Stalag Luft 7 was a World War II Luftwaffe prisoner-of-war camp located in Morzyczyn, Pomerania, and Bankau, Silesia (now Bąków, Poland). It held British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, French, Polish, South African, American and other Allied airmen.
| Stalag Luft 7 | |
|---|---|
| Bankau (Bąków), Silesia | |
  Stalag Luft 7  Stalag Luft 7 | |
| Coordinates | 50°58′00″N 18°19′00″E / 50.966667°N 18.316667°E |
| Type | Prisoner-of-war camp |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  Nazi Germany |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1943–1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, French, Polish, South African, American and other Allied airmen |
History
editThe camp was established at an airfield in Morzyczyn in 1943, and then relocated to a remote wooded area near Bąków,[1] where it was opened on 6 June 1944, for RAF NCO flying crews and by July held 230 prisoners. They were joined by members of the Glider Pilot Regiment captured at the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. By 1 January 1945, the camp held 1,578 prisoners. This was made up of 1,075 British, 252 Canadian, 134 Australian, 26 New Zealand, 24 French, 15 Polish, 14 South African, 11 Irish and 10 US. Others were Rhodesian, Maltese, Dutch, Belgian and Czech.[2] The International Committee of the Red Cross described the conditions of the camp as "deplorable".[1]
On 19 January 1945, 68 sick POWs were evacuated to the Ilag VIII/Z camp in Kluczbork, whereas remaining 1,565 POWs were sent on a death march in bitter cold with temperatures dropping to −20 °C (−4 °F).[3] They crossed a bridge over the river Oder at Mikolin on 21 January, reached Goldberg (Złotoryja) on 5 February, and were loaded onto a train.[3] On 8 February they reached Stalag III-A[1][3] located about 52 km (32 mi) south of Berlin near Luckenwalde, which already held 20,000 prisoners, consisting mainly of soldiers from Britain, Canada, the U.S. and Russia.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Megargee, Geoffrey P.; Overmans, Rüdiger; Vogt, Wolfgang (2022). The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 510. ISBN 978-0-253-06089-1.
- ^ P.286-347 The Long Road O.Clutton-Brock and R.Crompton Grub Street London 2013.
- ^ a b c Stanek, Piotr (2015). "Stalag Luft 7 Bankau i jego ewakuacja na Zachód w styczniu 1945 r.". Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny (in Polish). 38. Opole: 64–66. ISSN 0137-5199.
- ^ "The Evacuation of Stalag Luft VII in Silesia - January 1945". RAF Ex-POW Association. 2005. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
- "Kriegsgefangenenlager (Liste)". Moosburg Online (in German). 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.