Stalag IIID

This Lazaret is a large stone building on four floors, which was used for a school before the war. It opens onto a courtyard planted with trees, where the convalescents can take some exercise.

This Lazaret comprises 400 beds, 100 on each floor. At the moment about 50 are unoccupied. On the ground floor are the kitchens, laundry, linen room etc., and the prisoners rarely go there. Each room can hold from 18 to 20 patients. On the whole these rooms are sufficiently large for the number of occupants. They are well lit, well ventilated and well heated. The patients' beds are double-tiered wooden bunks supplied with palliasses, two blankets and two sheets, which are changed about every month. The British medical personnel have a special room. They also have double-tiered beds supplied with two blankets and two sheets. The members of the British medical personnel find they are rather overcrowded. The Doctors are housed four to a room.

Meals are prepared by German civilians, helped by some prisoners of various nationalities. Up to date, the Camp Leaders have not had access to the kitchen and are ignorant of the ration details which should be distributed. We have requested the Chief Medical Officer's representative to enlighten them on this matter. The rations which the prisoners receive are as follows:

Bread

Meat

Margarine

Potatoes

Sugar

Vegetables

Tea substitute

Marmalade

Provisions

Cheese

250 grammes per day

300 grammes per week

Sausage is included in this figure but not fish

206 grammes per week

700 grammes per day

175 grammes per week

1200 grammes per week

54 grammes per week

175 grammes to 190 grammes per week

160 grammes per week

125 grammes per week

The tubercular cases also receive ½ a litre of skimmed milk every day, 3 eggs per week and some butter. Patients suffering from digestive troubles have oatmeal soup and cases of nephritis have a "régime déchloturé".

The British receive many parcels and have no complaints to make on the subject of food.

The collective consignments, which are sent on from Stalag III D, are confided to the Camp Leader. It has been arranged with the principle Camp Leaders that the patients should receive a double share of the parcels. The parcels are stored in a room of which the Camp Leaders have the key. It is they who effect the distribution.

On their arrival at the hospital, the patients are not too badly clothed on the whole. The Administration of the Lazaret issues them with pyjamas, a vest and a towel. Laundry is done by civilians in the lazaret.

The Doctors work in white overalls, but not all of the orderlies have suitable working clothes. Many British orderlies have to work in their battledress, and this is very difficult to wash.

There is no stock of Red Cross clothing at the Lazaret, and requests for exchanges are sent to Stalag III D.

In the little Canteen in the Lazaret it is possible to buy, as everywhere else, some toilet articles and stationery, and the medical personnel have the right to purchase beer several times a week.

a. Disinfection: An apparatus worked by "gaz cyanhydrique" is used each time it is necessary. Patients entering the hospital are shaved from head to foot. No vermin has been reported.

b. Showers: Every floor has a bathroom with 4 showers and a bath. Patients, medical orderlies and Doctors can have a hot bath once a week.

c. Washrooms: There are two washrooms with two cold water taps on each floor. Patients in bed have basins.

d. Lavatories: There are 8 lavatory seats on each floor and each is flushed with running water.

e. Physical Exercises: Convalescent patients take their exercise in the courtyard of the Lazaret. They have a football and a medicine ball.

We have already stated higher up that this Service is carried out by 13 Doctors and 43 medical orderlies. The Lazaret is divided into Surgical, Medical and Infectious Sections. In addition a specialist directs the Opthalmic Section and a Surgeon-Dentist works in the Dental Surgery.

a. Medical Sections: The Medical Section has a Consulting Room, 1 laboratory, 1 small Dispensary and apparatus for physiotherapy. The whole thing is very modern and well-equipped. There are 70 patients in this section at the moment. Amongst them are cases of digestive troubles, nephritis and some cases arising from neurological causes. We have already stated that certain diets can be prescribed by the Doctors. There are adequate medical supplies. The Chief Medical Officer in charge of this Section stated that the German Doctor always showed himself very severe on the question of the repatriation of cases of exudative pleurisy and of stomach ulcers and duodenal troubles.

