Prisoners of war bulletin Vol. 3 #3 March 1945

VOL. 3, NO

Camp Movements

This issue of the Bulletin contains a revised map showing the location of
German camps and hospitals where American prisoners of war are held. The map is
based on information received here to December 31, 1944, but the Russian advances
in January will have brought many changes. ...

During December, word was received that Stalag 357, near Torun, had been
moved. Stalag XX A was also probably moved from Torun. These camps contained
mainly British prisoners. The men at Quag 64, the principal camp for American
ground force officers, at Szubin (Altburgund), which was in the general vicinity of
Stalag XX A and Stalag 357, were presumably moved to the interior of Germany in
January, although they were still at Szubin on January 5. Hammerstein, the town
nearest to Stalag II B, one of the largest camps for Americans, appeared to be in
Russian hands when this was written on January 27.

It must be expected that some, if not all, of the prisoners of war at Stalag Vlil B,
Stalag 344, B.A.B. 20, B.A.B. 21, Stalag Luft VII, and at other camps in and around
Silesia, were moved. These, also, were largely British camps, but some of them con-
tained Americans. There were other camps and work detachments scattered through-
out eastern Europe containing Allied prisoners of various nationalities. Grosstychow,
in Pomerania, where Stalag Luft IV with its large complement of British and Amer-
ican airmen was located, was close to the combat zone in late January.

While under reasonably quiet conditions it is easy for the German authorities to
move an Oflag or a Stalag Luft, where all the prisoners are behind barbed wire, the
orderly transfer of scores of thousands of nien from Stalags with far flung work
detachments would need much advance preparation. A camp like 344 at Lamsdorf,
for instance, had about 30,000 men (principally British) on work detachments over a
large area. So, too, had Stalag II B. Before these men could be moved in anything
like orderly fashion, they would first have to be assembled at the base camp.

It will probably be some weeks yet before a full report is received on camp
changes which have taken place during January, but, as authoritative information
comes through, it will be promptly released to the public. Every effort is being made
by the American authorities and the Red Cross to obtain this information. Arrange-
ments were made well ahead so that the needs of any Allied prisoners falling into
Russian hands during the present advance would be met .

Until next of kin are advised by the Office of the Provost Marshal General of
a change of address, they should continue sending mail to the old address.

Up to late January, the German authorities had given no indication of the
camps to which American prisoners captured on the western front in the second
half of December had been assigned, but seriously wounded Americans who were
repatriated by air in the latter part of January stated that several hundred officers
had reached Oflag 64 early in the month, and that about 1,500 additional enlisted men
had reached Stalag II B. Several thousand newly captured Americans also reached
Stalag IV B at Miihlberg in January. Large shipments of Red Cross supplies were
made last November and December to German camps and hospitals containing
Americans, so that the needs of the men captured in the December action on the
western front had been in large part anticipated. If some of these men now show up
at camps not already serviced, the International Committee of the Red Cross at
Geneva has standing instructions to forward supplies instantly word is received ot
new camps for Americans. There is also a pooling arrangement, which has worked
admirably, between the American and British Commonwealth Red Cross societies
whereby our prisoners receive British food and clothing when American supplies
are not immediately available, and vice versa.

+

THE UNIVER8I

OF TEXAS

Sports at Luft III

A report by cable received on D e
cember 18 from Mr. Hugo Cedeg ren
of the YMCA stated that footbaj ^t^ ^ t*t T^ "T* ^

was the main sports activity at StijO I W I ■ l\ |H KT ^

lag Luft III during October and ft ■*- ^ " i 1 J-J J-V ^

November, and that, in December r ,» r j /->• -v t„*^^o C

the men were waiting for frost l, hed by the American National Red Cross for the Relatives of American Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees

begin the ice hockey season. Ad$ . —

OF WAR BULLETIN

NO. 3

the ice
quate sports materials were on
to meet the camp's requirements
til next summer, if necessary

A new American compound
an adjoining camp known as Belana,
was expected to open shortly.

Permission had been obtained tot
Mr. Soederberg of War Prisoners
Aid to visit Luft III on Christmas
Eve and Christmas Day as the guesjfor American and Allied prison-
of General Vanaman, senior Amer| held by Germany, the American
can officer, and Col. Delmar T. Spid Cross at the end of February
vey, at the center compound. Christy $40,000,000 in supplies in
mas decorations sent by the YMClitzerland or in various European
had reached the camp early in m rts . British Commonwealth Red
cember. American morale was i| oss societies also had adjacent to
ported to be "good and hopeful." , irma ny similar supplies lepresent-
,|j a total of many millions of dol
PICTURES

WASHINGTON, D. C.

MARCH 1945

Transportation Crisis in Germany

(Continued from page 10)

ingly ruled that it cannot a
claims of identification based
group pictures taken in enemy?
ritory.

Whenever the individuals in j"

. While these goods are available
immediate shipment to German
ips, hundreds of thousands of
erican -and Allied prisoners have
n or are now being moved on
t across Germany. We are con-
nted with a real problem to get

«ief supplies to our men now caught
group picture are identified by th this rr unpre cedented westward
prisoner who sends the picture horn k Qur ^ tQ relief

the Bulletin always publishes d. moved tQ • * cam and
names as given. In the case of p (o thg hands J Qur risonerSj de _

prisoners.

tures of Americans ^^ ^J" ds solely on whethe r the German

ti^Lrt* ithorities move to the camps the
of the Red Cross, or by repreji ^ and ^ Interna .

tives of War Prisoners Aid :<M Committee of the Red Cross

YMCA every effort is now made ^^ hands ^ ^ Ger .

obtain the names of the mdividu^ ^^ ^ indkation o£ the
avity of the transportation crisis
as the report some days ago that the
erman railroads had evacuated
erman women and children from
f>wns in the east in open coal cars
ring sub-zero weather.

•paajuB-nmS si ipiqAv xoj
'lf$S J\fH(M u0 -lapuas Ajrjou 'umoid[ st

M3U pUB p3AOra3J ST3TJ 33SS3J[ppE JI

paajuKren^ aScjsoj umja^i

^8 *°N JP-«««I
D XL *uoj§mqsuyV\

aivd 3%t

aovxsoa s a

D a '£! tlojSmqsB,w
ssox"j pa^t p3uotte>i urouauiy aqX

iq p9i[si]qnj

injuria J^/W J° SJ9U0 '

Packages at Lubeck

The American Red Cross has gone
the limit in laying down relief
pplies, not simply at the frontiers
Germany* but in Germany itself
the port of Lubeck. Over 1,000,-
' food packages, shipped through
ternational Red Cross channels
ia Sweden, are today in Lubeck,
here we have constantly main-
lined stocks since last October. An-
ther 2,000,000 packages are in the
Vdish port of Goteborg, whence

they could be moved on to Lubeck
in two days' time. In Switzerland
and in southern European ports we
have 4,000,000 packages, and this
total of 7,000,000 food packages
amply foresees the needs of our own
prisoners, as well as those of our Al-
lies.

