Stalag 344

W.O. Davidner, POW No.24974 (This Warrant Officer is a Canadian and M.of C. for the British RAF personnel)

On June 28th there were 23235 prisoners in this Stalag; 15345 of them are employed in working detachments and the remaining 7890 live in the main camp, the detailed figures being:

Engld.

11597

N.Z.

901 & 349

Austr.

901

Canad.

174 & 3

Amer.

Irish.

214 & 2

Jews

1039 & 1

Egypt.

Cypriots

So.Afr.

Ind.

Greeks

Maltese

Total

15345*

The above figure includes 1100 RAF personnel, 1100 repatriables and 1838 prisoners still in chains.

No change since our last visit. Naturally, as a result of the bad overcrowding of the camp most of the interior arrangements have become inadequate, especially regarding the sanitary installation.

There is again the usual summer "water-trouble" but more severely felt this year than ever before. The various barracks take it in turns, so for instance the water is on in one of the RAF barracks from 8.30 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 4.30 p.m. In consequence of the overcrowding baths can now be had only once per man every 14 days.

These are bad in that they are not emptied often enough. A serious view of this fact was taken by the Delegate of the Protecting Power as well as the Senior British Medical Officer who both inspected the latrines in question, accompanied by the Camp Commander and his staff, who explained that the means at their disposal for emptying the pits were not sufficient now. The matter will therefore be discussed with the OKW.

There was no special complaint about the food; the arrangements for the cooking of private food are still the same as shown in our last report. A scale of rations is posted weekly in the kitchen; on the day of the visit it read as follows:

Since our last visit a new distribution center for the Red Cross parcels has been built about two miles from the main camp. From here 22 newly created depots for all working parties of Stalag VIII B are being furnished with whatever they require. In each one of the centers there is a Senior N.C.O. in charge of the parcels and their distribution so that this matter has now found a very satisfatory solution. The Delegate of the Protecting Power made a special point of inspecting the new center and found it to be exceedingly well arranged, spacious, airy and very clean. In order to facilitate the unloading of the Red Cross parcels a miniature railway has been built.

There is a two months reserve of Red Cross parcels in the center. It was pointed out that the parcels from New Zealand contain no butter, no milk, no sugar and no soap and the prisoners would naturally be very grateful if these could be included in further consignments.

The Senior British Medical Officer, Lt.-Col. T.H. Wilson, RAMC, is in charge of the lazaret. At the present moment he is assisted by 8 British medical officers, but 5 more are expected to arrive in the near future. There are a 100 medical orderlies; 60 of them work in the lazaret and the others in the operating theater etc. Two of these medical orderlies are still not recognized.

On the day of the visit there were 327 patients in the hospital, of these 34 TB-cases were going to be discharged and transferred to a special TB-hospital the same day. According to the Senior British medical officer, fresh TB-cases are coming in almost daily from the working-parties; there are also a great many patients with kidney trouble.

The Delegate of the Protecting Power was told that those coming in from the Working Detachments are often hindered from seeing the doctors and that in most of these cases it is the Lagerfuehrer who, for some reason or another, seeks to decide whether a prisoner should see the doctor or not. When discussing this question with the Oberstabsarzt he stated that every prisoner had the right and the possibility to see the doctor and that the above complaint could no longer be justified as more working parties were now under control of British doctors.

In the lazaret there are furthermore about 40 mental cases. Lt.-Col. Wilson stated that the position was serious and getting more so, as far as these patients are concerned. However, when discussing this matter with the camp Commander and the Oberstabsarzt it was stated that the British doctors themselves wish for lighter mental cases to be kept in the lazaret but that serious cases are sent to a civilian mental home at Loben, where excellent treatment is given. This was confirmed by Cpt. Donald, RAMC, who usually looks after these mental cases, he stated that the more chronic cases are sent to Loben where they receive shock treatment and are attended by British medical orderlies from this lazaret. Cpt. Donald is of the opinion that in the majority of cases the mental trouble has started since the men have been in captivity.

In this connection the case of a mental patient, Private Gambrill, POW No. 5527, may be mentioned; under cover of night he succeeded in leaving the lazaret and was later found shot on the inner side of the barbed wire. (A special report on this case will be forwarded separately.) The British doctors once more pointed out their difficult situation regarding those prisoners of war, who, without being serious mental cases, are mentally deranged in a way as to require special observation. In the opinion of the doctors it would be detrimental to the condition of these "borderline-cases" if they were transferred to a proper mental home.

On his return to Berlin the Delegate of the Protecting Power learned that the long asked for special mental hospital for prisoners of war has now been opened at Kloster Haina and is ready to admit patients immediately. The Protecting Power will insist on a special section in this hospital being reserves for cases as mentioned above.

Otherwise, as far as the running of the lazaret and the work of the British doctors is concerned there was no complaint, the British are left to themselves and run the lazaret their own way. The lay-out and situation of the lazaret in the midst of a lovely wood undoubtedly continues to serve its purpose well.

