Oflag XXI-B explained
| Oflag XXI-B |
| Location: | Szubin, German-occupied Poland |
| Map Type: | Poland |
| Coordinates: | 53.0167°N 62°W |
| Map Alt: | Szubin, Poland |
| Type: | Prisoner-of-war camp |
| Used: | 1940–1943 |
| Occupants: | Polish, French, British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, American, and other Allied officers |
Oflag XXI-B and Stalag XXI-B were World War II German prisoner-of-war camps for officers and enlisted men, located at Szubin a few miles southwest of Bydgoszcz, Poland, which at that time was occupied by Nazi Germany.
Timeline
- September 1939 – The Germans established a camp for arrested Polish civilians, mostly the intelligentsia, arrested as part of the Intelligenzaktion.[1]
- October 1939 – First Polish soldiers captured during the German Invasion of Poland (1939) brought to Szubin, Kriegsgefangenenlager Schubin prisoner-of-war camp for Poles established.[1] The camp was built around a Polish boys' school by adding barracks. Polish POWs were used for the expansion of the camp.
- December 1939 - The Germans formally established the Stalag XXI-B2 POW camp in Szubin, and the Stalag XXI-B1 POW camp in Antoniewo near Skoki, both for Polish POWs.[1]
- March-May 1940 - Polish POWs were transferred to other camps, located in Germany.[1]
- June 1940 - French officers were brought here from the Battle of France.
- August 1940 - Stalag XXI-B2 was renamed to Stalag XXI-B; Stalag XXI-B1 in Antoniewo was renamed to Stalag XXI-B/Z, and made a branch camp of the Stalag XXI-B in Szubin.[1]
- September 1940 - Oflag XXI-B for Allied officers established.[1] Its first prisoners were the French.[1] Stalag XXI-B and Oflag XXI-B co-existed next to each other for three months.[1]
- December 1940 – Stalag XXI-B was relocated to the nearby village of Tur.[1] Polish officers, previously held together with enlisted men in other camps, were moved to Oflag XXI-B.
- 1941/1942 – All French officers had been transferred elsewhere prior to the arrival of British officer POWs.
- September 1942 – British and Commonwealth officers of the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm were transferred from Oflag VI-B at Warburg following its temporary closure. These included airmen from Poland, Czechoslovakia and other occupied countries serving in the RAF, as well as airmen from the Allied Air Forces - RAAF, RNZAF, RCAF, SAAF, USAAF.[2]
- October 1942 – More British RAF officers and NCOs arrive from Stalag Luft III to help relieve overcrowding there.
- November 1942 – A second batch of British RAF officers arrive from Stalag Luft III
- October to March 1943 - Newly captured British, American and Allied Air Force officers arrive in batches transferred from Dulag luft.
- March 1943 – A mass escape through a tunnel occurs - 35 men escape, albeit none are successful in reaching neutral territory.[3]
- April 1943 – The camp is cleared of all POWs - all being sent to the enlarged Stalag Luft III.
- The camp was later re-opened and re-numbered Oflag 64 for American officers only.
Notable prisoners
Sources
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: POW Camps in Szubin (Schubin/Altburgund). Polish-American Foundation for the Commemoration of POW Camps in Szubin. 8 August 2021.
- WO208/3296 Official Camp History Chapter I
- WO208/3296 Official Camp History Chapter II Para 24
- Web site: Josef Bryks . Free Czechoslovak Air Force . 20 February 2011 . 27 October 2017.