The work of relief to prisoners
of war in German camps is today
confronted by grave transportation
difficulties. Progressively through
the months of December, January,
and February there has been a tre-
mendous movement of populations,
of goods, and of military supplies on
a railroad system that, day and night,
is being bombarded. In consequence,
shipments that formerly went to
prison camps from Switzerland or
Lubeck in a few days now require
weeks.

In December 1944, 330,248 Red
Cross food packages, including the
special Christmas parcels, were
moved to German camps and hos-
pitals for American prisoners. But
there was a serious falling off in de-
liveries to camps during January,
and late dispatches from Geneva
state that the situation was equally
grave in February.

Prelude to Victory

The plain fact we must face is that
the better the war goes for the Allies
in Germany, the more difficult it
will be to continue to serve prisoners
of war with Red Cross supplies. The
men themselves in the prison camps
are fully aware of this. They know
that the progressive disorganization
and ultimate breakdown of the Ger-
man state will probably precede the
Allied victory, and that this disor-
ganization will mean additional
privations for them.

For four years the Germans main-
tained a rather unusual record in
delivering punctiliously the relief
supplies for war prisoners in Ger-
many. Whether the particular Ger-
man officials who established this
record will have the strength to
prevail over present less organized
conditions remains to be seen.

The greater the difficulties, how-
ever, the greater will be our efforts
to overcome them. The fact that
over 1,000,000 food packages have
been placed in German hands at
Lubeck by the American Red Cross
and the International Red Cross is
but one instance of the steps that are
being taken, even at some risk, to
maintain the supply line. Interna-
tional Red Cross representatives in
Geneva, in Berlin, and at the port of
Lubeck are struggling continuously
to get a sufficient number of German
railroad cars in order to keep goods
moving to the camps.

Use of Trucks

In addition to moving goods on
railroad cars, the American Red
Cross and other Allied Red Cross so-
cieties are placing a number of trucks
at the disposal of the International
Red Cross for use in Germany. The
American Army is furnishing gaso-
line in order that the trucks may con-
stantly operate in Germany.

Both the Swiss and Swedish gov-
ernments and people are giving un-
stinted cooperation in meeting the
present transportation crisis. No pos-
sibility, including the use of planes,
has been overlooked, but the great
volume of supplies needed for over a
million American and Allied prison-
ers cannot be moved otherwise than
by rail and auto trucks.

Reports from German Camps

Stalag II B

Ben Morasco, an American prison-
er of war, sent, through Geneva, the
following report on sports at Sta-
lag II B:

Softball is the favorite pastime enjoyed
by American prisoners of war at Stalag II B,
somewhere in Germany. To date, three
leagues, each lasting about a month, have
been played. The first series was taken by
the Apple Knockers and the last two by
the Butter Cups, who finished in third
place in the first league. Some real ball was
played through each series, with many pro-
fessional ball players found to be in our
midst. Some of the outstanding players are:
Frank Lavascio, Allen Dernback, and George
Cottone from New York; Roy Fagan and
Wallace Graves from Texas; W. R. Plouf
from way up in Washington; "Pop" Drake
from Oklahoma; Bill Orlaski from Mich-
igan; George York from Bean Town, Bos-
ton; Mahlon Black from Pennsylvania; and
Ruben Camacho from Sunny California.
Practically every state in the union was
represented by at least one player on one
of the many teams. Another item of im-
portance is the age-old feud between the
North and South. Three ball games have
been played between the two factions, and
the Rebels have beat the Yanks in two of
them. Plans are under way at present for
a fourth game.

Volleyball is enjoyed by a few. In a tour-
nament to determine the champs of the
Stalag, an American team composed of
Steve Schweitz, Roy Fagan, Wally Graves,
Allen Dernback, Ruben Camacho, and Jett
Black took top honors. They defeated the
French and Belgians with ease. A hand-
carved plaque, made by a French prisoner,
was presented to the winners.

Our American basketball team is one
that is not to be overlooked. They have
taken on all comers and have won two or
three times the number of games that they
have lost. Almost every evening, you can
see the French and Americans, or the Bel-
gians and Americans, battling it out on the
court. Seldom does the American quintet
come off on the short end of the score.
Every American prisoner of war sends his
thanks and best wishes to the International
YMCA for making these sports possible.

Stalag Luft m

When visited by a Delegate of the
International Red Cross on Novem-
ber 24-25 last, Stalag Luft III con-
tained 10,091 Allied airmen, includ-
ing 6,654 Americans. The American
strength comprised 6,127 officers and
5 16 noncoms, plus doctors and chap-
lains. Prisoners were arriving at the
new compound known as Camp Be-
laria three times weekly in batches
of about 100. About 80 percent of
the new arrivals last November were
Americans.

The Delegate reported "no serious
complaints, but rations slightly re-
duced since last visit." There had

also been "a general loss of weight
since [Red Cross] package distribu-
tion had been reduced to half, but
health still good." The camp had a
package reserve sufficient for eight
weeks, the report stated, so it is pre-
sumed that the cut in distribution
was a temporary measure caused by
transportation difficulties inside Ger-
many. The clothing situation was
satisfactory, four carloads of new
clothing having arrived during the
Delegate's visit. American blankets
had also been received. Since last
June, 15,000 books had arrived from
the YMCA. Anti-typhoid inocula-
tions were being given regularly, and,
the report concluded, "morale was
excellent."

Stalag IV D

A Delegate of the International
Red Cross, who visited Stalag IV D at
Torgau in Saxony on November 29
last, reported that the camp then con-
tained 320 Americans out of a total
strength of nearly 50,000 prisoners
of war. Sgt. Dean J. Van Dussen was
given as the American spokesman.
The Americans had recently arrived
from the western front, and needed
supplies of all kinds. Indispensable
food and clothing, the report stated,
were obtained from the British
spokesman, pending arrival of Ameri-
can Red Cross supplies from Switzer-
land.

(When American prisoners of war are as-
signed to predominantly British camps, thev
draw on British Red Cross stocks if Ameri-
can Red Cross supplies are not immediately
available. Reciprocally, the same arrange-
ment operates when British prisoners need
m an emergency to draw on American sup-
plies. — Ed.)

Stalag IV G

American prisoners of war were
first reported in Stalag IV G at
Oschatz (about 75 miles south of
Berlin), in the province of Saxony,
last October. The camp at that time
contained 50 Americans.

