other for popular music.
We also had equipment for baseball,
Softball, basketball, tennis, soccer,
football, and badminton. The library
is fairly large and contains varied
types of literature. At the chapel in
the camp, both Protestant and Cath-
olic services were held. During my
SIX months' stay, I saw five plays pro-
duced by the prisoners which proved
highly entertaining. Along with
plays, concerts, group singing, and
boxing, the prisoners have a full and
varied program of recreation.

Mail and packages arrived in good
condition. Following are some sug-
gestions as to what to send in pack-
ages: powdered puddings, baking
powder, chocolate, dehydrated fruits
and vegetables, safety pins, spices,
prepared macaroni or spaghetti din-
ners, prepared muffin mixes, Bis-

^0 over 5,900, according to
I' advices from Geneva. The in-

plen^tr ^^^s

erected in all three American
,gunds to house the new arrivals.

Christmas thoughts at Stalag Luft III. Another cartoon for Prisoners of War Bulletin from
Lt. Leonard E. Hamaker, South Compound.

through the Red Cross.

There is a stove in every room 'ou--
coal is issued by the German'^^^ tepon recently received of a
thorities. Although it is cold durr to the camp by a representative
the winter, we suffered no ill e/Tg nar Prisoners Aid of the YMCA
There is also a hospital in chSe of the . . ^

of two English doctors,

an eiiio'

nderful spirit of discipline and

cellent surgeon. We were fortunaluional order. All activities are
in having a dentist, too. ,(ited by 100 percent participa-

Stalag Luft I is without doubt oru cleanliness is exemplary; and
of the best camps in Germany. JJ comradeship among the offi-
is an Air Force camp, and they'ariextraordinary.
acknowledged by all to be the besl'the time of the visit, there were
There have been no af rocife com^gProtestant (British and Ameri-
mitted in this camp. The treatment and two Roman Catholic chap-
by the Germans is good and jain serving the six compounds
Since the invasion, morale in thezt American and three British)
camp is very high and you may bifiit HI- Religious interest among
assured that the boys are thinking oLisoners was reported to be "re-
home and you. The medical care haldhly strong," with about 20 per-
been quite adequate, and the healtit^oi the men attending services,
of all the men was good when I lefi^^\^ were held in the theater in

It would seem from the foregoiMii compound. The chaplains were
letter that the men in Stalag Luftirided with private rooms for in-
who "briefed" Lt, Fisher on writin|iews and "fireside chats." Mass
to their families wanted him to mak^the Catholics was celebrated each
his letters as comforting as possibl&Taing in alternate compounds.

Stalag n A ^^^i'^"' ^^""^ ^^^""^ ''"''^ ^ ^^^^'

Stalag IV A

A cable received in October statedj^Q^j, detachment dependent on

that Stalag II A at Neubrandenburg^j jy ^ .^^^s visited on Septem-

in the province of Meckleiibur| f^ ^y ^ Delegate of the Inter-

(Army District II) had been Tt-^^^^^ Committee of the Red

opened. On the date of cabling, the^^j yj^g detachment, which had

camp held 65 American prisoners ,ufQj.j^g(j Q^ly a few days earlier,

of war. Sgt. Harley Lucas was named' -^g^ gQ American prisoners re-

as American spokesman. .[jy captured in France. Pvt.

StaTafrTTK 'i^^i^dro E. Broun was given as

ataiag 11 js ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^g engaged

Sgt. Harry Galler has been re-ibarracks construction in the city
placed by M/Sgt. John McMahon Dresden.

as American camp spokesman atyag IV A can be added to the
Stalag II B. The International Redipof European camps (published
Cross cabled that the American j. June) in Square D7, between
strength at II B had risen to over tag yv B and Dresden.
6,000 by the end of September. Stalag Luft IV

Stalag Luft ni delegates of the International

r A .u w ^/ ,„ 3 re- "Qmittee of the Red Cross visited

Gen. Arthur W. Vanaman. a re October 5 and 6.

cent arnval at Luft III, is no-;^«^^^;!leLmp strength at that time was
officer for all three American com .^,^^ as 7 975 Americans and 886
pounds. He has been given ?^^lu,h, the latter including 147 Ca-
sion by the German authorines .^^,^^. ^^ Australians, 22 New Zea-
coordinate all matters P^rtaming ^^^^^ ^^^ ^ South Africans.
the three compounds. His qu^^e .^^^ ^^^^ ^^^.^^^^^ numbering 64
are m the Center compound but . ..^^coms, reached Luft IV on
IS permitted to visit the Soutn 1,^^ ^^ ^^^^ s,ever3.l hundreds more
West compounds. ^, :Eaehed the camp between May 14

By the end of September, j^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^

American strength at Luft lU i^ Americans and 800 British ar-

''^ed at Luft IV from Stalag Luft

. r /* rf/ p*««* rnm left to right: Lt. Thomas Mulligan, USAAF,
American prisor^ers at ^.r^Vt :; iTjohrDuTn USN; Major Edward Wheeler, USAAF;

VI. Since then, the camp strength
has been steadily increased by ar-
rivals from Wetzlar (Dulag Luft)
and Budapest.

The transfer of British and Ameri-
can prisoners from Luft VI to Luft
IV, according to the Delegate's pre-
liminary report received by cable,
was accomplished under very bad
conditions. Many of the men, it ap-
pears, lost their personal belongings
during an unnecessarily arduous
trip, and the Delegates reported that
they had made "energetic protests"
to the German authorities.

Luft IV is situated about 12 mdes
from the town of Belgard (Pome-
rania) , in an isolated clearing. There
are 40 barracks, each housing 200
men. Rooms planned for 16 men,
occupying double-decker bunks, held
24 men, and the bunks in some cases
had not been completed. In one sec-
tion, where no bunks had yet been
installed, 1,900 men were sleeping on
floors, each man having two blankets.
There were, at the time of the visit,
no heating facilities and the sanitary
installations were inadequate. Means
for the preparation of food from Red
Cross packages were also lacking.
Some relief supplies, including cloth-
ing, shipped from Luft VI when
that camp was closed, had not yet
reached Luft IV, with the result that
some of the men were insufficiently
clothed.

The general state of health was re-
ported to be good, but the infirmary,
with 132 beds, was overcrowded.
Minor operations were performed

in the camp infirmary, but serious
cases were evacuated to hospitals out-
side. Unlike the Lazaretts, camp in-
firmaries and Reviers are not, as a
rule, equipped with the necessary
appliances. X-ray, etc., for more se-
rious operations. Study courses were
in process of organization, but the
supply of textbooks, as well as of
sports equipment and musical in-
struments, was inadequate. There
were Protestant and Catholic chap-
lains at the camp, as well as medical
and sanitary personnel, but not in
sufficient number.

The Delegates, the cable stated,
"took immediate necessary action
with the competent authorities on
all questions needing improvement."

Stalag VII B
A brief report, received by cable
in October, stated that Stalag VII B
was visited by an International Red
Cross Delegate on August 21. At
that time, out of a total camp
strength of about 11,000, there were
513 American prisoners of war. About
400 Americans were already in work
detachments. The remainder were
housed in tents at the Stalag, where
barracks were under construction.
The name of Francis Sporil was
given as American spokesman. A
later cablegram stated that the
American strength at VII B had in-
creased to 911 at the end of Septem-
ber.

The camp storehouse had been de-
stroyed during a bombing raid, and
500 Red Cross packages lost. Air

raid shelters for the men were re-
ported to be satisfactory. Mail to the
camp had "slowed down," and recre-
ational activities had "not yet been
organized." Hygiene and medical
service were reported to be good,
but there were complaints about the
quality of German food issued to the
men.

