STALAG LUFT 3

i have been doing alot of research on the camp,i also heard it wasmove as part of the death march,and was liberated in april of 1945,i have a ardicle from a newspaper with detiled accounts of a pow that was there.i found it amonst my dads stuff from the war.he was a pow there as well.lt lee p ward. with the 461st 766sqd. looking for people that might have been there or knowen him.
ssgt ward
usmc

SL III was evacuated in January of 1945 and most of the Americans moved to Moosberg Stalag VIIA.  Others were moved to Barth /SL I.  The remaining Allied prisoners were spread to some other locations, but Moosberg was the main one.  On Liberation day 4/29/1945 VIIA had more than 100,000 Allied POWs.

His name is not on the roster of South Compound (my dad was in SOuth) , so I'd guess he was probably in West Compound.

on the pow web site it says my dad was moved to nuremberg.

Met a former POW, and a widow of another that were at Stalag Luft III.  Assisted one with the Purple Heart for frostbite contacted during the march. 

The widow asked for my assistance for her late husband.  Last September he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for frostbite contacted during the march.

Last month, the USAF contacted the widow advising the Purple Heart First Oak Leaf Cluster was approved for wounds received from crash of aircraft.

If any member or loved one experienced wounds during captivity and did not receive the medal...go for it.

Robert

ORIGINAL: wardwl

on the pow web site it says my dad was moved to nuremberg.

 
He was in West Compound then.  West Comp POWs went to Nurenberg and after a few weeks moved again to Moosberg.

Ward:
Nuremburg -  Stalag XIII D
The POWs were to be moved to Stalag VII A  Moosburg by train the
First week of April , 45.
The U.S. POW Commander , Col. Walter Arnold , refused to let them board
the Train - he feared it would be attacked by U.S. Aircraft.
The POWs then Marched the 100 miles to Stalag VII A.
Mike

i just found last night a picture of his aircraft,he flew number 41 i wish i knew the name of the plane,it is not on any list that i have found,the picture was in a liberator welcome abourd book the 461st put out to new guys that checked on deck. it was on a web site that a son did for his dad,his father was in the same group but with 765sq. also trying to confirm the camps for a web site i am going to build for him and the fellow warriors of that time period. i wish i could find rosters with his name on it.
thank you for all you have done then and now
simper fi
ssgt ward

My father was in the march that moved prisoners from Stalag Luft III to Nuremburg.  After he got to Nuremburg he drew a map of the march in his wartime log.  Here is a scan of that map.

Attached Image(s)

I'll try posting the pic again.

Attached Image(s)

Thank you so much for sharing the map your father drew.  It is so important to preserve this history and the memory of the men who lived through such horrors.
 
Which compound was your father kept in?  When was he shot down?
 
Barry

Barry,
 
Wonder if there is a definitive record of exactly when each of the Sagan/Belaria compuonds were evacuated in early 1945, where they were sent and whether any remained behind at SL3. 
 
Murph,
 
Thanks for posting the map.  Interesting...
 
Margaret

Margaret,

>Wonder if there is a definitive record of exactly when each of the Sagan/Belaria compuonds were evacuated in early 1945, where they were sent and whether any remained behind at SL3.

I don’t believe you can get more official information then the Air Force Academy…

http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag3.htm
 
Robert
 

Gentlemen (and women) -
According to the book "Sagan", written by Bryce Cousens, an R.A.F. who was the editor of the Belaria compound newsletter, the POWs "paraded" on Sunday, January 29 at 0015 hours, were dismissed at 0145 and "eventually left at 5 a.m. on Sunday."
I cannot say that he was talking about the entirety of the Belaria compounds POWs because he writes as though it was an all-R.A.F. group
 
They went 20 km to a village called Kunau where they spent the night, leaving the next morning.  20 km later they had gone through Tappferstadt to Birkenstadt and were locked in barns again for the night.  They stayed there the next day and night.  The next day (this would be Feb 2?) they marched to Schoenheide for the night. 
 
The next day they marched to Spremberg, were fed a hot meal and put on trains in the afternoon.  Seven hours later the trains moved and the next evening they arrived at Luckenwalde Station.  They were marched to a camp - the processing took most of the night - and put in filthy barracks.  They were in Stalag IIIa.
 
Cousens describes that "we were the only R.A.F. contingent". 
 
They were still there on May 13.  The Russians had taken over by then and the Americans were on the scene - I haven't had a chance to read those pages but Cousns' narrative ends rather abruptly.
 
Susank

My father 1st Lt Robert B Hermann was a POW in Luft Stalag III from March 1943 until April 1945. As the Russian army was nearing they marched the POWs to Mossburg POW camp where Pattons 3rd army liberated the camp.

They must have split the groups up at some point. My father was marched further south the Moosburg.

My father was tranfered from  the North compound to the South in late 1943. He was one that was on the march to Mossburg POW camp.

I was wondering if anyone could help me with this.. I am trying to find out the date my wife's uncle was shot down over Germany, his plane and mission.  he was SSgt.John Skarenski, 392 Group Bombardment Heavy, he was held in Stalag luft 3 then trans to 17b released when camp was liberated... Any help will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks GMazz

Gmazz -
S/Sgt. John S. Skarenski
390th Bomb GRoup
Shot Down 10/8/43
MACR # 781
You can look him up at www.390th.org
Contact the Research Dept. at the 390th BG Museum 
If you have Questions res390th@aol.com
MACR # 781 should be available online at www.footnote.com 
Mike