The following report was written
by the spokesman of a British work
detachment dependent on Stalae
IV G. *

I represent a total of over 1,200 prisoners
of war divided amongst 15 work camps
[detachments] ranging in size from 20 men
to nearly 250. Each work camp has a con-
fidence man [spokesman] who may also
have to work, depending on the size of the
camp. These camp confidence men are in
regular touch with me by means of my
visits to them, which are unrestricted, and
I see them on various other occasions such
as when Red Crass clothing, food packages.

SONERS OF WAR BULLETIN

Dulag Luft

etc., are issued. In turn, 1 am j n
with the chief British man of con
at the base camp. He watches, ffi
our interests at headquarters,
of my visits to Stalag, when the
requirements of the various work
reported to him. He is also allowed to
periodic visits to the working Ko mm3 m , al
I travel regularly to Stalag with ,7°
port for these packages. They are
in a central magazine within one
camps until distributed— usually
every four weeks. Every camp has a satkf '
tory reserve of packages and every effort
made to keep this reserve constant, jv
man in the area is receiving a food n/i
age and 50 cigarettes per week. l

(British standard packages, unlike An,
can, do not contain cigarettes.— -Ed.) n

Clothing usually arrives in large tony,
ments which I collect from Stalag. j/
issued on the camp confidence man's s i«
nature from the German stores under I
direct supervision. The issue of the cloth
ing within the work camp is the direct re
sponsibility of the camp confidence man
who is in a better position to know th (
men's personal requirements.

The work varies greatly, from i a jl va ,
repair sheds to manufacturing ice for cole
storage purposes. There are, however ; I
large number of men employed in facto
or indoor work, although actually i|, e vmk't
is usually harder. The hours all round hxM
a tendency to be long, and 10 hours a day 'I
is fairly general. Sunday work still carriejl
on, but every other Sunday is free in mo'lf
cases. Usually the prisoners are housed inf|
one large room for sleeping, lavatories and'f
washrooms being separate. Beds are in most?*
cases 3-tiercd and wooden, each man being!
provided with a palliasse and two blankets,
Cupboards for clothes, etc., are rather scarce.
Almost every form of sport or entertain-
ment is permitted, if the facilities exist or
can be provided. Cinema shows are given,
on Sunday mornings, every two or three
weeks.

I am expressing the opinion of everybody
in this area when I say that, thanks to the 1 "
Red Cross, life as a POW in a working
camp, although definitely not a pleasure, is
at least bearable.

Stalag VI G

Stalag VI G at Bergisch-Neustadt,
near Gummersback, east of Cologne, -
was being used last December as a

! D. Dillon has decorated the |
wall at Dulag Luft with
Dogwood cartoon.

Upper right: The kitchen and mess hall at Dulag Luft, transit camp for newly captured Allied
fliers. Lower right: Allied fliers in the mess hall at Dulag Luft transit camp. No names given.

ed Cross, following a Delegate's

transit camp for wounded prisoners^ ^ ' cam on b Novembe ° r 2 4,
of war captured on the western front. .. ., r •. c * •

captured on the western front. st
camps asjjoon as their condition p^joncoms)

3— r-.i, eave the number of Americans
The men were transferred to other m | (indudi 65 officers and 294

CdniDS as SOOT! a« thpir mnilitinti TtfT- v . ° ,

• out of a total camp

SSfw h ? eWe ^ 48A K me " C n an r t :ren gth of 20,357. There were 74
»££§■♦ ° n ^vember 30 M 3ri « American prisoners in

™Zt?AYr* hle fr ° m thC Int k camp infirmary. Stalag XII A, ac-
national Red Cross. lading to the latest reports avail-

Stalag XII A H'^e, was being used mainly as a

A note on Stalag XII A at I> ^ Cam P £ ° r Americans -

burg, on the Lahn river, was pub-
lished in the November 1944 Bul-

letin. At that time, the camp con-
tained about 1,500 Americans. A..
later report from the International ers ?f operation are filtered through

Dulag Luft

All captured Allied airmen of the
United Kinerdom and Italian the-

lentifi

cation centers.

After that

processing, they are sent from the
centers by transport to the Dulag
Luft transit camp at Wetzlar, Kloster-
wald, and held there from three to
thirty days.

When sufficient prisoners are ac-
cumulated and have been re-
processed, a railroad transport usual-
ly comprising about 90 men is made
up and dispatched to a Luftwaffe
permanent camp. Three transports
or more a week are dispatched. De-
pending upon the location of the per-
manent camp and transport condi-
tions, the journey varies from two to
five days. Upon arrival at the perma-
nent Luftwaffe camp, the prisoners

report to that camp's senior Allied
officer.

A report dated August 11 from
Col. Charles W. Stark, USAAF, senior
Allied officer at Dulag Luft, stated:

It is impossible to emphasize how badly
all Allied officers and men coming into
Dulag Luft are in need of food, clothing,
spiritual and mild recreation relief. Spiritual
guidance and recreational facilities are ably
handled by Acting Chaplain Clifford Hoot-
on, W/O, RAF. Because of the generally
poor physical and mental condition of
prisoners on arrival here, and because of
their relatively brief stay, any large-scale
organized recreation is impractical, and
would be of little value in our camp. Our
aim is to make the camp as pleasant and
nerve calming as possible. Red Cross food

VOL. x

Nn

(S ONERS OF WAR BULLETIN

and clothing supplies, together with the
German facilities, make this endeavor about
90 percent complete, and now we would
like to achieve the final 10 percent by hav-
ing a more complete recreational program.
The use of books and motion pic-
tures was recommended by Colonel
Stark for completing the recreational
program, and his request for the
necessary materials was sent to the
YMCA at Geneva. One picture in
particular that he asked for was the
German film of the 1936 Olympic
games in Berlin, which "many of us
have seen and consider one of the
most thrilling, beautiful, and in-
teresting films we have ever viewed,"
according to Colonel Stark.

In regard to Red Cross supplies,
the report stated:

They have reached us quite steadily, and
we are able to clothe and feed the officers
and men very well. I wish it were possible
to film a "before and after" picture. The
change from a semi-clothed and semi-ex-
hausted condition to a comparatively nor-
mal state is amazing. In fact, so great is the
morale lift that some of the transports
leave here in much the humor they would
have leaving on a football trip.

Particularly does the well-planned Red
Cross "Joy Box" (the capture parcel) re-
ceive praise. This case truly assumes the
part of the present at Christmas. The fact
that the contents of the capture parcel are
all essential items is excellent evidence that
the Red Cross has investigated, and given
much thorough consideration and thought
to our needs. The result has been a wonder-
ful success.