Stalag VII B is located at Memmin-
gen. The October Bulletin had
placed it in Square E5, on a line be-
tween Stuttgart and Nurnberg, on
the map of European camps pub-
lished last June. It should have been
placed in Square F5, southwest of
Munich,

Stalag XVII B

Complaints are still being received
from American aviation noncoms
at Stalag XVII B about mail. Next-
of-kin parcels, a recent report stated,
were taking from three to five
months, after dispatch from home, to
reach the men, and incoming letter
mail was said to be slow and erratic.
Outgoing mail was also restricted
because of the inability of the camp
authorities to furnish sufficient let-
ter-forms to the men. Shortage of
letter-forms is probably responsible
in part for the complaints now com-
ing in about delays in receipt of mail
from German camps and hospitals,
but military operations have also
affected the mail service to and from
Germany.

Reports recently received also in-
dicated that bathing, washing, and
toilet facilities at Stalag XVII B were
still seriously inadequate for the more
than 4,000 American prisoners. The
authorities have several times been
urged to improve conditions at this
camp. There is, unfortunately, a
wide difference between the Ameri-
can and German conceptions of
satisfactory camp conditions, and this
applies not alone to Stalag XVII B.

Stalag 317

At the end of August, 35 American
prisoners of war were reported at
Stalag 317. This camp, formerly
designated as Stalag XVIII C, is lo-
cated at Markt Pongau, in Austria.
The camp is mainly for British pris-
oners. F. E. S. Long, of the New Zea-
land YMCA, who is a prisoner at
Stalag 317, wrote a few months ago:

The authorities have given me
every assistance in visiting the men
in work camps, of which there are
five, and I find it possible to visit
one, and sometimes two, a week. I
take my gramophone and records

with me, and give a recital after the
service. The men are very friendly
and appreciate my visits. They are
all from Italy, and although, at first,
disappointed at being transferred to
Germany, are now settling down. We
are entirely surrounded by moun-
tains, and must he close to 2,000 feet
above sea level. One camp I visit is
between 8,000 and 9,000 feet above
sea level. I am domiciled in the hos-
pital, and am able to spend a fair
amount of time in the wards. The
five Komandos (work detachments)
range in strength from 60 to 180 men,
nationalities being English, New
Zealanders, South Africans, a few
Americans, and Australians. The Ger-
man authorities here have been
splendid in their cooperation, and
have granted me every assistance in
visiting Komandos and conducting
services in the Lager.

Oflag 64

First Lt. William C. ("Montana
Bill") Burghardt, winter sports offi-
cer at Oflag 64, wrote to his father
in New York:

I should be very happy if you
would express publicly the deep
gratitude of all officers at Oflag 64
for the skates and numerous other
sports gear (including sportswear)^
musical instruments, books, the-
atrical materials, etc., presented to
them by YMCA War Prisoners Aid,
and which have brought the men so
much happiness. I also hope the Red
Cross will take a deep bow for the
tremendous and wonderful job they
are doing for our men in keeping
them supplied with food, clothing,
comforts, and the 101 other tasks

VOL. 2

HONERS OF WAR BULLETIN

^o.ip-

they perform for them. Without n
Red Cross and the YMCA, uJ ^'
POW would be intolerable. '^^

"Montana Bill" was a former
coach at the University of Moi '

German Camp Locations

jrmany

id professional of the Idaho syd^*"'^^'^^

divided into 22 mili-

j^^^ , or Wehrkreise. Stalags

^y^gsignated by the number of the
iffkreis in which they are located;

.example, Stalag III B
,°ltenburg on the Oder, in Ger-

Club. Oflag 64 is in a district ^vp]^
suited to winter sports. *

When visited on October n
a Delegate of the International R^jste

Cross, Oflag 64 contained 780 Am ■ sY's ^^'^ military district,
can officers and 70 orderlies Coin I'ffc numbers of the Luft camps,
Paul Goode, was the new AmerirT the ^-ther hand, appear to have
senior officer. The men were r P^^"^^^^^^ meaning. Stalag Luft
ported to be in good spirits ^' for example, is actually in the

The winner of a recent beaut l^^^y district. Likewise, no ex-
contest conducted by the camp news'
paper. Item, was Nancy Reid, of ^...^

Evanston, Illinois. Marie Benzel nf , , ^^ n k „• i?

Lincoln, Nebraska, was voted^nd I A-^^'^^^^"'^"'^"'^' Mecklenburg, E
and Clara Van Syckle of Warrenif B-Ham.erstein. Pornerania, near

New Jersey, was third. Their picturesUin

were on the cover of the Octobern A— Luckenwalde, Brandenburg, 30

issue of Item, according to a reports S of Berlin

from War Prisoners Aid of the ill B— Furstenburg/Oder, Brandenburg
YMCA, |[j c— Altdrewitz, Brandenburg, near

The report further stated thatarin

there had been much sports activity^' A— Hohnstein, Saxony, near Dresden

at the camp during the summer, and^'B— Muhlberg, Saxony, E of Leipzig

that the supply of materials' was IV C— Wistritz, Czechoslovakia, near
good. "Bob Ranking's orchestra" had 'Pl''^"^*^*"™^"

been enlarged, and the camp the- I^D-Torgau, Saxony, on the Elbe River
ater was busy with new productions '^ D/Z— Annaburg, Saxony, S of Berlin
Richard Van Syckle and John Glen- 1^ F— Hartmannsdorf, Saxony, near

dinning had suggested an Ofla? 64 '™'*'^ „,.. , <:,xr

theater tour in the United sfatesif A-Ludwigsburg, Wurttemberg, SW
after the war for the benefit of the f;^^^.,,.^^^^^ 3^,,^^ ,^ ^,,,^ purest

-ru 1, J r T^ J TI G— Bonn, Rhineland, S of Cologne on

The camp had four Protestant and , j^j^j^^^ j^j^'^j.
two Catholic chaplains, and religious 'yjj A-Moosburg, Bavaria

interest was reported to be great. ,,,j s-Memmingen, Bavaria.
The library had 6,000 volumes, and j^^L^msdorf, Silesia, SE of Breslau
two skilled bookbinders in Lts. Don-
ald and Hauschild.

Ill B — Teschen, Czechoslovakia, SE of

:tslau

fill C— Sagan, Silesia, on the Bober

Group of American prisoners at Stalag III B. Sent by S/Sgt. Charles Mogg, extreme

left-

K B— Bad Orb (Wegschiede), Hesse-

Bsau, E of Frankfurt

IXC— Bad Suiza, Thiiringia, near Kassel

X B — Bremervorde, Hanover, near Brc-

l C— Nienburg, Westphalia, SE of Bre-
■™, on the Weser River

XI A— Altengrabow, Saxony, near Mag-

XI B— Fallingbostel, Hanover

XII A — Limburg, Hesse-Nassau, on the
'''■in River

XIII D — Formerly at Trier; moved to
^breitbach, Bavaria, near Neuweid on
' ^hine River

jXlI t--Formerly at Forbach; moved to
"insheim, Bavaria, near Bad Diirkhcim
XlII C — Hammelburg, Bavaria
XlIl D — Nurnberg Langwasser, Bavaria
583— Hohenfels, Bavax;a, Oberpfalz
.^Vll A— Kaisersteinbrucv Austria, Nie-
^fdonau

Nieder-

-Markt Pongau, Austria,

By Isabella Lynn

planation has yet been given why a
few Stalags (for example, 344 and
357) are designated by Arabic nu-
merals.