Conditions in the revier, situated inside the compound of Stalag VIII B are much less happy. The most serious and obviously well-founded complaint concerns the lack of accommodation for the sick, due, of course, to the greatly overcrowded Stalag. The British doctors expressed the opinion that another barrack with at least 50 additional beds would help matters considerably. When this was discussed with the camp authorities the Delegate of the Protecting Power was told that the British doctors have a tendency to keep their patients longer in the revier than is absolutely necessary; at the same time, of course, it was admitted that the camp is greatly overcrowded. However, a new barrack cannot be built. The only solution, therefore, seems to be a depopulation of the camp (see point XVI of this report). The British doctors stated that the drug position is very bad too. In the past they have relied too much on British supplies, for instance in April they received 2000 aspirins from the Germans but used over 4000 British ones. Another matter which is rather causing anxiety concerns work in coal mines. It was stated that many of the men employed in mines are unfit and often wear glasses; often the German doctors would pass unfit prisoners for work in mines. This obviously being a serious matter, it will be brought to the knowledge of the German High Command.

The position regarding dental treatment is not satisfactory either. There are only 2 dentists in the main camp who of course, are quite unable to cope with the vast number of prisoners. They state that another dentist has been promised but even his coming will not ameliorate the position much as there is no more equipment available. The dentists are further complaining about the serious shortage of gas and accommodation. Also an electric vulcanizer is urgently wanted.

Oberstarbsarzt Dr. Woitalla is in charge of the medical side of this camp, assisted by Stabsarzt Dr. Schaeffer for the revier.

The clothing position is unsatisfactory. There has been only one consignment of 4500 pairs of trousers from Geneva in the last 9 months. Although a good proportion of the working men have two suits, one of them is usually in such a bad state that replacements are most urgently required. Boots, generally speaking, are in a fairly good condition and there is plenty of underclothing; it is mainly for the battle dresses that the prisoners are asking.

Regarding pay a new system has been introduced and the prisoners now and for some time in the past no longer sign for their pay. They appeared to be rather worried about it as they think the new system is open to errors. The matter was discussed with the German Officer in charge of payments who assured the Delegate of the Protecting Power that there could be no question of mistakes being made, as there was a treble control of all payments; besides, any prisoners of war wishing to do so could at any time see his pay-card. The Delegate of the Protecting Power was satisfied as to the correctness of this statement. Furthermore, the new system of pay is the same as applied in the German army.

About the canteen as such, there was no complaint, but the Man of Confidence pointed out that he had no control over the funds of the canteen. When discussing this matter with the Camp Commander it was stated that at any time the Man of Confidence wished he could control these.

Nothing new to report except that the football ground has been further extended. The grands-blesses are now having their regular walks; also the men in charge of each barrack.

Mail is very bad at the moment. It is thought that the fault lies in the censor's office in the camp itself, as letters sometimes remain there as long as a month, at any rate at present the delay was up to 14 days. When asked about this, the Camp Commander admitted that there had been rather long delays but they were not as bad as the prisoners stated however, more personnel had been engaged and the already reduced delays would therefore stop in the near future.

The Man of Confidence put the following complaints to the Delegate of the Protecting Power.

(1) A new man coming into this camp often carries with him private and business letters and papers. These are taken away from him and destroyed. The Camp Commander explained thereon that new prisoners coming in were allowed to keep a few letters and certainly all important business papers, but if often happens that a man arrives with piles of letters accumulated in previous camps and in such cases these are taken away.

(2) There is now a tendency to put prisoners in key positions in many factories, often being in charge of an important machine and also of German workers. The Man of Confidence fears that in case anything goes wrong a charge of sabotage might easily be made against the prisoners. The Delegate of the Protecting Power was informed by the Camp Commander that this question was also receiving the attention of the German authorities; at the same time he opined that, as only reliable men were chosen for such duties, it signified a great amount of confidence on their part and that they were trusting these chosen men entirely.

(3) The Man of Confidence asks for new kitchen utensils which were promised by the Camp Commander.

(4) Both the Man of Confidence as well as the medical officers state that they had not been told of the visit by the Protecting Power and were informed of it only a few minutes before the Delegate arrived. The matter was discussed with the Camp Commander who stated that the Man of Confidence had been told about it, but there seemed to be some want of clearness; however, the German High Command will be requested to assure that in future the visits of the Protecting Power will be made known in good time to the Man of Confidence in every camp.

(5) Recently large posters in English were put in this camp, showing photographs of the Kattyn mass graves and the International Medical Commission inspecting these; the prisoners object to these posters and consider them as political propaganda inside their compound. This applies not only to Stalag VIII B but all camps throughout Germany and the matter will be discussed with the German High Command; meanwhile, the Protecting Power would like to know the opinion of the British Authorities on this point.

It is regrettable that on account of the bad overcrowding, which has taken place since our last visit, conditions in this Stalag have rather deteriorated than improved. But, if the repatriables (see end of this report) and the RAF personnel could leave here, the camp would return to something like its former, happier state. Most of today's trouble directly result from this serious overcrowding. However, the Commander of the camp is unable to do anything in this respect and the matter will be brought before the German High Command for, if the camp has to carry on with the present figures, serious trouble must be expected.

There are still about 1838 handcuffed prisoners, though their case today is more a symbolic one than a physical strain or pain; they are handcuffed in the early morning and set free again in the evening, during daytime, however, the camp authorities appear to shut an eye to the prisoners taking off their handcuffs and move about with the others.

It may also be mentioned that attempts to escape have increased lately, a fact which always means new restrictions for the prisoners.