Red Cross food packages are sup-
plied at Dulag Luft to all prisoners
going out on transports, as well as
to the small permanent staff kept at
Dulag Luft.

Stalag IV B

A cable from Geneva early in Feb-
ruary stated that 5,000 American
prisoners of war— presumably cap-
tured on the western front in the
second half of December - had
reached Stalag IV B at Miihlberg,
near Dresden. As Stalag IV B was
used during the second half of 1944
as a transit camp for Americans,
it is probable that the January-Feb-
ruary arrivals were sent there for as-
signment mainly to work camps in
the fourth military district— that is,
around Dresden.

Stalag IV B was visited by an In-
ternational Red Cross Delegate on
November 23 last, and he reported
that, out of 11,532 prisoners of war,
414 (including 240 noncoms) were
Americans. The camp's clothing re-
serve was under severe strain because
of the "numerous prisoners in transit
from the western front who are lack-
ing everything." Supplementary
(Continued nn page 12)

. XlEF ACTIVITIES IN THE

Kepatriates from Germany

The fifteen seriously wounded
American prisoners of war who were
flown from Marseille to the United
States in the latter part of January
came from seven German camps—
Stalags Luft I, III, and IV, Oflag 64,
and Stalags II B, III B, and XVII B.
The other 463 seriously sick or. se-
riously wounded prisoners of war
who were repatriated in the January
exchange reached New York on Feb-
ruary 21 on theM. S. Gripsholm. The
exchange ship also brought back
from Germany 46 merchant seamen,
622 civilian internees, of whom 548
were United States nationals or their
relatives, and 78 Canadian military
personnel.

All the repatriated prisoners of war
began their journey from German
camps or hospitals in the first week
of January. None of the men, up to
that time, had learned definitely of
the closing of any German camps in
consequence of the Russian advance
which began in January.

The repatriates reported that the
main camps for American prisoners
of war were greatly overcrowded,
largely because of recent arrivals from
the western front. At Stalag III B,
for example, the American strength
had doubled in a few weeks, and
reached 6,500 early in January. The
number of Americans at Stalag II B
had risen from 7,200 to 8,500, and
more were expected.

Despite the large influx of newly

American forces in the Philip-

captured prisoners, Stalag II g , fS freed 513 American prisoners
a two months' reserve of Red pVr from Muitar y Prison Cam P
food packages, and Stalag m J* 1 at Cabanatuan on January 30.

two weeks' reserve, at the begi^-
anuary; but in these two canj

February 3, 3,677 civilian in-
e es were liberated from Military
rnment Camp No. 1 at Santo
fl as, and, on the following day,
military prisoners and 500 civil-
internees from the Bilibid prison
Manila were freed. The civilian
rnees in Bilibid had been moved
I Camp Holmes, near Baguio, on
...... ........ , ., ,, iember 15, 1944. A hundred more

the camps. These supplies indadfl ericans were liberated wh . en A t r he
clothing and comfort articles as w ?rilipP ine General Hospital in Ma-
as food. \ was captured on February 18,

The repatriates stated that tRei ! ' 589 Amerkans were among
were now long delays in re e vW 2 ' 146 civilian mterneeS hh f%m
next-of-kin ancl tobacco parcels dF 1,200 paratroopers and 200
that in these shipments 1 (which J rillas raided *e civilian intern-
through international postal ch& /amp at Los Banc, on FeW

of

as in others, food package "rati!
ing" in one form or another \
been necessary for varying n er j (
of time in the latter part of 19
when military operations and
difficulty of moving relief goods
German railroads had seriously
fected the regular flow of supplj es

nels) the percentage of loss and
pilferage was high. It was reco m .

rlian IU Laiil l J ttL ^^ — \,

; 93. As far as is known, all camps

the Philippines holding prisoners
mended that relatives refrain from war and civilian internees have
putting soap or soap powder in par/ been llberatetL
eels containing food, and that, wW [ the rec l uest of £ oh K i ^
ever possible, such items as foitfmm, commanding officer ol toe
rice, sugar, etc., be placed in sealed^ ed States forces at San T f J°™ s '
cellophane bags so that the German" director of American Red Cross
censors can see the contents without™" 5111 relief in the Philippines im-
opening the bag. :diately brought in a staff of 1U

All the men interviewed seemed Cross WorkerS l ° aS$iSt m **
to be well aware of the growing diffi- ier § ency# „ , ~

culties involved in maintaining a reg-f irst priority on Red Cross sup-
ular flow of supplies to* the camples was given to patients m the
and appreciation was expressed of *P hospital. A Red Cross -worker
the services being continuously ren- ho
dered by the relief agencies.

Luzon, delivered 4,400 messages
from home to 2,708 Americans at
Santo Tomas, 1,800 to prisoners at
Bilibid, and an undisclosed number
to the men liberated at Cabanatuan.
Air mail stationery was distributed
for replies and messages, which were
flown direct to the United States.

An American Red Cross represent-
ative cabled from Manila on Feb-
ruary 8:

One week ago the first Americans released
by our forces (at Cabanatuan) were given
messages from home by the Red Cross.
Never before have I seen such scenes of
joy. Tears of happiness ran down the cheeks
of the freed prisoners as they received first
words from home in a year or two years.

A priority was issued to Red Cross
civilian relief officials in Manila to
fly in 15 Red Cross women workers
from Leyte and Dutch New Guinea
to aid in caring for more than 5,000
internees, as well as homeless Filipino
civilians.

Instructions for sending mail and
cablegrams to liberated civilians and
prisoners may be obtained from local
Red Cross chapters.

LATEST INFORMATION ON CAMP MOVEMENTS

(By cable from Geneva)

Approximately 53 percent of all Amer-
ican prisoners of war in Germany, late
in February, were moving westward—
mainly on foot. The total number of
American, Belgian, British, French, Nor-
wegian, Polish, and Yugoslav prisoners
evacuated from camps in eastern Ger-
many and Poland exceeded 300,000.

Some 4,600 Americans from Stalag
III B reached Luckenwalde (Stalag III A)
in an exhausted condition after a 10-day
hike in bad weather. After a few days'
rest, they were scheduled to continue on
foot to a new camp being prepared about
12 miles west of Luckenwalde. Some
American airmen from Stalag Luft III
went to Luckenwalde, but most of them
in late February were reported to be en
route to Moosburg (Stalag VII A) and
Numberg (Stalag XITI D). British air-
men from Luft III moved, through
Luckenwalde, towards Marlag-Milag in
northwest Germany.