Following is a list of camps in
Germany where Americans are held.
First is the camp designation; second,
the location of the camp by town or
city; and, third, the province in
which the city is located. When it is
helpful in locating the town or city,

XVII B— Krems/Gneixendorf, Austria
39g — Pupping, Austria, near Wels, Ober-

donau

XVni A— Wolfsberg, Austria,
nau

XVIII C (317)-
Salzburg

WK 8 BAB21— Blechhammer, Silesia,
near Heydebreck

357— Kopernikus-Torun (Thorn), Poland

XX A— Torun (Thorn), Poland

XX B— Marienburg, East Prussia, near
Danzig

Luft Camps

Luft I — Barth, Ponierania, on the Baltic

Luft III — Sagan, Silesia

Luft IV — Grosstychow, Pomerania, near
Belgard

Luft VII— Bankau, Upper Silesia, near
Kreuzburg

id tm

identifying information follows the
province.

Most of the foregoing camps and
hospitals contain only a few Ameri-
can prisoners of war, but in some
camps (notably II B, III B, IV B,
XVII B, Luft I, Luft III, and Luft
IV) the number runs well into the
thousands. Some of the camps (no-
tably VII A, XII A, Dulag Luft, and
probably several others) are mainly
transit camps for Americans.

l^P

From Captain R. Hansen, Senior Merchant
Seaman officer at Milag Nord.

Dulag Luft-
Nassau

-Wetzlar im Klosterwald,

Milag and Marlag

Milag Westertimke — T a r m s t e d t-Ost,
Hanover, near Bremervorde

Marlag Westertimke — Tarmstedt-Ost,
Hanover, near Bremervorde

IV C— Colditz, Saxony

VII B — Eichstatt, Bavaria

IX A/H— Spangenburg, Hesse-Nassau

IX A/Z— Rotenburg, Hesse-Nassau

X B— Nienburg, Westphalia

XI (79)— Braunschweig, Braunschweig
(Brunswick)

XXI (64)— Altburgund, Schubin, Po-
land, near Bydgoszcz (Bromberg)
Lazaretts

IV A— Elstcrhorst, Hohnstein, Saxony,
near Dresden

IV G — Leipzig, Saxony

V B— Rottenmiinster, Wurttemberg,
near Rottweil

VI C — Res. Laz. Lingen, Hanover, on the
Ems River

VI G — Res. Laz. Gerresheim, Rhineland,
near Diisseldorf

VII A — Freising, Bavaria, near Munich
IX B — Bad Soden/Salmiinster, Hesse-
Nassau

IX C— Obermassfeld, Thuringia, near
Meiningen

IX C— Meiningen, Thuringia

IX C— Hildburghausen, Thuringia

X A— Res. Laz. II Schleswig, Schleswlg-
Holstein

X B — Sandbostel, Hanover, near Bremer-
vorde

XIII D— Nurnberg Langwasser, Ba-
varia

XVIII A/Z— Spittal/Drau, southern Aus-
tria

Marinelazarett Cuxhaven, Hanover,
mouth of the Elbe River

Luftwaffenlazarett 4/11 Wismar, Meck-
lenburg, E of Liibeck on Baltic

Res. Laz, II, Vienna, Austria

Res. Laz. Graz, southern Austria

Res. Laz. Wollstein, Poland, near Bj*
goszcz (Bromberg).

wnfSlMh

VOL

Determining the Fate of Army Personnel
Missing in Action

ISONERS OF WAR BULLETIN

When army personnel are re-
ported to the War Department as
missing, whether during routine air-
craft practice flights, from transcon-
tinental air lanes, or in action, there
begin a series of actions that do not
cease until each man's fate is known
or determined. The work involved
in the War Department and its
armies and air forces by a report 6i
missing follows the same pattern
whether it concerns Private John }.
Doe, his commanding officer, a colo-
nel, or a general. The object of this
activity is simply to "get all the facts
available and get them straight," as
quickly as possible.

Even though there is heartfelt sym-
pathy on the part of General James
A. Ulio, Adjutant General of the
Army, and his staff of Casualty
Branch workers, as they discharge the
responsibility of notifying the next
of kin of casualties, there is no sug-
gestion of finality in the report "miss-
ing in action." The Casualty Branch
knows that more than 50 percent
of the missing men will be accounted
for within a few weeks or months.
When members of the Army Air
Forces fail to return from a mission
and are reported missing in action,
a report containing all known facts
is rendered the Commanding Gen-
eral, Army Air Forces, Washington,
D. C, by others who participated
in the same flight. This report must
meet the requirement of "getting
all the facts available and getting
them straight." If it was observed
that the plane concerned was dam-
aged by enemy anti-aircraft fire, the
report will so state. If a certain num-
ber of parachutes were seen to open,
this will also be reported. The lo-
cality over which the accident oc-
curred is extremely important, for
by that can be judged each man's
chances of capture by the enemy,
being in friendly hands, or rejoining
his organization as soon as he can
be rescued. The information con-
itained in this report is forwarded
y the Army Air Forces immediately
on receipt in Washington to the
ergency addressee (named by the
'ier prior to his departure from

By Col. George F. Herbert, A. G. D.,
Chief, Casualty Branch

the United States) who has already
been notified by The Adjutant Gen-
eral that the soldier is missing in ac-
tion.

Reporting Casualties

In the GroundJ"orces, it is another
story. Names of men missing in ac-
tion are turned up by daily roll calls
which form the basis of the morning
reports kept by each company or
similar organization. Delays in re-
porting casualties vary according to
the battle conditions existing in the
particular theater of operations. In
any front-line area, military opera-
tions come first, and even reports
of such great importance as those on
casualties must wait for a lull in the
fighting. Oftentimes such a delay in
the first stages of casualty reports is
a protection against inaccuracy. A
man may be reported missing from
his own small detachment and yet
show up elsewhere in the regiment
or division. The correction of his
missing status will thus be made be-
fore the consolidated casualty reports
are sent to Washington through the-
ater headquarters.

The determination in Washing-
ton of what has happened to a miss-
ing soldier is by no means a hasty
operation. It frequently involves con-
sultation with other government de-
partments and agencies to develop
facts which may aid in determina-
tion. Hydrographic authorities are
consulted as to tides and currents in
an effort to establish beyond reason-
able doubt whether a body washed
ashore might be a casualty from a
ship sunk some two hundred miles
or more away. The United States
Weather Bureau is sometimes con-
sulted as to the direction and velocity
of winds on specific dates and in
specified areas to ascertain what role
they may have played in bringing a
missing aviator and his rubber raft
ashore, or of driving him further
to sea.

Other factors which necessarily
must be considered include the lapse
of time of absence, the change of
enemy practices in reporting prison-
ers,* the recapture or occupation of

jjig an engagement in Tunisia

i^vhom there was neither name,
je, nor army serial number. The
,, identifying details available
£ a laundry mark and a right
jibprint. A check with the War
j^artment's fingerprint file showed
^' thumbprint to be of the left
Ip^ of a soldier missing in action
"funisia whose initials matched
'Ije on the laundry mark. Ap-
tly the soldier's right thumb

territory, the receipt or disclosure

delayed death reports, discoveries ^'

marked graves or other reliable pvf ■ , j i i j

dence of death, the exchange ^^'w^^^^^l''"- '^^ '^''' !?

liberation of prisoners of war aT^i'^^' ^^^"^ °u ^'A '""^"^^'T '"^?'

finally, the cessation of hostilities ^"7 T^te,th^ Casualty Branch ao

Identification Difficulties

,ted the identification after con-
ing with fingerprint experts in
Ijshington.