Much stir was caused among the prisoners when the German camp authorities started the so-called "Straflager" (punishing camp). Prisoners from all over Stalag awaiting trial or sentence of a court are put there, also those who should normally go in the bunker can either chose to do double time here or there.

The Delegate of the Protecting Power took rather a serious view of this new arrangement. There are no beds in the camp, the prisoners sleep on straw mattresses on a concrete floor. They are occupied with more or less petty little duties from 5 a.m. till 9 p.m. The Camp Commander explained that this measure was necessary as it would keep those apart who are awaiting trial and at a given time were easy to find. The time they spend here is then deducted from their sentence; this is alright, of course, in the cases in which sentence is passed but most unfair if a prisoner is acquitted.

Returning to the question of repatriables it must be stated that these men are now most disappointed that no agreement has been reached between the two governments regarding their exchange. Many of them feel very bitter about it.

The Delegate of the Protecting Power on his part particularly wishes to draw the attention of the British Government to this matter. Most of the men are in an unhappy state of mind; their health is in no way improving and they long for their own homes. Their situation is most unfortunate and deserves the utmost attention.

The prisoners do railway work (piece work); they are free on Sundays and are paid 70 Rpfg. a day.

They are accommodated in a wooden barrack situated outside the small town of Freudenthal. The situation is very pleasant. There are two sleeping rooms for 20 men; the beds are of the wooden double-tier type with two blankets each. Lighting and heating are adequate.

There is one small washroom without running water; the men wash in bowls. Hot baths can be had once every fortnight at the hospital in the town.

The kitchen is inside the barrack; food is cooked by two prisoners and there was no complaint about it. There is a stock of Red Cross parcels for 4 weeks.

Every man has two uniforms, but the one used for working is generally in bad condition, especially the trousers, as no working overalls are supplied by the firm.

There is one recognized medical orderly in this camp; there is a daily sick parade at the office of the German Army Doctor in town. The treatment was stated to be good. The drug supply in the camp is rather poor at the moment as no medical parcels were received for three months.

There is no canteen, but the Man of Confidence is allowed to go shopping in town, though there is not much to be bought.

Sport facilities are granted on the sports-ground of the town; every Sunday the prisoners can play football there. The men asked for permission to play with other commandos of the neighbourhood, a request which was granted. Books, musical instruments and indoor games are provided.

As in most camps, the incoming mail has been rather poor during the last few weeks.

38 British prisoners of war, of whom 7 are at the moment serving a seven day's sentence at Jaegersdorf for attempts to escape.

The men are doing railway work on the contract scheme. They are free each Saturday afternoon and on Sundays. The pay is Rpfg. 70 a day.

The men are accommodated in a wooden barrack, containing two sleeping rooms. There are the usual double-tier beds; each man has two blankets; some of the blankets, however, are worn out and thin. The accompanying officer promised to interview the employer in order to have him change the bad blankets. Also the straw of the palliasses requires renewing and will be changed after the harvest.

The barrack roof was said to be leaking in some places: the Kommandofuehrer stated that its repair had already been arranged for.

There is no proper washroom inside the barrack and the men have to wash in bowls outside. The Delegate of the Protecting Power complained about this and the Control-Officer promised to have a wash-place built at once. The men are allowed one hot bath every fortnight at the hospital in Freudenthal; there was, however, a complaint that on three occasions the men had to pay their fare to the town. The matter was discussed with the Control-Officer and the fares will be refunded.

The food is cooked by the prisoners themselves in their own kitchen in the barrack. They receive heavy workers rations; there was a complaint that the meat receive was mostly horse-meat and that on two occasions it had to be sent back as it was already bad. This question was discussed for all working camps in this district with the control-officer as many of them receive only horse-meat. In the opinion of both, the Delegate of the Protecting Power and the control-officer there can be no objection to good quality horse-meat if the quantity supplied amounts to less than 50% of the weekly meat-ration; the German army also partly receives horse-meat.

No recognized sanitator is at the disposal of the prisoners and they have to go to the Germany army doctor for medical treatment; this also applies to dental treatment. There were no serous complaints in this respect.

The clothing position is not very satisfactory, some of the men have still only one pair of trousers, which are now in a very bad state as none of them have received working-overalls. An application has been made to Stalag for more clothing, but as the stocks there, are at present very limited, nothing has so far been received.

The laundry is done in the village and the men are satisfied with this arrangement. There is no canteen, but the Man of Confidence is allowed to do his shopping in town. Occasionally there is beer for sale.

Recreation and exercise are very poor in this camp; there is neither a gramophone nor any musical instruments nor is there a football-ground. The YMCA will be asked if anything can be done for the men in this matter. Books are supplied by the main Stalag.

There is still a stretcher-bearer in this camp, Daniel LEWIS, POW No.11693, who is not recognized as protected personnel and is working. He is asking for a certificate in order to prove his status.

The men are working in a saw-mill. On weekdays they work 9 1/2 hours, (on Saturdays 5 3/4 hours) and on Sundays they are free. They are paid Rfpg. 70. a day. The prisoners are accommodated in a pleasant new wooden barrack. There is plenty of room and the men are very comfortably lodged in that only 4 to 10 men live together in the same room. Every man has two blankets.

There is a washroom inside the barrack but, owing to difficulties of the water supply in this region, the water has to be carried about 300 yards. However, the employer intends to open a well in the neighbourhood of the barrack. Hot baths are allowed every week in town.