Of the approximately 1,500 American
ground force officers evacuated from
Oflag 64 on very short notice, and in bit-
ter cold, on January 21, 266 men unable
to march went by train to Luckenwalde.
The remainder were marched, and a
number have been liberated by the ad-
vancing Russians. Some of these have al-
ready reached the United States. At the
end of February, 600 American officers
from Oflag 64 were in process of being
transferred to the vicinity of Stettin,

Prisoners from Stalags II A, II B, H D
(Stargard), and m C, and from Stalag
Luft IV, were grouped near Stettin.
About 250 Americans from Stalag Luft
VII were moved to Stalag III A.

Large stores of Red Cross supplies had
to be left behind when the principal
American camps were evacuated. The
latest cables from Geneva emphasized
that much hardship is being suffered by
the evacuated prisoners, and even more
by German civilian refugees.

had* been interned for three
lars, and who during that time was
fcad of the medical clerical staff at
bto Tomas, continued to serve the
Ltients in the camp hospital after
Iberation.

Shipments of Red Cross chapter-
iroduced clothing, prepared for the
'hilippines at General MacArthur's
rauest, were sent to the Islands to
heet the immediate needs of the
teed Americans. In addition to more
tan 636,000 articles of clothing,
Ufort articles such as soap, tooth-
paste, and razors were included in
fee shipments. Special supplies were
lent for the women in the intern-
ment camps.

The Junior Red Cross has sent
'2,000 pounds of dried milk, 1,500
ft boxes, and 1,000 pounds of candy
or the children who were liberated.

American Red Cross Civilian War
lelief officials, cooperating with
le Army Civil Affairs section on

FAR EASTERN MAP

This issue of Prisoners of War
Bulletin contains a new map show-
ing the known locations of prison-
er of war and civilian internee
camps where American nationals
are held in what is called Japan
proper— that is, the islands of
Honshu, Kyushu, Hokkaido, and
Shikoku.

An earlier Far Eastern map
(published in the July 1944 Bul-
letin) gave the approximate lo
cations of all camps in the Far
East understood at that time to
contain American nationals. So
far as is known, the camps then
shown in China, Manchuria, Bur-
ma, Thailand, French Indo-China,
and Malaya remain unchanged,
so that there is no need to include
them on the present map.

The Philippine Islands and
Formosa (Taiwan) have been
omitted from the map because the
American prisoners of war for-
merly there have been liberated
or the camps have been closed.
The Japanese government re-
ported that 183 American prison-
ers of war were moved from
Taiwan to Camp Hoten in Man-
churia last November.

ALLIED AGREEMENT ON
FREED PRISONERS

The following is the text of an
agreement concerning prisoners
liberated by the Allied forces in-
vading Germany, announced by the
American, British, and Russian gov-
ernments on February 12:

A comprehensive agreement was reached
at the Crimea conference providing detailed
arrangements for the protection, main-
tenance and repatriation of prisoners of
war and civilians of the British Common-
wealth, Soviet Union and United States
liberated by the Allied forces now invading
Germany.

Under these arrangements each Ally will
provide food, clothing, medical attention,
and other needs for the nationals of the
others until transport is available for their
repatriation. In caring for British subjects
and American citizens, the Soviet Govern-
ment will be assisted by British and Ameri-
can officers. Soviet officers will assist British
and American authorities in their task of
caring for Soviet citizens liberated by the
British and American forces during such
times as they are on the continent _ of
Europe or in the United Kingdom, awaiting
transport to take them home.

We are pledged to give every assistance
consistent with operational requirements
to help to insure that all these prisoners of
war and civilians are speedily repatriated.

LOSS OF PHILIPPINES'
PRISONERS

The announcement was made in
the latter part of February that a
Japanese ship evacuating 1,800 pris-
oners of war, nearly all of them
Americans, from the Philippines
was torpedoed on October 24 last
about 250 miles off the China coast.
So far as was known, the announce-
ment stated, there were only five
survivors.

A few days later, the further an-
nouncement was made that another
Japanese ship carrying 1,600 Ameri-
can prisoners of war was sunk on
December 15 with the loss of 800
men.

(On several occasions the Inter-
national Committee of the Red Cross
has appealed to all belligerents in the
present conflict to take all possible
measures for assuring the safety of
prisoners of war and civilian in-
ternees transported on ships. How-
ever, unless American prisoners are
transported on enemy hospital ships,
or on ships announced by the enemy
as being used for this exclusive pur-
pose, our own war vessels have no
means of knowing our prisoners are
aboard a given Japanese vessel.— Ed.)

VOL. 3, I

TAe Saqa of John. Hxtetyj.

Reproduced from The Oflag 64 Item of January 1, 1945

This article was written by American pris-
oners of war, and is reproduced exactly as
it appeared in The Item, the Oflag 64 month-
ly newssheet, as recently as January 1. About
three weeks after this issue of The Item
appeared most of the men were moved from
Szubm (Altburgund) to Stalag III A, at
Luckenwalde, located about 30 miles south
of Berlin.

thI h SJj n ^ ortar f e J i3hic P' the men atta ch to
the Red Cross food package is evident from
this article. For 15 months, up to October
m. every American prisoner in Oflag 64 reg-
ularly received his weekly food package—
1™%f? 9 t0 stat ements made by repatriates
from this camp. There was, however, a com-
fhJL 9 n ap ^ n IHr deltve jy of Packages through
the month of November. No shipments were
nS£& t0 *P fia9 64 durin 9 September and
October because of the confusion caused
oy the German ruling against supplementary
food reserves being stored inside the camp.
Later shipments were delayed because of
transportation tie-ups, but weekly distribu-
tion of food packages was resumed early in
December. At the time this saga was i>re-

^erf^OflaTel at>OUt Um AmeTiCan » HS -

T^J%^ haS S^ li h L n . an peers' camp which
The Item did not bring into the picture is
its monotony and the depression caused by
constant confinement behind barbed wire.
The humor and good spirit shown by the
editorial staff of The Item are the best proof
?Jr th t ^ e "' s courage.— Editor, Prisoners of
War Bulletin.

Item news-sleuths last month combed the
Oflag from White House to outhouse, peer-
ing and prying into every twist and turn
of kriegie operations to find what makes
the camp tick.

Here's what they found.

Lieutenant John Average Kriegie of Oflag
64, sitting for his composite statistical por-
trait, reveals these facts about himself: He
is 27 years old. His home is in New York
or Pennsylvania or Texas. He is half bach-
elor and half married (most men are like
that). He attended college but, more likely
than not, left the academic halls without a
degree.

His civilian occupation was that of stu-
dent or salesman, clerk or businessman.

His favorite pastime, at which he is
through no fault of his own, in but poor
practice, is eating.