b. Surgical Section: An Operating Theatre provided with tables and instruments is adequate for all necessities. The lighting and heating of this room are good. A French surgeon and a British surgeon undertake the surgical operations. These are usually hernias, appendicitis cases, cases of haemorrhoids, and the cutting away of tubercular epididymis ("ablations d'épididyme tuberculeuse"). More serious operations are performed in another Lazaret. The qualities of anaesthetics and surgical dressings are adequate. After operations for appendicitis patients remain in bed for 12 days, and for 3 weeks after operations for hernia. Urgent cases arriving from Detachments are nearly always brought in an abundance.

c. Infectious Cases: Patients suffering from infectious maladies are completely segregated from the other prisoners in 4 special rooms. One room for scarletina (5 patients), one room for diphtheria (2 cases), one room for throat cases (8 patients) and one room for cases of tuberculosis (16 to 20 cases). Double-tiered beds are used for nearly all the sick prisoners. As the Lazaret has no apparatus for radiography or for radioscopic, these examinations are effected in the German Lazaret. No collapsotherapy is performed. In principle, no tubercular cases remain long in this Lazaret but are evacuated (British cases) to the Lazaret at Konigswartha. We have already pointed out that the cases of tuberculosis have a special diet.

Examinations of sputum and other bacteriological examinations of sediments, etc., are carried out in the Laboratory in the Medical Section.

d. Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Section: Nose, throat and eat cases are sent to the Lazaret at Sisdorf.

e. Opthalmic Section: This Service is undertaken by a specialist and there are 16 patients. This Doctor has carried out 5600 eye examinations during the past two years. He is 49 years of age and is very much esteemed, his patients being particularly well treated.

f. Dermatology: There are very few patients in this Section, and the majority of them are cases of eczema and venereal disease.

g. Dental treatment: The Dental Surgery of this Lazaret is well equipped with a German chair and equipment. The dentist has a great deal of work as he also attends all the prisoners from the Detachments in this region. He does stoppings, extractions and root treatments, but does not make dentures since he has neither the materials nor the assistance of a dental mechanic.

h. Pharmacy: The Doctor prisoners informed us that they had sufficient medical supplies and that those which are sent by the French Red Cross are entirely at their disposal. They have the key to the cupboard.

As we have stated, the Chief Medical Officer is sometimes rather severe in his decisions as to repatriation of the sick but on the whole, he is fair-minded.

There are on an average 4 to 6 deaths a month, which are reported officially. The burials are perfectly correct and the tombs, which are well kept, bear all the necessary information.

b. Library: This has been formed by various gifts (Red Cross etc.) and by consignments from Stalag III D.

c. Theatre: The prisoners have formed a Dramatic Troupe of 12 actors but they are only able to give performances very rarely. There is no Orchestra.

d. Games: There are not enough games (cards, draughts, chess, etc.) in the Lazaret, and the British are anxious to have some more.

The Doctors and the members of the medical personnel are sufficiently numerous for the work which is entrusted to them. They can have an afternoon off from time to time. They enjoy the privilege of their regulation walks.

The Doctors and medical orderlies draw regularly the pay of their rank, and they send money home regularly. The prisoners working in the Detachment of the Lazaret earn 70 pfennigs per day and patients get 10 pfennigs a day.

The British write three letters and four cards per month. For the British, a letter takes about two months to go and return. Tobacco is often missing from the British parcels.

This took place without witnesses. They pointed out to us that up to the present the British medical personnel have not been sufficiently recognised, because the inscription on their Pay Books has not been considered as valid. These cases have been submitted to the Protecting Power and to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.

Captain R.M. WILTSHIRE (a Doctor) No.16775, from Stalag V B, does not receive the pay of a Captain because he only became one on November 17th 1941. This case has also been submitted to the Protecting Power.

The Camp Leader requests that the Authorities of the Lazaret should supply working clothes to all members of the medical personnel. He also requests that the principal Camp Leader of Stalag III D should send them fewer "Comforts Parcels" and more food parcels.

Major John PALANDRI (Stalag VIII B) requests that he should be transferred to Italy as he speaks Italian extremely well. This would appear to be very difficult. The Protecting Power will be informed of his request.

This is a good Lazaret. The Doctors are satisfied with the quarters and with the treatment of the patients. The British N.C.Os. are a little over crowded in some of their rooms. Difficulties sometimes arise in connection with the treatment to be given to tubercular cases, as we have already stated.