The latrines are outside (pit-type), the night latrine inside the barrack. Food is cooked by the firm and was stated to be excellent. There is a stock of Red Cross parcels for 6 weeks.

The clothing position is unsatisfactory; some men have only one uniform and the trousers are in a very bad condition. The same applies to boots, although there is a cobbler in the camp he cannot help much as most of the boots are beyond repair. However, 43 pairs of trousers and 50 pairs of boots have just been received but naturally do not cover the requirements of the camp.

Sport facilities are excellent in this camp as a football ground forms part of the compound. But the ball is very worn out and a new one is badly wanted. This wish will be transmitted to the Y.M.C.A.

This is an excellent camp; the material conditions as well as the treatment by the employer are most satisfactory.

There is a Red Cross parcel center in this camp for the six neighbouring working commandos under the supervision of Sgt. Major Mudge, who stated that supplies of six weeks were in stock in both, the Main Stalag and this camp, therefore 12 weeks in all.

The work of the men consists in unloading, pressing and reloading hay. They work about 10 hours daily. Saturday afternoons and Sundays are free; if occasionally Sunday-work is necessary, compensation during the week is given. They are paid Rpfg. 70. a day.

The prisoners live in one wooden barrack, containing one large combined sleeping- and one day-room. There is plenty of space; heating and lighting are adequate. There is a special wash-room with bowls; hot water is supplied by the camp-kitchen. Every man has a hot bath once weekly in the German military barracks of the town.

The latrines are outside the barracks (pit-type). The Delegate of the Protecting Power was of the opinion that these are not emptied often enough and the control-officer ordered to have them emptied more regularly.

The food is cooked by the prisoners themselves in a well equipped kitchen in the barrack. There was no complaint about the food but the Man of Confidence stated that they find it difficult to manage with the coal supply during the summer (600 kilos monthly for general and private cooking as well as for washing); the control-officer explained that it was impossible to supply more coal but that he would provide the camp with additional wood.

There is no recognized medical orderly in this camp, but one of the prisoners gives first aid.

Medical and dental treatment is in the hands of a German Army doctor and was said to be satisfactory.

The clothing position is good except for trousers. Most of the men have only one pair and no working overalls are provided. Boots are in good condition.

Once a week the prisoners are allowed to play football on the sportfield of the town. Tennis could be played on an adjacent court but the men have no rackets and no balls. The Y.M.C.A. will be asked to provide these articles, if possible.

There was no serious complaint about this camp which can be considered as fairly good.

They do all kinds of wood work about 10 1/2 hours daily; they are free on Saturday afternoons and Sunday. Their pay is Rpfg. 70.- minimum per day.

The men are accommodated in a very large room on the ground floor of a stone building forming part of the factory premises. There are double-tier-beds with two blankets; heating and lighting are adequate.

Adjacent to the sleeping room there is a washroom with a bath tub and every man can have a bath two or three times a week.

Food is cooked by the prisoners themselves in their own kitchen which is in the same building. There was no complaint about the quantity or quality of food. The camp has a stock of Red Cross parcels for 7 weeks.

There is a recognized sanitator in the camp; medical attention is in the hands of a Germany Army Doctor and was said to be satisfactory. Dental treatment is in the hands of a German civilian dentist and is also satisfactory.

The clothing position is fairly good; about 25% of the prisoners have two uniforms. Working overalls are provided for some of the prisoners who do particularly dirty work. Boots are generally in bad condition, however, there is enough leather for repairs in the camp.

There is no canteen in the camp and the Man of Confidence states that he finds it difficult to buy or rather find things to buy in the town.

The camp was visited once last year by a Church of England padre from the Main Stalag and once this year by a Roman Catholic padre.

Once a week the men are allowed to play football on the football ground of the town. There are no indoor games or sports, nor gramophone records. The Y.M.C.A. will be asked if something can be provided for this camp too. Books the camps receives from the Main Stalag.

Sometime ago the prisoners in this camp had to make casings for munitions but after a complaint to the Protecting Power by the Chief Man of Confidence in the Main Stalag this was stopped; The Man of Confidence stated that since the intervention by the Protecting Power there had been no further breach of the Geneva Convention.

This is a fairly good camp, but owing to the fact that it is located in a large building, there is no open space around it; however, as a new barrack-camp is being built on an open space nearby and will soon be ready for occupation, no complaint was made.

The Delegate of the Protecting Power insisted that the new compound be of such size as to allow for plenty of open space for exercise, etc., for the men.

The men are divided into three different working parties; the largest of them works in an iron-mine 8 hours daily, the second is occupied in another part of the same mine, but owing to the wetness there they do only six hours daily. (This kind of work is, of course, unhealthy, but as the men volunteered and the civilians are doing the same, no complaint was made.) The men of this working party are well provided with rubber boots and jackets. The third party does engineering work at Sternberg. The men leave the camp at 6:15 a.m. and return at 5:45 p.m. All the prisoners in this camp are free on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. The pay is Rpfg. 70.- a day minimum.

The men are accommodated in a large wooden barrack which is divided in two sections by a corridor. In each room 20 to 24 men are lodged. There is no day-room and the prisoners must take their meals in their sleeping quarters; there is, however, plenty of space. The beds are of the double-tier wooden-type; each man has two blankets.