Pastimes

The occupation to which he devotes most
time is thinking and talking and dreaming
about food, preparing menus for future
repasts and devising means of stretching
Red Cross packages when available to their
ultimate maximum of nutrition, longevity
and satisfaction. Otherwise he occupies his
time with smoking, reading and all manner
of handicrafts and housewifery, with liberal
schedules of educational classes, dramatic
and musical entertainment, religious serv-
ices and games (all indoor at this season,
but in better weather and on more ade-
quate diet including many athletic sports).
An over-all group picture of Oflag 64's
population discloses abundant deviation
from the average. The age of kriegies here
ranges from the average 6f 27 down to a
minimum of 19 (two officers) and up to a
maximum of 52 (one officer). Of a total
camp strength numbering 1,035 when the
tabulation was made, 650 came within the
age group 23 to 28, inclusive.

Each of the 48 American states is rep-
resented in the camp population with num-
bers varying from New York's 108, Penn-
sylvania's 58, and Texas' 74 to Delaware's,
Montana's, Rhode Island's, Utah's and
Wyoming's 2 each. The District of Co-
lumbia claims 13 and Hawaii 3. Our Allied
nations are represented as follows: France,
3; Morocco, 3; Algeria, 2; Tunisia, 2; and
Canada, 1.

Married men in camp number 516.

A total of 645 kriegies here have attended
college, and more than 300 of them won
degrees. There are 153 Bachelors of Science,
including B.S. in Commerce and in various
branches of engineering, and 105 Bachelors
of Art. There are 19 M.D.'s and 14 Bachelors
of Law, and 9 M.A.'s. There is a Ph.D. and
LL.D. and such assorted degrees as B.B A
Ph.B., B.E., B.S., M.S., CM., J.D., B.B.S.,
D.D.S., B.D., and A.A.— not to mention
R.F.D., P.D.Q., and W.P.A.

Professions

It would take an I.B.M. machine and a
flock of assorted forms to classify in detail
the civilian occupations of Oflag 64, but
the broad groups include 170 who were
students, 98 clerks, 98 salesmen, and 89
in other fields of business. There are 48
professional soldiers in this collection of
POW's from a civilian army, 42 engineers,
36 farmers, 34 teachers, and 34 laborers; 19'
doctors and 2 dentists; 5 Protestant min-
isters and 2 priests; and 10 journalists (a
journalist is a newspaper man with spats
and a cane).

This by no means exhausts the catalog.
Our kriegies include an explorer and a
labor arbitrator, a forest ranger and an
expediter (put that fellow in charge of
mail and parcels.'), two bartenders and a
photolithographer, a professional fund
raiser, a porcelain enamelist, a fingerprint
classifier, a calendar designer, a pro baseball
player, a Boy Scout executive, a watch-
maker, a marine inspector, a photostatisti-
cian, a hatter (not yet mad), a seaman, a
U. S. Treasury investigator, a worsted cloth
finisher, 6 ranchers and a horse trainer, a
policeman, an artist, an actor, a patent 'at-
torney, and the Commandant of a Military
School. y

Camp Setup

Under the command of Col. Paul R.
Goode, senior American officer, a thoroughly
organized staff supervises the internal ad-
ministration of John Kriegie's camp. Col.
George Millett is executive officer, Lt. Col.
Max Cooler, assistant executive officer, and
Col. F. W. Drury, inspector general.

Maj. Kermit Hansen is S-l, Lt. Col. Tames
Alger S-2, Lt. Col. John Waters S-3, and Lt.
Col. Louis Gershenow S-4. Capt. Floyd Bur-
geson is medical officer and Capt. Charles
Glennon is chaplain.

Two departments of the camp organiza-
tion, the kitchen and mess under Lt. Col.
William Martz and the tin stores under
Capt. Tony Lumpkin, dispense, when, as,
and if available, that substance with which
every kriegie is preoccupied: FOOD.

Food

nips as the case may be, and 1,464

of ersatz coffee. The camp's professficulation

statistician might be able to figure

many ocean vessels the soup might

™ a year, but Lt. Average Kriegie mea|equently.

it by the tablespoonful. Other items

elude 1.26 ounces per man per day of
uncooked meat (including bones), six
thousandths of an ounce of spice, two
thousandths of an ounce of vinegar,
seven-tenths of an ounce of salt.

boning and cooking, is

The short order cookingt serving 1 tw l
messes a day, handles between 40 ai

RISONERS OF WAR BULLETIN

John Kriegy

(Continued from page 7)

avorite volumes in circulation is the book-

inding shop superintended by Lt. Donald

ussenden and staffed by Lts. Harry Haus-

Jiild, William Hanson, and Vernon Paul-

| on— all without previous experience in

,ookbinding, but learning fast in the school

){ practical work. For bookbinding material

hey use wax paper from cigarette cartons

ad binding tape from old Red Cross boxes.

1 book trimming machine obtained from a

The kitchen prepares for John Kjjerrnan blacksmith shop, hammer, wooden

each day 650 liters of soup, 1,056 pouij lamps, a sewing frame and needles are the

potatoes, L056 pounds of cabbage, or,rincipal tools of this shop. More than 600

looks have been salvaged and restored to

'Westerns," detective stories, and his-
ical novels come into the shop most

More than 30 officers have applied to

the German ration supplied to Oflag | ea m bookbinding as a hobby and Lt. Lus

| enden hopes that eventually he may pro-
ide facilities for them.

Education

If Lt. Kriegie wants to study any of more

Mian 30 subjects, from elementary English

raan .^ m eat ration, bg advanced psychology, he may attend the

SR pounds per i Altburgund Academy" supervised by Capt.

;, serving tt| iubert Eldridge, an educator of 22 years"

mesra a oay, nanmes between 40 an<] , per ience. The curriculum and faculty

culinary concoctions a day when Red q ] t \. e Usted in detai i in the December 1

packages are coming in regularly. Tj lem . More than 350 students are enrolled.

S re n d ^ cans ^e opened each, ecial lectures open to all kriegies fre-

when packages are available. | Lntly supplement the regular curriculum.

Col. Martz s assistant mess officers l Lt . Kriegie's spiritual welfare is the con-

rf P ^„^!? r F e _^ UCey ', W- 4. llen ^ern of chaplains who conduct two services

ich Sunday for Protestants and daily

for Catholics. The religious pro-

Iram also includes semi-weekly Bible classes

lad twice-a-month communion services for

frotestants, and evening prayer service and
Christian Apologetics for

Theater

Lt. Robert Aschim and Lt. Leo Farber.
Joe Emerson is ration officer. Capt
Miller, Lt. Fay Straight and Lt. Curtis
handle short order cooking.

