Stalag III-A

Our next camp was Stalag III-A near Luckenwalde, located about 50 kilometers south of Berlin. The conditions here were much the same as my first camp, Stalag VII-A. We received Red Cross Parcels from England, Australia, Finland and Denmark, but the regularity (or irregularity) was about the same. The entire Norwegian army was in the compound next to ours. We were separated by a barbed wire fence. It seemed that they were taken prisoner directly from their homes and military bases in Norway without a shot being fired. They spent the entire period of the war in this camp. This information came from them. I have not tried to confirm it since the war ended. Officers from England, France and Yugoslavia were in the compound with us. The Senior Officer here was American, so we took turns cleaning our area our way rather than in the unseemly way it was handled by British earlier in VII-A.

Typical four deck bed block. However, thankfully, ours were double deck. Usually, our guards followed their schedule of activities meticulously and we could count on their serving meals, calling for numerous roll calls, making inspections etc. with precise timing. However, one morning early in April, they called for us to assemble on the grounds where roll call was always held. We could not imagine what was going to happen, especially, when the camp commander, whom we rarely saw, entered all dressed up in his finest uniform and walked in front of us. Then, with a noticeable stress in his voice--which was unusual for him--he announced that President Franklin Roosevelt had died. He offered his condolences to us and stated that he, as well as all Germans, regretted this as they felt that he was reasonable and just in his actions and attitudes and that Germany might not fare so well after the war ended with another as our leader. This was the first time that he or any of our guards had indicated that they felt that they would not win.

GUARDS ABANDON CAMP

On the night of April 24, 1945, the German guards abandoned the camp. Our "interior guards" consisted of ourselves being formed into quasi-military units in secret from our captors to do whatever might become needed. When the Germans abandoned the camp, we received instructions from our senior officer to do certain things. He had had various options planned well in advance. Therefore, at this time we assumed control of the camp. My job was to be a guard at a gate and to advise (but, specifically not to attempt to enforce) anyone desiring to leave the camp that he would be better off if he remained inside the camp until contact was made with friendly forces. Most heeded the warning, but a good many ignored it and left. I never heard how they fared.

RUSSIAN TANKS ARRIVE

The next morning a Russian Tank Company came to the camp and assumed command. Since they, supposedly, were friendly, we made no objections. We were not in any position to do anything else--especially, when they began to supply us with food. Food to a hungry person is enormously more important than it is to one who is not hungry! When you are hungry, you will do a lot of things that you would not do otherwise. I know this, personally, because I have been there! We found out later that the food came from German stores and that the large quantity of milk the first day and the beef the next day came from a nearby dairy farm. The Russians took all the milk the first day. When they went back the next day, the farmer resisted and they killed him and brought all his cows to us for food. Of course, we were glad to get meat to eat, but, even though we were hungry, we abhorred their methods they used to secure it--but, we did put it to good use! The tank company CO was female.

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Several days later, two platoons of US Army 2 1/2 ton trucks arrived and, of course, we all quickly piled on. I was a little slow because my feet had not healed from their exposure in the snow earlier, and I had to go almost to the last truck before I could find a space. Shortly after I got on the truck, the last few trucks (including the one that I was on) turned around in the roadway and sped away at top speed. When we arrived at Magdeburg, Germany, we found that the platoon leader of the second platoon of trucks had been in the Russian CP and had overheard orders given in Russian language for the trucks to be unloaded and everyone to be returned to the camp. Upon hearing this, he quickly returned to his trucks and ordered their hasty departure. The POW's on the remaining trucks were required to return to the camp.

At Magdeburg, we were welcomed by an American Quartermaster unit and given a good meal, a good hot shower and clean clothes. I, also, got a chance to write v-mail letters to my wife and parents. The next day we went to Rheims on a C-47.