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Stalag Luft
I
"Kriegsgefangenerlager No. 1 der
Luftwaffe"
Barth Germany, near the Baltic
Sea.
Location: (54-22N - 120421 3091
E)
Originally opened in late June 1940 for capured RAF
personnel, by the following year it had grown to two compunds. "Oflag" for the
officers and "Stalag" for the other ranks. April 1942 all RAF PoW's were
removed from the camp and displaced to other PoW camps and the camp was closed.
From the German point of few it was due to too many attempted and successful
escapes. From the RAF point it was due to their view of diplorable conditions.
The camp remained empty until October
1942 when 200 RAF NCO's were transfered from Stalag Luft III. It remained a
"Stalag" (no officers) until Nov 1943 when due to the influx of captured allied
airmen the camp was again reorganized and the RAF NCO's, minus a handful who
stayed as volunteeres for clerical duties were transfered to Stalag Luft VI. In
early 1943 a small amount of American PoW's fluttered into the camp from time
to time but by the end of the year American PoW's flowed in at almost a
constant rate. They were intitially held in the South Compound but this
eventually was combined with the West Compound. |