These factors sound broad mi i • • u- i,

c^^^^ K,,^ ^^ u A . %other example is one m which

^^Iv n^ ^^7^ "^■'^' «^? ification was established follow-
tremely personalized. Typical ex^;^ ^ received from Germany

amples are those cases where airplan ; 7^1,^ International Red Cross
crashes have made the task of identiC effect that a member of the

fication extremely difficult, and'^^^ i^ j j- j i- a i

1 c . . • u 1- , 1 Corps had died of wounds and

where fragmentation bombs or shelll ;• J • -n ■ tt

,t ° TiE 1. ■ >; I buried m a village m France,

cause the same difficulty m GrounI a: > i, ^ u ^ „ vUi^/i

T7„„ „ -J *■£ ,- r\ - ^^te officer s name had been garbled

I'orce identifications. One such casi ■ - u v.^ a

,.t1,,vi, , o ^^ , A ( \l o ,1 transmission by cable, and even
which was reported from the Somhl, , . .t,..u J ^u^^ J^.r..rt.r..^t

west Pacific Area follows:
found the wreckage of

A native!
a Unite,
States Army plane near the banks o|'^

w '", TT- '^'"\ °^'" "t" ^d-ied with the report received
;i;"lnSfatwTta-lffaTel3Uh. the InternaVal , Red

of a shirt with several initials, Air"

i!gh a check of War Department
ids disclosed an officer with a
ilar name who was reported miss-
over that vicinity on a date that

there was not sufficient evi-

n . ■ .-„ ■ ■ ■ • ^"f^^^l' . '"^fflce to make positive identification.

Corps msignia, insignia of rank, im-.„_ __ r.i._ i_.„„ .v,„ ah.-^j

pressions of upper and lower dent
structure, a certain shoe size, an

'}m two months later, the Allied
fees overran that territory and en-
the village in which the officer
only Air Corps officer of similar rank^^ ^H^^f " ^h^ , War Department
and initials listed in the files of the^^^f^ely wired the Commanding
Casualty Branch as missing in ac.^"^'^^! ^^ the European Theater of
tion in the same area had the samej^f^^ions and gave him all detail
color hair, and the dental chart made J^ble concerning the xndmdua
upon his induction coincided witli^^™^ "J^^s^ng quoted the repor
the impressions taken by the report- ^^d through the International
ing officer, except for one or two ^ Cross, and asked if the two were
filline-s I same man. The reply was

^ ^ ', , . ^ , . . , ,m received. The grave had been

On the basis of this evidence, mL^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^.-^^ ^^^^^

identification was accepted and tljldbeen identified positively as the
missing_ mans status changed tc^,^ ^^^^j^^ ^^ missing in action by
killed m action.; Three weeks la^bar Department,
a sergeant missing from the same , i .....

flight which took^he officer's life .fourth m

wandered back to his base. He con- J" but agam different m cir-
firmed the crash near the stream and.^^^^^- There was a report re-
the death of the pilot already -.,...^1^^^^^^ Afric^an Th.

^p. J'lnidentified soldier of the Ground

fied.
Another

that of

/^.nomerinsiance was mat u."' forces. It gave his height and the
port received in the Casualty Bran«^ j^j^j ^ . , - -i. ^, ^as-

concerning a soldier killed in ^cu j|j^ ^^^^^^ checked with the Office

^ „^„ m I *e Chief of Ordnance, getting

teSc ^Se^^tlot'Z'&%t ^T^oih^ Hame of the division which had
?^ejur."ceror^cTnriS"%i^^^^^ block of serial

- '■ - " douht ajfected the u "inDers containing this particular

.c. an prisoners oi ,,^^^^^_ ^^^ ^_J^^ waS Stationed

erations, have

man revortiv-s service on prisoners

—Ed.

Publication of German Camp Reports

A few readers have complained that
Prisoners of War Bulletin devotes far
more space to reports on, and letters
from, Stalag Luft III than to other
camps in Germany for American airmen.
Reference is made in particular to Stalag
Luft I, Stalag Luft IV, and Stalag
XVII B. Some relatives of men in Luft-
waffe camps other than Stalag Luft III,
unfortunately, seem to have the im-
pression that the latter is a "country
club in the pines," and that the prisoners
there have a sort of privileged status
compared with the men in other camps.

The one and only reason why the
Bulletin has published more about
Stalag Luft III than about any other
German camp is because there has been
more to publish. The same applies to
photographs. About nine out of every ten
that have so far reached the Red Cross
have been from the relatives of men in
Stalag Luft III. It is the oldest and
probably the best organized camp for
Americans in Germany. The other Luft-
waffe camps, and several of the Stalags
for enlisted men, are comparatively new
camps so far as Americans are con-
cerned. Very little is known yet about
some of these camps, but whenever
information on them that may be pub-
lished reaches the Red Cross, readers
can rest assured that, whether this infor-
mation is favorable or unfavorable, it
will be given in the Bulletin.

It is quite understandable that the
relatives of a prisoner — say, in Stalag
Luft IV — are disappointed when prac-
tically no direct mention of that camp
appears in an issue of the Bulletin, but

when that occurs it is only because there
is nothing available for publication about
the camp. Much detailed information
about Luftwaffe camps, including Stalag
Luft III, reaches the American govern-
ment through official channels from the
Swiss government, which is charged with
the protection of American interests in
Germany. If the confidential character
of these reports were not properly safe-
guarded, their value would be seriously
impaired. It is on the basis of these
reports {as well as on the reports of
camp visits made by Delegates of the
International Committee of the Red
Cross, which, however, may be pub-
lished) that the State Department is able
to take action for the proper observance
by the Detaining Power of the Geneva
Prisoners of War Convention. The safe-
guarding of the rights of prisoners of
war under the Geneva Convention is
primarily a governmental, and not a Red
Cross, function.

No doubt as the newer camps for
Americans get better organized, and
are more frequently reported on by the
International Committee of the Red
Cross and other welfare organizations
like War Prisoners Aid of the YMCA,
more information on them will be avail-
able for publication in the Bulletin.
But, in the meantime, relatives who have
men in camps about which little is known
at present can gather much general
information by reading the camp re-
ports which are published. Conditions
which affect one camp are likely to affect,
in greater or lesser degree, all other
camps in Germany.

in the area where the deceased sol-
dier was found, and a message was
sent there giving the serial number
of the rifle, asking to whom it had
been assigned, and that individual's
present status. The reply received
stated the rifle had been assigned
to a soldier then carried as missing
in action. The check made in the
Casualty Branch revealed that this
person had been reported to the War
Department as missing in action and
the report had been forwarded to the
family, that his height was identical
with that of the deceased soldier;
and in this way, another identifica-
tion was established.
'These are examples of only one
type of solutions made through the
vast network maintained for the
purpose of determining the fate of
army personnel missing or missing
in action. By results such as these
can be judged the degree to which
the 75 officers and 2,000 employees of
the Casualty Branch of The Adjutant
General's Office live up to their creed,
ever before them, which is set forth

in these words:

We, the officers and civilian em-
ployees of the Casualty Branch, are
dealing with the distressing results
of war. Our problems are those of
life and death. As such they are as
widespread as the borders of our
country and reach out to all our peo-
ple regardless of creed, race, or sta-
tion. They concern the wounded, the
missing, and those who have given
their very lives that the institutions
of our country, of which we are all
so proud, might live. It is necessary
therefore, that all of us realize that
this is not just another assignment
or just another job but rather a sin-
gular opportunity to render a service,
excelling all others, to distraught and
grief-stricken relatives. The privilege
of rendering this service is our re-
ward: There is none greater.

The activities of the Casualty
Branch will, of course, be continued
after the termination of hostilities
until the possibilities of determining
the fate of every missing soldier have
been exhausted.

Far Eastern Receipt Cards

VOL. 2, No. llisONERS OF WAR BULLETIN

^i AMitiCAN iiD ciess q

\fvJl RECaPT FOR PRJSpNER OF WAR PACKAGE 7

t have received today one food package from THE AMERICAN NATIONAL RED
CROSS tfirough the (rrfomational Red Crow Committee.

Natioflality..J^er-?.C.rf.Jdi Data.

Md.^.j<^^nm,

+

AMERICAN RED CROSS

lU/I RECeiPT fOR PRISONER OF WAR PAC(CASE

.M...

