CONFIDENTIAL

OFLAG IX A/Z ROTENBURG

British

No.534

Date of visit: 21st July, 1944.

Commandant : Colonel Brix

Abwehroff : Captain Heyl

Officer attached to O.K.W. : Hptm Schade

S.P.O.W. : Lieut. Col. Geddes Page, J. P/W. No.228358

Adjutant : Major Buston, V.C. P/W No.3330

S.B.O. : Lieut. Col. G.W. Kennedy, M.C. P/W No.1195

Strength : 391 Officers and 58 Orderlies, totalling 449 prisoners.

At the time we visited it there was a certain amount of commotion and disorder at the Camp, for two reasons:

        1. They had discovered, the previous evening, a magnificent tunnel designed for the prisoners' escape, which started from the toilet closet on the first floor and followed a horizontal line of 4 metres through the inner side of the outer wall; descended vertically, still within the inside of a wall of 7 metres to below the level of the courtyard; and continued in a horizontal line so as to pass under the hospital buildings and thus gain access to the place beyond the barbed wire entanglement.

        The whole thing was a well-lighted careful piece of work, lit by electricity.

        The Camp authorities, who had found some soil different from that in the immediate neighbourhood, mistrusted these signs of preparations for escape, and for some weeks carried out sapping and counter-sapping operations in order to discover the tunnel.

        After 6 weeks on the 18th July they found it and the outskirts of the estate are now decorated with ditched and in the interior (of the building) many rooms were closed while the tunnel was being filled in. This was noticeably the case with regard to the toilet closet where the tunnel started, which was the cause of there not being enough of them for some time.

        The distribution of Red Cross parcels will also suffer in consequence.

        2. The day after the attempt on the Fuehrer's life, the military authorities were greatly in request on the telephone for the organization of spontaneous demonstrations of thanksgiving in the evening, for the preservation of the Leader's life.

        Our visit was therefore, disturbed by these two happenings, but we must say that, this time, this attempt at escape was taken in a very sporting spirit by the Camp authorities, and that the prisoners were not molested in any way.

        Except for certain temporary restrictions, there was no change in the route at the Camp. By herding the prisoners together a little more, and taking advantage of a room left vacant by the repatriation of the chaplains, it was possible to provide an extra room as a study, to everybody's satisfaction.

        The few complaints which were submitted to us have already, in part, been reported in connection with our last visit, and have also been mentioned in our reports on other camps.

        1. The prisoners of was claim that they have to share a cupboard amongst 4 men, whilst the camp authorities claim that there is a cupboard for every 2 men. After various discussions and calculations it has been acknowledged that there is a real shortage of a certain number of cupboards which will be made up to the officers.

        2. The "Man of Confidence" (Camp Leader) complains of a lack of fuel, especially for the infirmary; that is to say, for heating the water. To this the authorities reply that 2 electric heaters were burnt, through the prisoners' negligence. One of these heaters is to be repaired shortly, and the wood-cutting fatigue-duty which is voluntarily undertaken by 10 officers every day (which provides them with a much appreciated pastime) is to be increased. As this wood is given in addition to the ration officially granted, there is nothing to be said against this work.

        3. The prisoners complain of the long delay that takes place between the time their private parcels arrive (at the camp) and the date on which the addressees finally receive them. The Germans have found that certain boxes of boot-cream have contained certain chemical products which have been used when the prisoners have attempted to escape, and the parcels are inspected and analysed very carefully.

        4. The repairs to toilet closet and lavatory basins is a subject for complaint, as it has been since our last visit. The Camp Commandant has promised to do what he can to get the work completed with the help of the few workmen allowed to him. This lack of organization is the more regrettable since the authorities do not wish to give the prisoners the tools with which they might be doing these repairs themselves, for fear they should use them for the purpose of attempting to escape again.

        5. The great grievance here, as in all the other camps, concerns the uncertainty of repatriation, and endless questions are put to us as regards the repatriation of the unfit, of chaplains and doctors, of the protected personnel, of prisoners who have now been in captivity for some years, etc.

        It would be very pleasant for us to have instructions to be able to answer all these questions which exercise a great influence on the prisoners' morale.

        Whilst we were discussing this point, the Security Officer Captain Heyl, told us that he had just had a telephone call informing him that the unfit and the protected personnel were to be repatriated and that they were to leave the camp on 27th July. We have not heard any more about this.

        6. The question as to the orderlies has once more been thoroughly discussed. Of 58 prisoners who are considered orderlies, 3 are unfit for service, 6 are hospital orderlies, 4 work in the Commandant's garden where they grow vegetables for the use of the prisoners, and 1 is the Sergeant Major. Of the remaining 44, we must omit 4 cooks and those who have to do the domestic work of the camp, which means that not more than 10% are available for the officers' service. This eternal discussion has been taken up again with the camp authorities, but we do not think we shall obtain any amelioration, in view of the fact that the German officers, and especially those of the O.K.W. have not any batmen themselves.

        We do not think that the protest against the work of 4 men working in the garden, is admissible either, in view of the fact that the prisoners of war derive real benefit (from such work) and that it is not against the provisions of Article 31 of the Convention.

        7. There was some dispute over the matter of investigations (or a search made) in the dormitories following upon the prisoners' attempt to escape, the search having been made when no British Officer was present. This question was settled with the Commandant after the intervention of the O.K.W. delegate. In future a British officer is to be called to assist in these searches or investigations.

        Another case of a German enquiry which was conducted in a manner that was offensive to two English officers who had been wronged in respect of a search, was settled to the prisoners' satisfaction.

        The S.M.O. Lieut. Col. J.C. Mackay, Prisoner of War No.1117, may be congratulated on the general state of health, which is excellent. He still lacks a stove and a diathermic apparatus. These have already been asked for at Geneva and Lisbon some time ago, and we think they will be arriving soon.

        There was an atmosphere of goodwill at the Camp the day we visited in, and we hope that all the promises made by the Camp Commandant will be kept.

(Signed) Edmond A. Naville.