Report on the journey of Hospital Patients, Sick and Unfit evacuated from Stalag 344 Lambsdorf Germany, on March 2nd, 1945 to Stalag VIIA Moosburg, Germany.

        A diary of the above journey was kept by me as Senior Medical Officer on instructions from Lt. Col. D.M. Crawford R.A.M.C. Senior Medical Officer Stalag 344. The original diary was left behind at Stalag VIIA, but the following is an abridged report from memory but includes all the salient points.

        All prisoners of war able to walk were evacuated on foot from Stalag 344 about the middle of January when the Russians were approaching. All patients and staff in the hospital remained behind, and in the stalag the sick and those considered unfit to march.

        Movement orders were received on March 1st for all hospital patients and sick in the stalag with a skeleton staff. Movement was by train and the destination unknown.

        The train was loaded on March 2nd at Annahof station and departed at 14.00 hrs. the same day.

        The train consisted of 40 closed cattle trucks and was not specially marked as a hospital or P.O.W. train.

        Cases were divided into lying and sitting and were loaded.

                Lying cases .................. 16 per truck.

                Sitting cases ................. 30 per truck.

        There were about 400 hospital cases. This included medical and surgical (some recent operation cases), tuberculosis open and closed and some 50 mental cases mostly psychotics some suicidal. There were some 100 cases from the Stalag Revier mostly lightly sick and fractures in plaster of Paris. The remained of the train was loaded with prisoners unfit to walk at about 40 to a wagon. The total complement of the train was between 1200 and 1300. Four wagons were allocated for hospital and revier stores, and in these were loaded most of the Red Cross Medical stores, Red Cross food parcels, and a certain amount of German hospital equipment and medical stores.

        The train was in charge of a German lieutenant - the Transport Officer, and about 12 guards. They occupied two cattle trucks one at the front and one at the back of the train.

        The cattle trucks were empty except for a bucket for sanitary purposes and a very occasional stove. There was no heating or lighting on the train. We were allowed to take palliasses, blankets, bedpans etc. from the hospital and had adequate medical supplies for the journey. The men from the stalag had I think only any private blankets they happened to possess.

        There were six medical officers and about 24 orderlies. Two medical officers were in one wagon of stores where a first aid post was established, while the others and the orderlies were distributed with the sick in various wagons.

        Rations issued for the journey consisted of one ordinary loaf per man and about two ozs. of margarine. In addition each man had a Red Cross food parcel, and there were other supplies of Red Cross food under the control of the S.M.O.

        We were fortunate in finding British and American Medical Officers and personnel at the station to meet us and give us great help.

(Sgd). L.W. Lauste. Major R.A.M.C.