1 : ^B-PH ' A\. „ &BRQtf¥Hr

..d.'^..D9.'w/?/v

NiPPb/Nj

I have received today one food package from THE AMERICAN NATIONAL RED
CROSS through the h^emational Red Cross Committee.

(Signed).
Nationality..

.A.m^iod.d Dat,.„.../

AMERICAN RED CROSS

RECEIPT FOR PRISONER OF WAR PACKAGE

--^/l^
7

CK-bS)

(urtit^ (FiB..»dMiddi.N.;;ir' cwr

m-—^j:M^ ^ %>../.„

I have received today one food package from THE AMERICAN NATIONAL Rcri
CROSS through the International Red Cross cfommittee. °

(Signed) - U*U>>JLu=<.2J^...S fi^^

NafionalityAH£:jf/.CftH Date jS»^ liyjl'^I

Pettage Free
FraifcduPort

^ Service Des

FfllSONNIERS De ^UERfK
AMERICAN REP^ROSS
Washington, D. C.
United States of America

111072
0.1 ee4soR

Kr.egf9»fanqeh.,»^
Pritonera of War i>a \
>rwenn.er« Je.gij^e'

European

Stalag Luft I

May 27

(Received at Alhambra,
Calif., October 17)
jifother and Dad:

jfe decided it is high time that I write
, before the month runs out. As yet I
bad no news from home or otherwise.
i[ is still too soon to be expecting any.
jt camp have decided to make pledges
e American Red Cross to show our ap-
jjtion to them. Tliis of course is done
;[ter home (as is this). So I might sug-
tlnit if you already haven't given to the
Cross (recently), to take two hundred
00) dollars of mine and make a do-
,n. They have really been life savers
the food and clothing they have fur-
j for us. Just recently our band (or-
,ra) and choir gave a concert which
really very good. But outside of that
reading a few books, life here remains
same. Monotonous!

mv donations from the families of
'rican prisoners of war iri Stalag Luft I
Stalag Luft III, as well as other camps,
! reached the American Red Cross in
'it months — usually with a statement
i the prisoner had requested that the
Hon he made. As the Bulletin has many
;s pointed out, and as the men them-
!S now probably know through the
%m of The Red Cross News (the month-
mblication which goes to .the camps),
supplies furnished by the American Red
s are paid for in large part by the
ltd States government.
![ donations to the American Red

Philippines' Message
Service

All Red Cross chapters in the
United States were authorized to ac-
cept messages, up to December 15,
for delivery to liberated American
prisoners of war and civilian in-
ternees in the Philippines. The an-
nouncement of this service reached
the Bulletin too late for inclusion
in the November issue, but notice of
it appeared in newspapers through-
out the country.

This service was designed to bring
to any reported prisoner liberated by
United States Forces news of home
as soon as possible after release.
One message could be filed by any
person in this country for a prisoner
of war or civilian internee known to
be interned in the Philippines, the
length of the message being re-
stricted only by the space on the Red
Cross message form (No. 1616) .

Arrangements are also being made
so that, promptly upon liberation,
prisoners of war and civilian in-
ternees in the Philippines will have

Relief Supplies Reach'
Japan

The Japanese steamer Hakusanit Folks:

large contribution toward prisoner
>Mr relief.)

Stalag Luft I

April 21

(Received at Jacksonville,
Oregon, Oct. 2)

These are the first receipt cards for Red Cross food packages received from American prisoners of war heldf^, ^of'^oH^tl ^uLd''\n''prisone^l}
by Japan. The cards came in November, and others have arrived since that time. ^^w'eufs theirXtnulTto'^knlw t^t

y.United States government also makes

an opportunity to send similar form
messages to their families in the
United States. As in the case of out-
going messages, the Army Postal
Service will handle the transmission
as expeditiously as possible.

Whether or not they have availed
themselves of the special message
service, families are urged to con-
tinue writing at regular intervals by
prisoner of war mail. This mail now
goes by two routes— by air to Tehran,
the capital of Iran, and on Russian
steamers sailing from a west coast
port. No postage is necessary.

CABLE MESSAGES FROM
PHILIPPINES

Seventy-two cable messages were
received on October 18 from civil-
ian internees in the Philippines. Al-
though undated, the messages were
apparently dispatched in August
prior to the inauguration of the col-
lect message service.

One internee reported the receipt
of 43 letters during 1944. Another
acknowledged a cable sent from the

U. S. in March 1944.

Maru, early in November, picked up^'f '° «»te another letter^ T'le other
•^ ■' ' t" i. I acquired some pieces of cloth and

at the Soviet port of Nakhodka OVerfc myself a cap xvith a visor on it to
2,000 tons of relief supplies shipped!' *e sun out of my eyes now that we
^^ ^^j oavmg bright warm days. I used card-

from the United States and Canada ,rjfj.Q^ ^ j^^^ q^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^q stiffen
to Vladivostok late in 1943. '™«^' ^"d it made a very satisfactory

' It looks like a regular baseball cap.
The Hakusan Maru made its firstsc fellow paid me a chocolate bar, and

call at a Korean port and -r^"^^^ T^S^^^^T^JT ^

about 150 tons of Red Cross tooam you cigarettes are the medium of
packages, medicines, clothing, and ;Jange here. For example, a razor blade
^ . ,9 T r -.^TiPT? °™ one cigarette and a chocolate bar

miscellaneous supplies for pnsonen ^^^^^^ ^^^^ cigarettes.

of war held in Korea and ManchuriMVe got some "paint and decorated our

The Hakusan Maru then proceeaea%. xhe ceiling is now white and the

to Kobe where the rest of the sup J yellow, it is much cleaner and also

T 1 J J , cheerful this way. Since I am rather

phes were unloaded. _ ,?I painted most of the ceiling. Then I

The Delegate of the International ^ie some charcoal sticks and sketched a

Committee of the Red Cross, who y pair of pilot's wings and a B-17 on
was charged with supervising 4e» ^,^^ ^^'':^^tS;^ ^l

warding of the supplies, has beeii |4 and we pamted pennants from all
quested to arrange for their disnri" * colleges we have attended on the wall.

tion to all American and United iN^* , * our room looks quite gay. I have also

tions prisoners of war and civilian if j JJ seamstress and made myself a pair
J^ - - - - ' .;"Orts for warm weather. I cut some

ternees held by Japan.

i

*ial from my shirttails to make them,

and the shorts are very comfortable. Next
week it will be my turn to cook again, so
I will have a busy time for a few days.
However, that helps make the time pass
more quickly. One of the fellows bought a
portable phonograph (with cigarettes), so
now we have music in our room. We have
al)out a dozen records to it. I hope you
have been receiving my letter each week.

Stalag XVII B
April 1944

Dear Mother and Dad:

I am in good health, not injured at all.

They are treating us all right. I get a Red

Cross package once a week.

Stalag Luft III

June 30

(Received October 9 at
Philadelphia, Pa.)
Dear Dad:

Well, maybe everyone isn't feeling 100
percent brighter than at this time last
month. We've been waiting a long time for
the invasion and feel a lot closer to getting
home 'now that it has come. The camp was
just wild with excitement the day it came.
The first news we had of it was someone
catching a snatch of it over the German
radio loudspeaker which is installed in the
camp. We immediately got the newsroom
translators together and caught the 3 p. m.
broadcast. Sure enough, it was true. For
the next three days we had a translator
on the radio each hour to get the news.
The minute he got it he brought it into
the office, .translated it, and I typed it and
rushed it out to the waiting mobs. We put
a big bulletin out with a map and kept a
running account by the loudspeaker as
well as in the newsroom. The German au-
thorities have been very cooperative. They
got the newspapers to us soon after they
came out, and each morning we issued a
new set of articles on the progress of the
invasion, details and all. It was really a
great day and since then I have been con-
siderably busier as the local papers are
carrying a lot on the subject, and we are
able to post a pretty detailed account of
the progress.

