CONFIDENTIAL

Reserve Lazarett Schmoechwitz

WEHRKREIS IV

April 7, 1941.

BRITISH and BELGIAN

Chief Physician: Oberarzt Dr. Rindfleisch, a tuberculosis specialist.

Oberstabsarzt Dr. Walter, Chief medical officer of Wehrkreis IV.

British Man of Confidence: Sergeant Turner.

        The Lazarett is composed of buildings belonging to a health resort where mud and sulphur baths were taken. It is located in attractive wooded country with ample grounds elevated above the surrounding country.

        It consists of two buildings joined together. A small original building of two stories which contained the mud baths is now for the administrative offices, morque [morgue?], and disinfecting plant. Connected with this was the 4 story hotel now converted to use as a tuberculosis sanatorium for prisoners of war.

        Patients arrive from the railroad in the ambulance and are brought to the small building for registration, weighing and preliminary examination. They are given a bath here. Their clothes are taken away and hospital clothing is issued. They are then assigned to the appropriate ward if their condition is apparent, otherwise they go to the large admitting ward for further classification.

        Disinfection of sputum, clothing and bed linen is made in the small house. The sputum cups being emptied into a vat containing chloramine and allowed to stand. The same treatment of 48 hours immersion is given bed linen and hospital garments before sending them to the laundry. Sputum cups are boiled and washed before being sent back to the wards.

        The main building is located on slightly higher ground than the small one, and has the kitchen on the ground floor. This is in charge of the owner of the property who is a woman. It was spotlessly clean and the odor from the cooking was appetizing. Everything was cooked on large ranges.

        There were potted plants in the kitchen windows and there was nothing to suggest that it had anything to do with routine prison fare.

        The only connection between the upper floors and the kitchen is a dumbwaiter which carried the food containers up and brings them back. All dishes are washed on the floor above, thus protecting the kitchen from contamination.

        There are three standard meals a day and in addition extra articles, such as milk, cocoa, lemons, butter, eggs, fresh fruit, meat, white bread and marmalade, which are especially ordered

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        With the exception of the large 22 bed ward in which are 15 British, the rooms are small. The beds are mostly metal with some of wood, clean sheets, pillow cases, mattresses and blankets.

        Temperature charts were at the foot of each bed and at the head was a board with the patient's name, base camp from which he came and the date of admission. Each bed had a night stand, towel and sputum cup.

        The walls of the room are white and there is ample window space, electric light and steam heat.

        Each floor has flush toilers and a bath.

        The sickest cases are kept in the upper floor, and the mildest below. Each nationality and the extremes in rank are kept separate.

        Although more books in English are wanted, there were a fair number on hand.

        The nationality of the patients was as follows:

        There had been as many as 300 patients before the French who were transportable had been released and to date since its opening Nov. 15, 1940 only 16 have died.

        There had been arranged hand work, such as braiding thongs etc., which could be done by bed patients, 40 of whom were working at it. With an addition from other funds such as the canteen fund, it was possible to allot 25 per cent earnings a day to each patient.

        The British had received only packages from Switzerland and Palestine and none from England.

        A difficulty was noted in regard to the Post.

        Mail was sent to the base camp from which the men had come and re-mailed to the hospital. This occasioned an unnecessary delay, which the chief physician was attempting to remedy. This matter has also been drawn by the Embassy to the attention of the German High Command in Berlin. Two letters and 2 post cards a month were allowed. Two men, Wm. Kilvington of South Street, Leven, near Hill and Henry Calvert, 33, Brackenberry Road, Preston, Lancashire, both England had received no mail since their capture.

        Religious services both for Catholics and Protestants are provided and emergency calls on a local priest for extreme unction are made.

        German preachers held Sunday Services in the officer's dining room. The commandant is getting the loan of a number of string instruments for some who are musicians.

        This Lazarett made an excellent impression and everything possible was being down for the [welfare?] of the prisoners.

        The French physician [unreadable due to a torn section obscures some of the remainder of this paragraph] ...ndant seemed men of responsibility and ability. The ... hospital is ...ourable and the surrounding... a pleasant [setting].

        A rough analysis of the basic weekly menu for this institution shows that it is above the standard base camp diet for caloric value.

                Per day is approximated:

                Monday        2400 calories

                Tuesday        2958       "

                Wednesday   2978       "

                Thursday       3072       "

                Friday           2906       "

                Saturday       3273       "

                Sunday         3068       "        of this 1125 calories (500 grams) came from bread.

        There was a warm dish at each meal and a small amount of meat in two meals per day. 1000 grams of peeled potatoes were given on 5 of the seven days at midday.

        There was considerable variety aside from the potatoes, marmalade and bread; thus fresh onions, cereals, one orange, sauerkraut, pickles, preserved fruit, turnips and cheese appear. The basic food which appear in the lower left hand corner of the menu have a number which can be recognised under Kenniffer on the menu, these are:-

        Articles without a Kennifer were not on the ordinary basic diet menu.

        Beside the basic diet is a special additional list ordered for individual patients by the physicians comprising from above down (see list)

        These have been ordered for the inscribed number of patients on April 4, 1941.

        From this is appears to me that the patients are obtaining as adequate and varied a diet as is to be expected in a Prisoner of War Hospital in war time Germany.

        The patients performed no labor and the French were all too sick to be repatriated at this time. Those who were well enough had already been sent away. This had reduced the number in the hospital from 250 - 300 to 138, so that the nursing staff (male orderlies) were in sufficient number.