The Man of Confidence complained about the lack of cupboards; the control-officer stated that the firm could not be asked to provide cupboards, but one of the men, a carpenter will be given enough free time to make some out of empty Red Cross cases.

There is a wash-room inside the barrack with a bath-tub but the hot water boiler is too small to allow for a weekly bath for each man. The washing facilities are adequate.

The latrines (pit-type) are outside the barrack; there is one night latrine inside the barrack. The Man of Confidence complained that the pits are not emptied often enough. The Control-Officer gave strict order that in future pits must be emptied regularly.

The food is cooked by the prisoners themselves in a well equipped kitchen in the barrack. It was stated that the Man of Confidence has the absolute control over the rations; here again there was a complaint that for sometime only horse-meat was issued; the matter was dealt with in the same way as in the case of Kommando E 249. There is a stock of Red Cross parcels for 7 weeks.

There is one recognized sanitator in the camp; twice weekly there is a sick parade by a German Army Doctor in Sternberg; the men are taken there by lorry. The attention they receive is good; in case of need an ambulance is always at their disposal. For dental treatment the men to go a civilian dentist in Sternberg with whom they are satisfied.

One man is in need of glasses and it was arranged for him to go to a specialist in Sternberg. There are also a few men in the camp suffering from ear trouble; they will be sent to the Main Stalag where a British specialist will be in attendance soon.

The clothing position is good at the moment. Each prisoner has two pairs of trousers and all the men working in mines are provided with overalls. Boots are also in good condition.

There is no canteen; the Man of Confidence goes shopping in Sternberg. Beer is on sale in the camp.

A Church of England padre from the Main Stalag visited this camp last year and recently the men were paid a visit by a Roman Catholic padre.

The men are allowed to play outdoor games on the sportfield of the town, but their trouble is that they have no sport kits at all. Indoor games as well as books are provided.

There was a complaint from the third working party in that they do not receive a hot midday-meal, the control office stated that they were perfectly entitled to a hot meal provided by the employer and he gave order that this must be done in the future.

22 British prisoners of war; they work 9 1/2 hours daily in a saw-mill; they are free on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, but some of the prisoners very often have to unload waggons on Sundays; in that case, however, they are given compensation during the week. They are paid Rpfg. 70.- a day.

They are accommodated on the first floor of a stone building belonging to the saw-mill. There is one large combined sleeping and day-room with double-tier beds; each man has two blankets. Heating and lighting is adequate.

There was a complaint about the roof leaking, particularly in the clothing and Red-Cross parcel-room, and which are both adjacent to the sleeping quarters. The matter was discussed with the employer who stated that the necessary repair material had already been ordered and the repairs will be carried out as soon as it has arrived.

The wash-room is next door to the sleeping quarters and has running water. One bath tub is provided but until now it was difficult for the men to have a weekly bath each, as the hot water boiler is too small. However, a new boiler will be installed within the next few days and from July 15th there will be ample hot water.

There was no complaint about the food, which is cooked by the firm; facilities for private cooking are adequate. There is a stock of Red Cross parcels for several weeks.

There is no sanitator in this camp; a sick parade is held every day by the German civilian doctor of the village. However, the Man of Confidence complained that the prisoners did not receive proper treatment there. It was then arranged by the Control-Officer that in doubtful or serious cases the men should be sent to the German Army Doctor of the nearby town of Schoenberg. Dental treatment by a civilian dentist was said to be satisfactory.

Sport facilities are adequate, but the men's sport-outfits are in a bad state. Every Sunday the prisoners are taken out for walks. There are plenty of books, but the camp is in great need of indoor games and above all playing cards.

There was a complaint about there not being enough room for drying wet uniforms; when discussing this with the employer, he stated that he was going to build a special room for cloth-drying for his civilian workers and that an extra room would be added for the prisoners of war.

The material conditions of this camp cannot be described as being bad, but the employer does not seem very willing to meet the prisoners half-way.

50 British prisoners of war. They are working in a brewery 9 1/2 hours daily. On Saturday afternoons and Sundays they are free. Their pay is Rpf. 70.- a day. Accommodation is provided on the ground floor of a stone-building belonging to the premises of the brewery. There is a large sleeping-room for all the men with double-tier beds. Each man has two blankets. Besides there is a day-room.

There is an adjacent washroom with cold running water. Every prisoner has a hot shower once a week at the factory.

The food is cooked for the prisoners by a civilian woman. There was no complaint about the food, but the Man of Confidence has no control over the rations. The Control-Officer agreed that the Man of Confidence should be given every chance to control the rations and gave orders accordingly.

Medical and dental attention: see report above. There is one recognized medical orderly in this camp. Three men who are in need of glasses have been seen by an eye specialist.

Every man has two uniforms; the working trousers are, however, in a bad condition. The Man of Confidence stated that the rubber boots provided for the men working in the cellar were of poor quality and letting water through. The Kommandofuehrer didn't know anything about it and explained that had he known about it, he would have done his best to change them.

There is no canteen, but the Man of Confidence is allowed to go shopping. Beer is on sale.

Sport-facilities are very poor in this camp as the men have first of all no sports-kit. The Y.M.C.A. will be asked if a football can be sent to this camp. There is a ping-pong table but no balls. Books are lent by the Stalag.