Things in the east are certainly looking
up this month. I'm getting rather eager
to get a crack out there myself. Here's hop-
ing you are well and happy and that it
won't be many months before we are to-
gether again. As for myself, I'm happy and
in good health.

Stalag IV B

August 16

(Received October 6, in
Petersburg, Va.)
Dearest Mother and Dad:

I hope that by now you have heard from
me and know that I am a P. O. W. in Ger-
many—the one thing I least expected to
happen to rae. Three boys from my com-
pany are with me. Capt. Kolman also a
P. O. W. Being a medico, I am not allowed
to do any work outside camp. I was cap-
tured June 7. Men of all nationalities here
in camp. Receive Red Cross food box every
Monday. Lots of sports here and classes
on all subjects. Have not heard from any of
you since June 3. Pray that all of you are
well. The Lord bless you and keep you.

Stalag VII A
June 30
Dear Dad:

I am eating fairly well aS, in addition
to the Red Cross food packages, the Ger-
mans give us sausage, stew, cereal, cheese,
ersatz coffee, tea, bread. So far have only
worked two afternoons shovelling gravel.
I have been about thirty days in Stalag
VII A. I attend church services each Sun-
day. It is an easy life in many ways and
much pleasanter than in the prison camps
in Italy. I've seen four amateur stage shows
and two movies. Hope to see you soon.

Stalag Luft HI

June 6
Dear Folks:

Today started like any other day behind
barbed wire. In the gloomy light of 8
o'clock German time, which is 9 o'clock
prisoner of war time, the hundreds of
Americans in this camp crawled from hard

American prisoners at Stalag II B. Sent by Pvt. Mitchell Lysak. No other names given.

VOL

bunks, took turns at icy water in the prison
block washrooms, and munched breakfast
of Reich bread and Red Cross jam and
coffee. Because of gray drizzle outside,
"Appall" (roll call) was counted indoors
by blocks. American "Kriegies" opened
books, broke out decks of cards, and pre-
pared to while away another of the mo-
notonous days of prison life.

Your permanently assigned correspondent
ferreted some paper from the old locker
and began to write a short story in mood
with the dirty sky, about a most unfortunate
fictional character suffering from barbed-
wire psychosis. Thus we dramatized our
predicament, feeling sorry for our fictional
character, shamefully pitying ourselves and
each other, until that dreary drizzle stopped.
Such is any dank morning beneath the
reign of guard towers. With the clean air
came lunch— more Red Cross victuals, still
appetizing after 400 days of parcel existence.
God bless the Red Cross and clean air. After
lunch, this caged city's metropolitan life
began. The band practiced in the cookhouse,
classes were in session, actors rehearsed in
the theater, and promenaders strolled along
the wooden guardrail inside the wire
boundaries. Halfway through his short story,
your "Kriegie" writer began to wonder if
he could make barbed-wire psychosis read
convincingly in a story.

Then IT happened! The Padre an-
nounced it first. Doors opened, voices called,
men started running to the cookhouse.
Classes stopped, rehearsal ended, the band
broke up. Thrilled throngs of Americans
crowded around the cookhouse loudspeaker
to hear the German news translated. It
had come! Finally, oh, at last! For 1:5%
hours we had actually existed oblivious to
the second greatest day of our lives. The
psychosis story is burning in the stove now.
Your humbled writer is praying to God
tonight. There are angels in worse hells
than this.

Far Eastern

Zentsuji War Prison Camp, Japan

April 1944

Dear Mother and Dad:

Received all letters up to September 11,
1943, except for June and July. Also cable
March 20. Mail, news, and looking forward
to docking in Trisco constitute the daily
bread of our existence— literally as well as
figuratively. Please explain to all that I am
restricted in letters and must depend on you
to conduct my correspondence. Promise to
make up for it on return. Lots of work for
you, old man, and I deeply appreciate it.
Hope you may find some recompense in
thought that mail is one of the major events
in our existence. Am devoting one of my
few letters to acknowledging receipt of a
few, but can't afford another. In future
count on more letters reaching me, and
even, if no general news, "homey" details
such as a trip to market, a walk around the
lake, are the stuff upon which imagination
feeds. In good health, weight 160, and have
added Spanish, Japanese, and history to
studies. Also give a psych, course and do
much reading. Change requisition to fleece-
lined slippers instead of moccasins, and
cheese and chocolate for some tobacco.
Mention photos to everyone. Don't ever
worry about me. These last few years have
had some salutary effect. One must develop
a philosophy embodying patience, tolerance,

humility, and service. Rare virtues in such
an individualistic world. Would like a let-
ter or so from mother in with yours.

Philippine Military Prison Camp No. 1

(Undated. Received at Bristol, Conn.)
Health good. Take good care of yourself.
Please don't worry about me. Think very
much of you and the gang. Hope it has no
casualties. Give my regards to all. Radiogram
best communication. Suggest you try it. All
my love to you. May it be God's will to
bring us together again.

63 Great Western Road, Shanghai

May 15, 1944
The American Red Cross,
Washington, D. C.
Dear Sirs:

I am requested by all American residents
of this Civil Assembly Center, and others
who have benefited, to express to you
their heartfelt thanks for the much ap-
preciated supplies of clothing, medicines,
etc., which were delivered by the Interna-
tional Red Cross, by arrangement with the
Japanese authorities, on April 21. They
would request that all concerned in the
organizing of the supply and delivery of
these cases be made aware of their gratitude
and appreciation, not only of the goods
themselves but of the excellent choice that
has been exercised in their selection.

Yours faithfully,

(Signed) N. W. B. CLARKE.
(Letters similar to the above have been re-
ceived from the Civil Assembly Centers at
Chapei, Pootung, and Lungwa.)

Philippine Military Prison Camp No. 10-A

(Undated. Received at Litchfield, Minn.)
Longing to see you, and missing you a lot.
Hope the war will end soon, so I can come
home and be with you. Hope you are as well
as I am and God bless you. Please write
through the Red Cross.

Taiwan

25 th May, 1944
Dear Dad:

The warmer weather is with us now, so
we have fixed up a tennis court, and man-

jONERS OF WAR BULLETIN

age to get in an hour's play before

evening meal. I can assure you that •

the help of the Red Cross and the te^''L--

I am feeling very fit, and hope that j"^'*''^

manage to stay like this until the end of "^Vfll

captivity The camp livestock, which h^l.ail^orms tS prisoners of war?

der my charge, IS commg along verv n,v^."^ , ^ i , u u

we have had a cow added to our ran? ''^^'e*' ^^^ ^^^ photograph should

cently. Although she is in calf, we get ab '^^e Stitched to the letter form.

