Marlag und Milag Nord

Camp Commander:

Second in Command:

Accompanying Officer of the German High Command:

Senior British Officer:

Assistant:

Senior Medical Officer:

Korvettenkapitan Rogge

Leutnant Guessfeld

Hauptmann Schafer

Capt. G.F.W. Wilson

Capt. R.F. Notman

Major R.C.G. Harvey

There has been no change in the lay-out of the camp since our last visit of December 7th and 8th, 1944. Owing to the evacuation of Stalag Luft 3 Sagan, approximately 1900 British officers from the RAF camp Luft 3 Sagan have been accommodated in the Marlag M compound. The POWs from Marlag M have been transferred to the Ilag compound and the civilian internees from Ilag were put into the Milag. The 5 compounds were therefore divided as follows:

In the morning of April 8th, 1945, Capt. Wilson was informed by the Camp Commander, Fregattenkapitan Schmidt, that all officers, NCOs and ratings of the Royal Navy and all RAF personnel would have to be ready by 7 o'clock in the evening of the same day to march northeastwards towards Luebeck. This order came from the Commanding General for Prisoners of War for Wehrkreis X, and was due to the advance of Allied troops towards Bremen. Capt. Wilson protested and made it clear to the Camp Commander that if an evacuation should take place it should be made by train or motor lorries and that he was putting all the responsibility of the march and all eventualities on to the Camp Commander. The protest was rejected and the same evening at 8.15 the first group of 900 RAF personnel started to move but came back very shortly afterwards. The following morning at 10 a.m. the same group of RAF personnel started to march again and some hours later the personnel of the Royal Navy followed. From the moment the order for the march was given a complete chaos started outside and inside the camp. Most of the guards had disappeared and some of those remaining opened the gates of the compounds and also lifted the barbed wire around it to help the officers and men to escape and to hide in the nearby woods. No roll call was taken and the German Authorities actually made no effort to find out whether every prisoner of war who was supposed to march started moving, with the result that the German Authorities do not know the number of those on the march nor do they know the number of prisoners of war still in the camp. Before the march started those who were physically not fit were excused from the march and were allowed to remain at the camp. The German Camp Commander with most of his staff joined the marching group to be in charge of the new camp at Luebeck, leaving behind only four German officers and a certain amount of guards. When calling on the Commanding General of the Prisoners of War at Wehrkreis X at Hamburg, General Rossum, the latter stated that the prisoners of war, who are remaining at the camp as well as all those at Stalag XB - Sandbostel and at the Reserve Lazarett Sandbostel will stay to be eventually taken over by the Allied troops, should they be able [to] advance and occupy this sector of Germany. Korvettenkapitan Rogge, who is the present Camp Commander of Marlag and Milag Nord has to hand over the prisoners of war to the Allied troops. The day after all those who were on the march had left the remaining prisoners of war in the various compounds with the exception of the Indians were transferred to the Milag so that at present the only two compounds occupied by British and American prisoners of war are Milag and the Indian Camp. Capt. Wilson stated that the barrack roofs have been painted in such a way to show the allied air planes which are constantly flying over the camp that this is a British and American POW Camp. He informed the present Camp Commander accordingly.

Of the above mentioned the following prisoners of war were excused from the march:

Of the 37 Paratroops, who arrived a few days previous to the march, and who were supposed to be included in the march only 10 actually left.

Capt. Wilson informed the Delegate that those who had dispersed in the woods so as to avoid the march have come back, however, he could not say for certain whether everyone of them returned as some of the prisoners of war re-enter the camp almost any moment. As mentioned before, the Germans do not know the exact number of the present strength as they show 250 prisoners of war less on their figures.

Owing to the closeness of the front (about 20 miles) and the constant attacks of low flying allied aeroplanes on cars moving on the road, the Delegate's visit was not expected any more either by the Germans or by the prisoners of war in spite of their having been informed of this visit about 2 weeks previously. The Senior Officer therefore had nothing prepared and did not think it necessary to bring up complaints or requests inasmuch as he felt and is still feeling for certain that the camp will be liberated very shortly. However, the following points were brought up and later on discussed with the German Authorities.

Capt. Wilson requested that all passports and personnel papers which are held in safe keeping by the German Authorities should be handed over to him now against a receipt. The reason for this request is his fear that the papers might be destroyed by fire by low flying attacks of allied airplanes on the German quarters or that they might be taken by looting German troops passing through here. The Camp Commander is ready to do so but has to have permission from the Commanding General.