50 British prisoners of war; they are working in a stone quarry. Most of them do contract work. On Saturday afternoons and Sundays there is no work; pay is Rpfg. 70.- a day plus 10 Rpfg. extra for each waggon excavated on and above the ordinary pay.

Accommodation is provided on the first floor of a stone building of the factory premises. There are three sleeping-rooms and one day-room. The men sleep in double-tier beds; each man has two blankets.

Washing facilities with cold running water are installed in two of the sleeping rooms. A hot bath can be had every day.

The latrines are of the pit-type and subject of a complaint as they were difficult to be emptied; however, a new pit is in course of construction.

Food is cooked by two civilian women and there was no complaint about it except that during the last six weeks only horse meat was issued. The matter was discussed with the manager of the firm who declared that he had already protested to the responsible quarters; he promised to continue his protests until satisfaction was given. The camp has a stock of Red Cross parcels for eight weeks.

There is one medical orderly in the camp. Medical and dental attention: see preceding report.

One man is in need of glasses but was not yet allowed to go to a specialist. The Delegate of the Protecting Power arranged with the Control-Officer that he be sent as soon as possible to have his eyes tested.

Most of the prisoners have only one uniform which generally is in a bad state. An application was made to the Stalag, but the stock there is very limited and nothing has yet been received. The firm has recently started to give out a few working overalls. The boots too are rather bad and there is no material left in the camp for repairs.

The camp has no canteen; beer is on sale; however, the Man of Confidence is allowed to go shopping in the village.

The camp was paid a visit last year by a padre of the Church of England from Stalag but no Roman Catholic padre has as yet called on the prisoners. The Man of Confidence stated that more frequent visits by a padre would be very much appreciated.

Sport facilities are rather poor. There is a lack of sport gear and they have only a worn out football. There are very few indoor games and the Y.M.C.A. will therefore be acquainted with the position in this camp. Books are supplied by the Stalag library.

Like in all other camps in this district, the mail was said to have been bad during the last six weeks.

As far as the working and the good will of the employer are concerned this can be called a good camp, but the great shortcoming until now was the complete lack of space around the building. However, the matter was discussed with the employed, who immediately agreed for the prisoners to have the use of a playing field just near their living quarters.

58 British prisoners of war are engaged in railway maintaining work. They work 9 to 9 1/2 hours daily; from 4 p.m. Saturday till Monday morning they are free from working.

The prisoners are accommodated on the ground floor of a large stone building. There is no separate day-room, but the sleeping quarters are very spacious and are furnished with a large number of tables and benches. Each man has two blankets; the beds are of the wooden double-tier type.

An adjacent smaller room is at the moment being transformed into a reading and writing room.

The washing facilities are in a wooden barrack in the courtyard and are sufficient. Every prisoner is able to have a hot bath in the nearby town of Schoenberg.

The latrines are in a wooden barrack in the courtyard (pit-type) and are emptied often enough. The night latrine of the flush-type is next to the sleeping quarters.

The prisoners cook their own food in a well equipped kitchen and there was no complaint, except that since a few days only horse-meat was given out; the matter was discussed with the Accompanying Officer who left orders with the "Lagerfuehrer" to take it up with the responsible authorities with a view to reduce the percentage of horse-meat (equal to other camps).

All the prisoners receive heavy workers' rations. There is a stock of Red Cross parcels for two months.

There is one recognized British sanitator in the camp. For medical treatment the men go to a German Army Doctor at Schoenberg; satisfactory.

There was a complaint about first-aid on the work-place not being well organized; as an example, sometime ago one of the men injured his foot and had to stay with the others till their return to the camp in the evening and only then did he receive first-aid. It was therefore arranged by the Accompanying Officer for the sanitator to accompany the prisoners daily to their working-place and stay with them.

Dental treatment is by a civilian dentist in Schoenberg. The dentist was said to be good but badly overworked; there is a long waiting list of prisoners requiring dental treatment.

The clothing position is generally bad; the majority of the men have only one uniform which is, as no working overalls are given out by the employer, very worn out. There is no stock either and although many applications have been made to the Main Stalag it will be almost impossible to receive everything from there. Boots are in a bad state too; a cobbler is in the camp but he is short of repairing material.

There is no canteen and the Man of Confidence finds is very difficult to buy anything in town. The prisoners are in great need of toothbrushes and razorblades.

Last September the camp was visited by a Church of England padre from the Main Stalag. The prisoners expressed the wish for more frequent visits by padres.

There is a general lack of sport-gear and the only football the men possess is very worn out. Otherwise the prisoners have every good chance for sport as the compound is large enough to allow for football and other games to be played at any time.

Mail was very poor recently, above all private parcels. The Man of Confidence asked whether an extra postcard could be granted in months with five Sundays, as it helps the men greatly if allowed to write home each Sunday. The German High Command will be approached in this matter.

26 British prisoners of war working in a paper and cellulose factory. They put in 9 1/2 hours daily, as a rule Sundays are free but if occasionally the prisoners are asked to work on Sundays, compensation is given during the week. They are paid one Mark per day.

The prisoners are accommodated in a stone building forming part of the factory-premises. There is one large sleeping-room with double-tier beds; plenty of benches and tables are provided. Recently the employer has arranged for the prisoners to have a small but very nice day-room at their disposal.