4-5 pints of milk a day, half of whfrh J^."^'no not write underneath the pic-

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

pints of milk a day, nait of which
to the camp hospital. One of the oi^^Znre. The name and number of
IS very keen on amateur dramatic? , ""*^" . i. u u • ^-^

few of us got together and prodS "t.'''^^ prisoner should be given on
Skin Game" by John Galsworthy. As tl^^ ^^^^ °^ ^^^ picture,
know, I was always too shy to be of aW have no USe for the tohacco

good in the acting line, but I seem
lost that shyness, and I thoroughly

havcjfl&e/i as my son, who is a prison-

it. we ^rr^ow Xarsi^PES^Tl?^ ^'" ^^™^"^^ ^"^^ "^' '"^^,^'-
same author, and hope to put it on in C«'^ ^^ey be exchanged for other
few weeks. \}}els7

(The above letter, from a British nfflr=.Vo
captured in the Malaya campaign t^^l^^. ., . ., ^ j

father in England, carries the latest ah,ls ^t ^'""^ that the Germans de-

ir^ar''r^iilrZ^e%'i?f^l:r '^''^^(^^d three enlisted men in ex-

\ change for every American offi-

Fukuoka, Camp No s^^'' repatriated?
(Undated. Received at Weymouth, Mass \^'o- Article 68 o£ the Geneva
Dearest Mother: ' Convention of 1929 states that:

I hope this letter finds you and Grannie B^^'^g^''^'^^'^ '^^^ bound to send
as you were when I left. I am healthy and hack to their own country, re-
in good spirits, and am working for pzy.^ardless of rank or number, se-
Love to all. riously sick and seriously injured

mSn^rzt^! T.^TiVt^rki^zz^^^'"'''' ?^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^t^^

Grenadier," He was captured about IS hxought them tO a condition

where they can be transported.

iereements between belligerents
Zentsuji War Prison Camp No. 1 j£;; accordingly settle as soon as
January 25, 1944 ^^^^-^^^ ^j^^ ^^^^^ ^^ invalidity or

T, . , , ^ ,„, of sickness, entailing direct re-

Received your package of 1942. Tust the , , • ^- 77 ^^u^ ^„.^c

ft,;^o.c T „ A A cu r \r\r- Patnation, as well as the cases

thmgs I needed. Shoes a perfect fit. Vitamins f^ .,. , ■, , , , •. 7- ^•
I like, and tobacco welcome. Received total ^^^^'^^^g possible hospttahzation
48 letters, 3 from mother. The pictures are '" ^ neutral country.
wonderful. Send more. Mother looks good. Before an exchange takes place,
I am fine. Only one cold this winter. Have the respective belligerents agree
requested that my life insurance be in- on the approximate number of
creased from $5,000 to $10,000. Have taken prisoners to be repatriated. The

months ago.)

My dearest Wife, Mother and All:

up chess. A very good game. Love to all.

number varies with each ex-
change. As the United States holds
over 200,000 German prisoners
more than the number of Ameri-
cans held by Germany, the Ger-
mans eligible for repatriation
must naturally exceed the num-
ber of Americans.
Many of the families of prisoners
of war in the Far East, unfor-
tunately, cannot afford the $6.60
ivhich it costs to send the one
cablegram a year now permitted.
Cannot this charge be waived, in
cases of real emergency?
'■In such cases, the American Red
Cross is prepared to pay the en-
tire cost of the cable. The cir-
.^i j cumstances should be explained,
,*! I '^T a member of the family, to the
local chapter of the Red Cross.
^y brother, a paratrooper, was
''dptured by the Germans. I have

sent with air been told that all letter mail for

airborne troops should be ad- .
dressed to Stalag Luft III, fol-
lowed by the proper camp ad-
dress in brackets. Should I so
address my letters to him?
A. No. The Germans do not regard
paratroopers, or airborne troops,
as airmen. Mail, therefore, should
be addressed directly to the camp
to which your brother has been
assigned. If you have not yet re-
ceived his camp address, you may
write him in care of the Interna-
tional Red Cross Directory Serv-
ice, Geneva, Switzerland. On the
envelope, give your brother's full
name and rank, followed by
"American Prisoner of War in
Germany."
Q. What should the family do when
notification has been received
that the soldier is a prisoner of
war with known address and
number, but labels have not been
received after several months?
A. Write to the Prisoner of War In-
formation Bureau, Office of the
Provost Marshal General, War
Department, Washington 25,
D. C.
Q. My brother is a prisoner of war
at Stalag II B. His last letter, fol-
lowing the camp number, added
the words "Arb. Kdo. 1575."
What do these words mean?
Should they be included in the
address when we write to him?
A. "Arb. Kdo. No. 1575" means
Arbeits Kommando. No. 1575, or
work detachment No. 1575. All
mail for a Stalag is sorted at the
base camp. There is no objection
to adding the prisoner's Kdo.
number to the camp address.
Q. If a boy was with the French un-
derground, and the territory is
now in possession of the Allies,
how soon may we expect to hear
from him?
A. A number of Allied airmen who
had been reported missing in ac-
tion have recently reestablished
contact with their armies as they
advanced through France and
Belgium. In such cases, the men
invariably get word by cable to
their families at the earliest pos-
sible opportunity.
Q. Does the Red Cross supply the
lists of prisoners of war which

are published in the newspapers?
No. All casualty lists are prepared
for the press by the War Depart-
ment Bureau of Public Relations
on the basis of reports from the
Casualty Branch of The Ad-
jutant General's Office, War De-
partment, Washington, D. C,
which also notifies the emer-
gency addressee (next of kin) be-
fore the lists are released.
Are prisoners constantly being
exchanged, or must my husband
remain in Germany for the du-
ration?

While hostilities continue, the
Geneva Convention provides only
for the repatriation of seriously
sick and seriously wounded pris-
oners of war. Separate provision
is made in the Red Cross Con-
vention for the repatriation of
"protected personnel" (chaplains,
doctors, sanitary personnel, and
so forth) .

Far Eastern

From Philippine Military Prison Camp
No. 1, undated, received at Roby, Texas,
in August: "Received your cable last week,
and am very glad to know you are all right.
I am getting along very good, so do not
worry about me. Write to me soon. Love
to all."

From Zentsuji War Prison Camp, dated
December 1943, received at Central, New
Mexico, in August: "The New Mexico boys
here are all well, and all have received
many letters. Al has received 6 to date. One
mentions a clipping in the SC paper about
all of us. Al, Jim and Jack send their re-
gards. Have the Elys or Ashbys received
word from the boys? Mother, write to Mrs.
Clem Suttman, Batesville, Ind., Mrs. I. B.
Richards, Rodeo and Jack's sister, and tell
them all is well. Hope my allotment is
coming through and Dad is taking care of
my insurance and using the balance as
he sees fit. I am enclosing my Christmas
presents, three photos of myself. Do not
worry about me, just think of that grand
reunion we are going to have on the Old
Rancho upon my return. We will kill the
best fat yearling on the ranch and have
all that goes with it."

A recent shortwave broadcast from an
American sergeant at Camp Hoten, Man-
churia: "Hello folks, may next Christmas
find us all united for a big dinner. My
health is good and I have been receiving
good treatment. The Vatican donated a
fund which was used for the purchase of
musical instruments and recreational equip-
ment. I wrote a postcard, but so far there
has been no reply."

"Just received your box sent August 22,

1943. Am happy as a kid at Christmas.

Words can't express my feelings or thanks.

No letters yet, but waiting patiently." From

(Continued on page 12)

Prisoners of war at Zentsuji. Tofi row: Kliewer, Mellon, Wood, Marks. Bottom rotf-
Webb, Martin, Hein. Photo taken December 15, 1943.

l^

VOL.

2. No.

(Continued from page 11)
■Zentsuji dated January 26, 1944, and re-
ceived at Minneapolis, Minn., on August 4.

A letter received in Memphis, Tenn., in
August from Zentsuji, said, in part: "Still
well and in good spirits, so don't worry.
Hope you are all well at home. By the
way. Dad, I've learned to appreciate your
'bay window.' Here's to bigger and bet-
ter ones."

"I am in fair health. I am still working
here in Osaka along with some of my ship-
mates. Please do not worry. I do hope to
hear from you," wrote a prisoner at Osaka
to his mother in Geraldine, Montana. The
card was received in August.

"I find my stay here very interesting and
the time passes quickly. 1 hope all of you
are in the best of health and prosperity.
Say hello to everyone for me and be sure
to include my new nephews and nieces—
I should have some," wrote a marine cor-
poral from Umeda Bunsho to his family
in Wyatt, Indiana. Received in August.