The camp cooks are Sgt. D. C
who was a CCC cook before entering «.
army, Sgt. M. D. Massey, Pfc. J. Patto^ atho i[ cs
Pvt. L. A. Annunziata who was
baker at Russo's Bakery, Brooklyn.

The K. P. staff includes Sgt. V. H uJ AU enter tainment for Lt. Kriegie is under
T/5 Alvarado, Pfc. V. Lonl and Pvt /»pervision of the Theater Group which
Cedillo, M. Greenfield, J. B Browning f eets re S ularl y- selects plays and appoints

E. Elkins, D. Kakac, D. McConnaughy V° d " CerS J™ ™ ch \ The g 1 ?"* 4 P ^"

L. Gallis. lld "& u J a^ted eight 3-act plays, all former Broad-

Swy hits, seven one-act plays, eight musical

Parcel Store levues, about a dozen swingland programs,

~, , Wo operatic recitals, and one original 3-act

The parcel store, handling Red Cr<Wcal comedy.
Inn ^ C P arcels ' has an avera S e ' The backstage group under Lt. Lou Otter-

^ il C , U o, 0me i" S a J day durin S S°°d tiffi tan constructed the stage, seating stands,
and 100-125 a day durmg bad times. | 5 stage sets and hundreds of props.

The tobacco store handles 12,000 cigs In § etter wcather when Red Cross pack-
rettes a day, 200 cigars and 100 packages <^ es wcre more numcr0 us, Lt. Kriegie par

pipe tobacco.

icipated in an active athletic program. Now

In stock as of October 1 were 1,000,00^ u his exercisc by wa lking and his
cigarettes (47 different brands), 12,000 ciga% vo ' rite sports arc cribbage, poker, bridge
(23 brands) and 10,000 packages of pipV chess
tobacco (37 brands)

Most popular brands are Camel
rettes, El Roi-Tan cigars
Raleigh pipe tobacco

Stores are open 9:00 to 10:30 a. m. w
days and 9:30 to 10:30 a. m. Sundays. I
D-bar store is open only on Tuesdays.

Soap is available at all times (1 bar
man).

One kriegie, applying for pipe tobac
and asked what brand, inquired, "Wh
kind ya got?"

Another applied for 87 cigarettes.

Capt. Lumpkin has been head of
entire tin store since June 6, 1943- Cap
Maynard Files has the same record of
ice as head of the tobacco division a°
Capt. James Dicks as head of parcel

Assistants in the tobacco division arc l'-

Publications

are Camel « u Kriegie gcts his news f^m pu blica-
' ana blT W!U ] lions edited by Lt. Frank Diggs, news offi-
tr, under supervision of the S-2, Lt. Col.
antes Alger. The Daily Bulletin staff al-
ludes Lt. Diggs, editor; Lt. Seymour Bol-
k chief translator; Lt. Ken Goddard, art
[itor; Lt. David Englander, feature edi-
r, Lt. Tom Magee, printer; Lt. Charles
|sz, cartographer; Wright Bryan, Sunday
or; and Lts. Martin Smith, Carl Hansen
Ed Spicher, translators.
ie Oflag 64 Item staff includes Lt. Diggs,
r, and Lt. Larry Phelan, Lt. David
ander, Lt. Frank Hancock, Lt. Howard
er, Lt. Teddy Roggen, Capt. Charles
inson, Lt. Robert Cheatham, Lt. James
,c kers, Lt. Alexander Ross and War Cor-

mm

m

■ii'^1

Minstrel show at Oflag 64. This picture was brought out in January 1945 by a repatriate.

Rohert Wick. Lt. Vic Laughlin and L [

Js pondent Wright Bryan.

INOCULATIONS AGAINST
TYPHUS

The U. S. Army Typhus Commis-
sion recently supplied the American
Red Cross with sufficient typhus vac-
cine to inoculate every American
prisoner of war in Germany.

One hundred cartons, each con-
taining 50 vials of 20 cc. of vaccine
were flown from the United States
to Marseille in the middle of Feb-
ruary. From Marseille, the vaccine
was sent to the International Com-
mittee of the Red Cross in Geneva,
with instructions that it be dis-
tributed to camps in which Ameri-
cans were held.

Those prisoners who have previ-
ously been inoculated against typhus
are to be given a "booster" to render
their immunity certain. Those not
previously treated will be given the
required number of inoculations.

Mail

Of course the most important news to
Lt. Kriegie is news from family and home.
He gets this through the mail officer, Capt.
Robert Schultz, and his assistant, Lt. Rob-
ert Henry.

Lt. Kriegie's allowance of outgoing mail
is three letters and four cards a month. Pro-
tected personnel are allow T ed double this
amount, while orderlies are allowed two
letters and four cards.

Letters from home average about 100
days in reaching Oflag 64. One took 367
days and the speed record is held by a letter
to Lt. Amon Carter which reached here
14 days after it was written.

Incoming mail totals about 350 letters
a day which works out to an average of
about one letter every three days for the
entire Oflag population, but old kriegies
average about 15 letters a month.

All in all, John Average Kriegy has set

MINSTREL SHOW AT OFLAG 64

The Oflag 64 Item of December 1,
1944 ("Circulation 1,130, Still Grow-
ing") reported that:

The second annual Robert E. Lee Min-
strel, complete with steamboat captained by
Russ Ford, will dock at the Little Theater
for six nights starting December 4th, with a
full cargo of dusky comedy and Stephen
Foster melodies.

Howard Holder will again act as inter-
locutor, while last year's end men, Syd
Thai and Bill Fabian, will be augmented
by Don Waful and Jack Cook, with the
addition of four chocolate-colored beauties—
Kermit Hansen, Keith Willes, Wilbur
Sharpe, and Leo Farber— the "Queenie" of
last year's show.

HISTORY OF THE INTER-
NATIONAL RED CROSS

A limited number of copies of a
special publication commemorating
the 80th anniversary of the found-
ing of the International Commit-
tee of the Red Cross may be ob-
tained, at a cost of $1.30 per copy,
postpaid. Orders may be sent direct
to the International Red Cross Com-
mittee, 1645 Connecticut Avenue,
N. W., Washington 9, D. C.

The publication, which is entitled
The International Red Cross Com-
mittee in Geneva, 1863-1943, com-
prises 78 well-illustrated pages, and
records the history and organization
of the Committee from its modest
beginning through its first 80 years
of service to mankind.

up an efficient and well-run American camp
within the barbed wire. He only wishes it
were about 5,000 miles due west from
Altburgund.