The men have running water in their sleeping quarters and therefore wash there. Hot showers can be had every day in the factory.

There was no complaint about the food which is cooked by the firm. All the men receive heavy workers' rations. The camp has a stock of Red Cross parcels for about 8 weeks. For private cooking there is an electric range but quite insufficient for the number of prisoners; when discussing this question with the employer he promised to do his best in providing another one. No stoves requiring wood or coal are allowed on the premises.

There is no qualified sanitator, but one of the prisoners does first-aid in case of need. There is an adequate stock of medicaments from the Red Cross.

Medical attention is in the hands of a German Army Doctor in the neighbourhood and was said to be satisfactory; for dental treatment the prisoners go to a civilian dentist with whom they are also satisfied.

The cleaning position of the camp is fairly good; each man has two uniforms and protective working aprons are supplied by the firm. The camp is rather short of towels and pyjamas; the manager of the firm promised to provide more towels; for underwear an application has been made to Stalag.

There is no special canteen for the prisoners as the firm has its own where the prisoners can also do their shopping, though, apart from beer, there is little to be bought.

Sport facilities are satisfactory (football and swimming). In the camp there is a piano and a gramophone but the Man of Confidence asks further for a piano-accordion and the wish will be communicated to the Y.M.C.A.

This could be a very good Kommando if only the Man of Confidence possessed a little more authority and control over his men and if he would seek to collaborate with the manager of the firm who is very well disposed towards the prisoners of war.

The Chief Man of Confidence of Stalag VIII B expressed the wish that the above Kommando be visited by the Delegate of the Protecting Power. He stated it to be a "Straflager" and very much deserving an inspection.

When calling there the Man of Confidence confirmed that both Kommandos are special "surveillance-camps" for people who have escaped several times or caused other disturbances. They are supposed to do three months here.

The men do comparatively light work in a stone-quarry. One party leaves at 6:30 a.m. and returns at 5:45 p.m., the other leaves at 6:30 a.m. and returned at 6 p.m. If possible they are allowed to do piece work, in which case they usually finish early and spend the time bathing or in any other pleasant way till returning to the camp. Saturday afternoons and Sundays are free. The Man of Confidence stated that generally speaking there is no trouble at all, though many of the men are difficult to handle and as an example, were the cause of an incident as described at the end of this report.

The prisoners are accommodated in the stables of a former farm. There are 33 men of working party 167 and 28 men of working party 168 accommodated in two sleeping rooms which are separated by the common day- and recreation room. Each man has been given two blankets and most of them possess additional private ones.

Bathing and washing facilities are adequate; there is a wooden bath and each man is able to have one hot bath per week.

The prisoners receive their full heavy workers' rations. The recent cut in the meat ration seems to be somewhat unpopular, though generally speaking they are very satisfied with their food which is cooked by a German woman who has looked after the men ever since they came here.

Medical attention is very satisfactory. If necessary the men can see a German civilian doctor in Friedberg (Dr. Umlauf) every day. The Man of Confidence, who at the same time is a recognized sanitator states that often the men report sick and ask to see the doctor when in point of fact all they wish for is a chance to escape. Serious cases are sent to Lamsdorf. The state of health of the men is generally good.

According to the Man of Confidence he receives most of his medical supplies from the German doctor, having had no medical parcels for the last three months from the Red Cross.

Dental treatment is also very satisfactory. The men go to a dentist in Friedberg, who does excellent work and has already supplied a great number of dentures. The prisoners pay for their treatment.

Eye-cases are sent to another nearby-town. In August of this year there will be an eye-, nose- and ear-specialist in attendance at Lamsdorf where those who require such treatment will be allowed to go.

The clothing position is not too good; not every man has two complete uniforms, although, as the Man of Confidence points out, many men have two or three pairs of trousers which they hide for escapes.

In fact, as this is a special camp, they are allowed really only one uniform. For boots the camp is very well off; they have their own cobbler and plenty of repair material.

The men's laundry is done by a woman in the village. They pay 20 Rpfgs. for every article. They state that their laundry is beautifully washed and ironed.

There is no canteen in the camp but the Man of Confidence goes shopping whenever he likes.

As to sports the men are rather badly off for sport gear; there is a good football field at their disposal but they have no football, the one they possessed being beyond repair. In good weather they are allowed to go swimming. As to indoor games the camp is in need of playing cards. These wishes will be transmitted to the Y.M.C.A.

The Man of Confidence states that he has no serious complaint but would like a few minor matters settled; so he asked for new eating bowls, spoons, old blankets being exchanged and better ventilation in one of the sleeping rooms. All these matters were discussed with the Accompanying Officer and the "Lagerfuehrer" and will be settled at the earliest possible moment. It was also arranged that prisoner of war No. 22474, Pte. Kingsnorth, should be sent to Lamsdorf to have a thorough examination of his fingers, which were seriously injured while working at the quarry.

POW No. 16489, Pte. McLeary, received a bayonet injury by a German guard on July 1st 1943. The incident occurred while the men were at work and, according to both, the Man of Confidence and the German "Unteroffizier", either side is to blame: the prisoners, when urged by the German guard to carry on with their work laughed at him and drove him into a fury whereupon he made use of his bayonet. Fortunately the above prisoner only received a slight cut in the rump; he was at once taken to the doctor and received all the necessary attention. He will return to work on Monday as by then he will be perfectly alright again.