An ensign held at Zentsuji wrote in April
to his mother in Washington, D. C: "Just
yesterday I received a telegram from you.
Mother, and also have received at least
one letter dated every month from you.
They are most enjoyable. Sorry to see that
you have to print. Perhaps you could get
your letters typed at the office. Still well and
in good spirits, and still hoping to see you
soon."

European

A prisoner at Marlag Milag Nord wrote
to^ his wife in New Britain, Conn., in June:
"I've been getting quite a lot of letters
lately, they are old but that doesn't make
any difference. I've had about five hun-
dred or more from you. I'm here sitting
listening to some new records; they sure
make me homesick. We're still having bad
weather here, but nothing bothers me since
the 6th 1 I hope it won't be much longer."

"I have received 12 cartons of cigarettes
and one other parcel so far, and am look-
ing for the other food parcels soon," a
private at Stalag II B wrote his family in
Wooster, Ohio, on May 28.

A letter received in the latter part of
August by the brother of a prisoner at
Luft III said, in part: "Life still drags
on here. Our mail and parcels are about the
only interruption to the monotony. We
have camp entertainment in the form of
shows and music, enacted by all of us. I
even sang in one show; sang in a quartet.
The YMCA and the Red Cross have sent
in athletic equipment and musical instru-
ments. We also received one Red Cross food
parcel per man per week. Aside from the
good work, thank my friends for writing,
and explain to them why I can't answer.
Every little article and letter has infinite
value, since they are all we have to look
forward to."

' An Australian prisoner of war in Ger-
many wrote on March 31 last to an official
of the British Red Cross in London: "The
American Red Cross has got magnificently
organized, and provides each new prisoner
as he goes through the transit camp with
a complete new set of clothes, and, in fact,
almost everything."

A sergeant at Stalag XVII B wrote to his
family at Lewiston, Maine, on June 12
last: "We have volleyball and bridge to
keep us occupied besides school subjects
and baseball. Except for the fence and
the guards, one might think it was an ex-
clusive resort. Boys are all sunning them-
selves with few exceptions. There are all
kinds of boys here, musicians, cooks, and
many others who Bew for Uncle Sam. Here,
they all revert to their old professions to
make life a little more pleasant and time
pass a little faster. There are a swell bunch
of boys here, and all seem to have the co-
operative spirit. We chat and reminisce of
good times in the past and ones to come
soon we hope."

PARCELS FOR GERMANY

Prohibited Items

German postal regulations n
hibit the inclusion of the folio ■
items in individual parcels addn^"^
to prisoners of war:

+

'b^

THE UNIVERSITY

WASHINGTON, D. C.

JANUARY 1945

J|gssa#ISONERS OF WAR BULLETIN

work TlTthing, TweaUrJ^'and ^au''^^^^^^ "'^ ^^^ American National Red Cross for the Relatives of American Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees

suits are pennitied); weapons ^a ^——

weaponMke tools, including iJfVl^

pocket-knives and shears; munitin Jl——

and blasting materials; tools wh'^"

could be used for escape purpQ,

or sabotage; printing apparatus chw

coal, and tracing paper; compasse

maps, knapsacks,, cameras and lensa

electric lamps, lighters of any kinc

and candles; alcoholic drinks exrph

7ijinf<:- infln^yin-yyt^hl^ 7;^,,.-j_ ' , ?• WasmcT is chicf of the Relief Division

Moving Supplies to Prison Camps

wines; inflammable liquids, match e/.,' international CoW^rmttee of the Red
and fire hazards; telephones rnh^.^' He left Geneva on October is last for
^^.^'. ,7^^ r J ^ ."'^'J^O-tO^r, and Gotehorg, and reached the Vnited
or parts tnereoj; chemicals, acids aSs in November, on the maiden voyage
')r)ef!irir}f^- hnnhc *^^^o »,^ , ^ •.»'' Swedish ship Saivo to discuss supply
meaicines, books, maps, Vewspapmms with officials of the American Red
and printed matter; cisarette hniM^- on December ll he addressed a rel-
r,^^ *.„j ji ■ , &""-"«- nniam..., meeting in Washington, D. C, and

and papers; plain paper, nolcbnoy'^-^ *" Europe later in the month. His
and postcards; potatoes. '"^"^ "*°^* ^'""^^^ '^'^^ useful.— Ed.

If any parcels contain prohibltec^ e s p i t e increasing difficulties
articles, the regulations state, thef^'^ ^^ ^^^ greatly intensified
will be confiscated, and only the pej'it'i'^g "^ Germany and the heavy
mitted items will be delivered to tlie''^"? ^^^ taking place on that
prisoner. mtry's borders, I can assure the
iatives and friends of American

"I have been recalled to the Stalag, pre^^^^j °^,^^^ "-^^K^^^ ^^^'^ P^^^^"
sume that my 'Med.' proof has arriW^ ^^^ ^ther relief items sent by
from Washington," wrote a prisoner at II B! American Red Cross are actually
to his family in New Jersey. He addedgching the men in the camps. Only

After spendmg seven months on Kom-fp^^^.i^ ^. la.,- Ortober T saw

mando, it sure is good to have a rest. Time'^',^''"^^^^ ^' - ' r J' .tr^^T

:ome passes much slower when you're not work-fP^^^^ movmg mto German campS,

ing, but time won't stop, 'thank God'." ^ since then I have received re-

tts by cable from Red Cross head-

""urters in Switzerland that relief

jods are still moving regularly into

|many. Certain difficulties, how-

jer, are only to be expected in a

"intry under continuous bombing

sm the air, and when primary tar-

is are railroad junctions, bridges,

.irshaling yards, and rolling stock.

•paajuBJBnS si qaiTjAi loj aS^jsod

'i^Gg waoj uo J3pu9s ijijou ''uMou>[ SI ss3ipp«lie International Committee of the

Ai3u puB p3Aoia3r suij 33ss3rppE ji— lajsBinjsoj ^ed Cross

Before I go into further detail, I

(Hid like to explain why it is really
cessary to make Geneva, Switzer-
,]i, the clearing house and distrib-
'ing center for prisoners of war re-
't Although the name Interna-
f*ial Committee of the Red Cross

paajUEJBUQ aSejsoj ujnja-a

f8 'on: ^luijaj

aiYd
aovxsoj s n

•H ^ -1 -a S9S *33S

'D a '£1 UOjSuiTJSB^

SSOJ3 pa^ [euopB^[ ueDijauiy aqX

iCg p9iisiiqnj

'1% implies an international

PitUtinn

'"ution, the Committee as such is
J'ss. Its 20 to 25 members must be
Swiss nationality, but the Com-
^'ttee's activities are exclusively in-
^lational. In peacetime, it per-
'% the rather formal function of

By Henry Wasmer

maintaining the fundamental prin-
ciples of the Red Cross by being the
guardian of the Geneva Convention
and of the emblem of the Red Cross.
In wartime, however, the Committee
begins at once to function actively
by organizing the Central Agency for
prisoners of war and civilian in-
ternees, and by immediately offering
its good offices and services to all
national Red Cross societies and
other welfare organizations, for the
transport, distribution, and control
of relief goods to war victims, and
particularly to prisoners of war.

The Committee, therefore, has
two main centers of activity: the
Central Agency, on the one hand,
which collects and passes on all in-
formation concerning the where-
abouts of prisoners of war, civilian
internees, and their families; and,
on the other, the relief activity which
consists in distributing Red Cross
relief in various forms to prisoners
of war and civilian internees. The
Committee's services are available for
prisoners of war and civilian inter-
nees of all the belligerent nations,
regardless of nationality, race, color,

Mr. Henry Wasmer, of the International Committee of the Red Cross, speaking in

Washington, D. C, before SOO relatives of American prisoners of war. The meeting was

arranged by the District of Columbia Chapter of the American Red Cross.