The case was discussed with the Commanding General the following day while calling on him and he promised that he will give an order to the Camp Commander to hand over the papers at once, discharging all responsibilities from the Germans.

Capt. Wilson also requested assurance that no one will be put on march any more in case the Allied troops should come closer. This assurance was given to the Delegate by the Camp Commander as well as by the Commanding General at Hamburg.

Chief Officer Jones who is in charge of the Indian Camp asked for assurance that the Indians will not be moved to the Ilag. This assurance was given by the Camp Commander.

The Man of Confidence of the Civilian Internees, Mr. Zeschke, reported that none of the personnel luggage which had to be left at Giromagny has arrived. Furthermore he reported that the two large radio sets with attached loudspeakers which have been bought by the internees for RM 3.000 - and been taken with the German's permission from Giromagny, have been confiscated when arriving here, and that they have disappeared altogether from the German quarters. Leutnant Guessefeld who has full knowledge of the case informed the Delegate that as far as he remembered the two radio sets with loudspeakers were sent away by order of Sonderfuhrer Langer who came with the internees from Giromagny but he could not remember where they have been sent to nor where Sonderfuhrer Langer is. The case will be taken up most strongly with the German Foreign Office as well as with the OKW.

Capt. Wilson reported that on February 19th F/Lt. Bryson was shot at by a German sentry. F/Lt. Bryson was standing between the warning wire and the barbed wire fence talking to one of the German guards of one of the other compounds, when one of the guards from the Luftwaffe shot at F/Lt. Bryson. F/Lt. Bryson was at once admitted to hospital at Milag and in spite of every effort made to save his life, he died on April, 19th 1945 at 1.40 a.m. He has been buried on April 11th [note: This is as the dates are written], 1945, on the camp's cemetery with military honours.

About March 20th, 1945, an order was issued that all Red Cross tins should be emptied into eating bowls, G/Capt. Wilson, Senior British Officer of the RAF compound, protested against this new order and refused to give any assistance to the Germans in issuing the Red Cross tins in this new manner. The German Authorities stated that they could not possibly do it without the POWs assistance, with the result that the RAF compound received no Red Cross Parcels during the last week in March. On the strength the Senior British Officer of the RAF and the German Authorities, Group Capt. Wilson was transferred to Oflag IXA on March 31st, 1945, and was only told of his removal two hours previous to his departure. The POWs doubt very much where he actually arrived there but the Camp Commander stated that the guard who took Group Capt. Wilson to Spangenberg has returned after having handed him over to the Camp Commander at Oflag IX A - Spangenberg.

The death of Thomas Henry Grant, POW No. 89138 Fireman s/s "Sardinian Prince" born on November, 19th, 1894, at Leith has been reported. Grant died on April 13th, 1945, at 1.45 p.m. at the lazaret of acute Phthisis.

Capt. Norman reported that Fireman A. WALKER, POW No. 7521 from Milag had been taken away in January 1945 and appears to be in jail in Altona near Hamburg. He is charged with breaking in and damaging German property. He has actually broken the lock to the store room in the camp where Red Cross supplies are kept. He was supposed to have been court-martialled on March 27th, 1945, but nothing has been heard of the outcome of the trial. The Camp Commander knew nothing of the case and all records have been taken along with the German Camp Authorities, who have left for Luebeck. The matter will be taken up with the OKW. Wilson reported that he had received news that the marching column has been attacked with machine guns by low flying Allied airplanes, killing some, wounding others. The Camp Commander confirmed this information and mentioned to the Delegate that the wounded are at present at the Reserve Lazaret at Zeven, between Hamburg and Bremen. A special report on the Delegate's visit to the Reserve Lazaret, at Zeven has been made.

At present there are 13378 Red Cross food parcels and 6712 invalid parcels, including milk, and special diet parcels, which will last for three weeks at the rate of one parcel per man per week.

The prisoners of war are very excited about the advance of the Allied troops near Bremen and are eagerly awaiting their liberation by them which they expect to take place within a week or two. The Camp Commander stated that he is trying to keep some discipline and also to avoid escapes as he is very eager to hand over the prisoners of war as one whole unit. There is practically no interference inside the camp by the Germans and it can easily be said that the camp itself is run by the Senior Officers of the prisoners of war.