In working party E 59 there are 19 and in working party E 441 there are 9 men; all of them live in the same compound. They occupy the first floor of a stone building and are very comfortably accommodated, having single beds, steam heating and generally clean, pleasant quarters.

The men work 9 1/2 hours daily, but are free on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. They do all types of engineering work.

Bathing and washing facilities are excellent, the men have running hot and cold water and can take showers at any time.

The food is excellent; it is cooked by a Frenchman and taken with the civilian workers in the large dining hall of the factory where the men work. There is a stock of Red Cross parcels for eight weeks.

Medical and dental attention are very satisfactory; the men can either go to the doctor of the firm or then to a German Army Doctor.

The clothing position is satisfactory in as much as trousers are concerned but unsatisfactory regarding tunics. For boots the men are fairly well off, repairs are done by a British cobbler in a work shop in the town where there is also a British tailor.

There is no canteen in the camp but the Man of Confidence can do his shopping in town. He would be very grateful to the Y.M.C.A. for a supply of shelf-paper as there is none to be had anywhere.

For indoor entertainments the camp is well off, having a piano, drums and other musical instruments, the men would greatly appreciate a piano accordion from the Y.M.C.A. For outdoor games the same applies, the prisoners possess all types of sport gear.

In working party E 321 there are [unclear by seems to say 2] men employed by a coal firm; they work from eight to twelve hours a day; Sundays are usually free. If they are asked to work on Sundays compensation is given to them during the week.

In working party E 69 there are 4 men employed by a transport firm (transport of goods from the railway station to the town). They work eight hours daily and are free on Sundays.

In working party E 440 there are 8 men employed by a coal firm. They work eight to nine hours daily and are free on Sundays.

The prisoners of these three working parties are accommodated in what used to be a garden restaurant situated on a hill overlooking the small town of Glatz. Their compound is very pleasant, there are shady trees and plenty of space to move in the open. Their actual living quarters, however, are rather crowded; the absence of any day- or recreation room makes itself felt as they depend entirely on their sleeping quarters when forced to remain indoors. Otherwise they have many amenities; there is running hot and cold water and they can bath as often as they please; there is an excellently equipped kitchen with a modern gas stove; heating and lighting are also satisfactory.

The latrines are at some distance from the house (pit-type); they are emptied daily.

The prisoners draw their rations and have one of their own men doing the cooking. There is a stock of Red Cross parcels for 8 weeks.

Medical and dental attention is the same as for the two Kommandos above; this also applies to laundry, clothing, canteen and sport-gear.

The prisoners here have no complaints whatsoever, they state that they are very well treated and the fact that some of them have been here for over three years speaks for itself. During this time only three men tried to escape. But they urgently ask for some kind of recreation room although the men themselves realize that this means constructing a separate room altogether as the house they occupy is already used to capacity.

The matter was discussed with the Control-Officer who explained that in all probability the aforesaid five Kommandos (E 441, E59, E321, E69 and E440) would be united and transferred back to their former quarters in a spacious army barrack on top of the hill; a decision in this matter may be expected at the end of this month. Should the transfer not take place, then something will be done to meet the wishes of the prisoners. These three Kommandos can be considered as very good.

Informed most reliable source prisoners work camp E. 187 Stalag VIII B employed laying out aerodrome grounds and unloading trucks containing aeroplane engines. Camp leader apparently unaware this contravenes Art 31 of Convention,

Following points mentioned in report on Stalag VIII B visited by Swiss representative 29th June:

Camp now contained 23,235 prisoners, 7,890 of whom are in main camp and remainder in work camps. 1,838 are still chained. Camp is badly over-crowded, water supply inadequate, toilet facilities bad. 327 patients were in hospital including 34 tuberculosis cases about to be transferred to special hospital. Senior British Medical Officer stated fresh tuberculosis cases are coming in almost daily from working parties and there are many patients with kidney trouble. Patients from work detachment are often hindered from seeing doctor by lagerfuehrers. There are about 40 mental cases and British Medical Officer stated position was increasingly serious. Chronic cases are sent to civilian mental home at Loben where treatment good. Mental patient Private Gambrill (see your telegram No.2833) succeeded in leaving Lazaret at night and was found shot inside barbed wire. On returning to Berlin, Swiss representative was informed that special mental hospital for prisoners now opened at Kloster Haina. Conditions in Revier are bad owing to overcrowding. British doctors stated drug position unsatisfactory as in past they have had to rely too much on British supplies. Work in coal mines causing anxiety unfit prisoners and those wearing glasses are passed as fit for work by German doctors. Dental treatment unsatisfactory owing shortage of equipment and only two dentists. Mail very bad owing delays in censorship. Man of confidence complained that prisoners arriving in camp have private letters and papers confiscated and destroyed. There is tendency to put prisoners in key positions in factories in charge of important machinery and German workers. Man of confidence feared that in event of breakdown such prisoners would be accused of sabotage. Recently large posters in English were placed in this and all other camps showing photographs of Kattyn graves to which prisoners objected as political propaganda. Swiss authorities wish to know your opinion concerning this. Conditions at this Stalag have deteriorated owing to overcrowding. Swiss representative took serious view of recently inaugurated punishment camp to which prisoners awaiting trial or sentence are sent and where they sleep on straw mattresses on cement floor.