Camp Movements

A caUe ho, the ***** ^SS^rS on
of February referred to^*«£^X^U^Chi»»»ta : C.ri^ compns-
I op, westward ^gJ^-JS^ Wehrkreise (military d-tncf) 1, 20, 21, 8,
2TCh^ jt?l -e^i pfisoners of war ; Ger T y based

Most of the mam camps for America p definitely included in the

war held by Germany ■ rt the beginn^ | y ^ ^ _^

OJeV River are being moved westward, i nis »<- d m c are hein g moved

?v StaaellA. and States 11 B. M^^SftfiffiiStt. Prisoners of war in

L^S<^^/(Jf.5^^'SrSr3'^^ and those in southern

the northern part

Silesia

SS Tf^c=^ b ^ r fnn and I**t

^ther prisoners has_not ^ r ^ f prisoner of ~-»*Z2fift

Bohemia. It is understood thajhe ope J ^ j

are being moved southwest
t are being sent to
The destination of

Information concerning

made public as soon as

being received. I ;«, '^"T^ Ja notion through the »^. <£f "££

n T W ar to their last known address destination, the cable from the

01 The lack of information ^about the ultimate mg ^ "extremely

American Red Cross representative at Oene P m prisonerS , as well

tifficult to make plans to ™P P ly very pres^ mg ae ^ ^ lnternatlonal Com-

£ of ^ r ^l&^^~*l«« ove-me present grave situa-
-" ° oi the Geneva Convention of 1929 Relative to the Treatment of

Article 7
dangerous zone % ^ ^ ^ » ee dlessly exposed to danger

the shortest possible period after
om the zone of combat

would run greater risks
be temporarily kept m a

while awaiting their evacua-
tion from the combat zone n0 r ma lly be effected only by stage* tof
Evacuation of prison ^7et the necessity of reaching water and food
20 kilometers {12 1-t mues} « «»y>
deP VX^Z%£l e ^ camp movements is given on page 4.

VOL. 3, NO. 3

German Camp Reports

(Continued from page 4)
food and other Red Cross supplies
were also inadequate to meet the
sudden and heavy demands that had
been made on them. Shipments from
Geneva had been delayed en route
across Germany, but every effort was
being made to fill the camps needs.
Stalag VH B
A Delegate of the International
Red Crosf visited Stalag VII B on
December 12 last, on which date the
camp strength was 11,570 prisoners
of war-including 925 Americans, of
whom 8 were noncoms. Only _ 63
Americans, including a phyaiojg,
were at the base camp, the remainder
bein? on work detachments. The
Delegate conversed with the spokes-
men of 16 detachments.

In the Stalag, the Americans occu-
pied "one entire new barrack, small, t
Lt well heated, and without ver-
min " The official rations were re-
ported to be insufficient, but were
supplemented by home-grown vege-
tables. Carloads of Red Cross pack-
ages were arriving regularly. Reserves
were low, however, "because the stor-
age depot had recently been de-
stroyed by bombardment.

The camp Lazarett was reported
to be well equipped, with an Ameri-
can physician (John Pfeffier) m at-
tendance. Out of 292 patients m the
Lazarett, 32 were Americans. »■■ k

+

"

[PRISONERS OF WAR BULLETIN

Published by the American National Red Cross for the Relatives of American Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees

VOL. 3, NO. 4

WASHINGTON, D. C.

APRIL 1945

THELIBRAR
Delivering Relief Supplies in Germany

' Prisoners shall not be m

In an effort to relieve the trans-
portation crisis caused by the inabil-
ity of the German railroads to fur-
f nish an adequate number of freight
cars for moving prisoner of war sup-
f] plies from International Red Cross
warehouses in Switzerland to the
. camps, the Swiss government early in
March furnished a solid train of 50
;cars which were loaded with Red
' Cross food packages and medical and
other supplies for delivery to Stalag
VII A at Moosburg, in Bavaria. A
delegate of the International Red
Cross, as well as a German escort, ac-
companied the train, and, while the
, ft 1 Swiss authorities agreed only to fur-
were also 35 Americans (out oioi , ^.^ ^ ^ ^.^ ^ ^ expected
in the camp_ mhrmary. > that additional ones of Ae same size

VII B r

prisoners)

Some Americans at Stalag
staTed that they had been withou
news from home for 9 months. The
Delegate's report stated camp at-
mosphere A general impression
favorable."

Prisoners of War Bulletin

MARCH 1945

Published by

The American National Red Cross

Washington 13, D- C.

Return Postage Guaranteed

U. S. POSTAGE

lVic PAID

Washington, D. C
Permit No. 84

postage tor which is guaranteed.

Serials Acquisition

The University of Terns Library

Austin 12 Texas

would soon follow.

In all European countries, and

even in the United States, railroad

freight cars are in the most urgent

demand, and this action on the part

iipf the Swiss authorities was one more

,' step on their part to do everything

: possible to maintain the tenuous line

of supply to Allied prisoners of war,

who, in large part, have been moved

under panic conditions within the

i narrowing confines of Germany's

borders.

Shipments from Lubeck
At about the same time the solid
train left Switzerland for Moosburg,
a convoy of 25 motor trucks (five of
which carried gasoline and lubri-
cants, and one medical supplies) left
Switzerland with Swiss drivers. The
six trucks with gasoline and medical
supplies went to the Lubeck area in
north Germany to service the Inter-
national Red Cross trucks, and some
y vhich were being operated by enter-
prising camp spokesmen who had
obtained them locally, for delivering
food packages from Lubeck to camps

in northwest Germany, as well as to
prisoners marching across northern
Germany from camps formerly in
the east.

Many of the prisoners marching
along the northern route are Ameri-
cans, and, by the end of the first
week in March, International Red
Cross trucks operating from Lubeck
made possible the distribution of
over 100,000 standard food packages
to prisoners in camps and on the
march in the northern area. At the
same time, about 35,000 food pack-
ages were leaving Lubeck daily by
rail for camps in northern Germany.
The risk taken by the American Red
Cross some months ago in laying
down in Lubeck, under Internation-
al Red Cross supervision, over

1,000,000 food packages has already
justified itself. Stocks in Lubeck are
being replenished from Sweden as
fast as they are being taken out.

The remaining 19 trucks in the
convoy which left Switzerland in
early March proceeded to the Carls-
bad-Marienbad region (in what is
frequently called the Sudetenland),
carrying food and medical supplies
to meet the large body of prisoners
marching from camps in the Silesian
region (such as Stalag VIII B, Sta-
lag 344, WR 8 B.A.B. 20 and 21,
and so forth). A second convoy of
48 American Red Cross and Ca-
nadian Red Cross trucks went for-
ward from Switzerland in 4 columns
of 12 trucks each on March 17, 18,

Unloading prisoner of war supplies from the M. S. Travancore at Goteborg, Sweden,
for transshipment to Germany.