TRANSLATION BY THE LONDON DELEGATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS COMMITTEE.

Germany.

STALAG IV B

Visited 3rd July 1944 by Dr. Rossel

British Camp Leader: Jack MEYERS, No. 122/III E

Effectif: 9319 prisoners -

            6458 British (of which 700 South-Africans & 250 Canadians)

                42 Americans

Preliminary Observations

        A single detachment is dependent on this camp, which is really only an assembly camp where the prisoners do not remain long. They are sent to other Stalags as soon as possible.

        Accordingly, the strength varies greatly from day to do. The Camp Leaders have been informed that the strengths will be greatly increased shortly. The British Camp Leader is expecting a convoy of prisoners from the Normandy front.

Site and Accommodation

        The condition of the huts and installations remains the same. Unfortunately, the camp is often overcrowded; for example, at the present time 1500 British are divided into only 4 huts. This state of affairs is naturally only temporary, for 1200 men are leaving the camp to-morrow.

        The quarters, beds, and palliasses are of the usual type and do not occasion any remarks.

        The most difficult question is that of the water supply. Owing to lack of pressure, only the first huts receive water during the day; the others are often only supplied after 10 o'clock at night.

Food

        The Camp Leaders have nothing of special importance to say about the food. As everywhere else, they say that the rations distributed by the detaining Power are very meagre. The prisoners rely a great deal on individual parcels, and now especially on collective parcels.

        The British have a kitchen of their own in which they can prepare food as they like. All the kitchens have modern equipment, with sufficient boilers; the kitchen utensils are adequate.

        The Camp Leader or his deputy control the allocations. The rations are not posted up as was still the case last month; this is a result of a general order issued by the Defence Minister (O.K.W.)

Clothing

        All the Camp Leaders say that the Detaining Power gives nothing or practically nothing in the way of clothing. This situation is very serious in all the Assembly Camps, as the men arrive very poorly equipped.

        The British Camp Leader emphasised once again that he had received nothing from the stores. The articles which he most needs are:

                shoes (chiefly small sizes)

                overcoats

                shirts

                berets

                towels

        The order has been passed on to Geneva.

Collective parcels

        At present, the Stalag has 40 American prisoners who are looked after by the British Camp Leader. The collective parcels and depots of the Red Cross are administered jointly. It is expected that the strength of the American prisoners in the Assembly Camp will increase, so the Delegate has advised the British Camp Leader to ask the Americans to elect a responsible man as a Camp Leader.

        The British have

                38000 parcels

                  3800 invalid parcels

                  5408 milk parcels      )

                  8200 diet parcels       ) controlled by the doctor.

                    897 medical parcels ) 

                    974 bulk

        This corresponds to a reserve of about 6 weeks. All the storage places are not in the camp. The Camp Leader has a depot for a three weeks' supply (out of the 6 weeks) outside the camp, in the town.

        The German Authorities will not authorise a larger depot, as a new general order for all the "Wehrkreis" only allows a reserve of 4 weeks.

Canteen

        The Camp Canteen is maintained by soldiers of different nationality. They have very few articles for sale: 1000 litres of beer since February, a few razor blades, and 80 cigarettes per man per month.

        The prisoners do not know anything about the accounts or the use made of the profits.

Hygiene and medical attention

        The installations of shower baths are excellent. The wash places are adequate, but owing to the water pressure being inadequate the huts which are farthest from the main supply are not much used.

        The latrines (2 per block) ought to be emptied more regularly. The night latrines are defective; worn out pails are not readily repaired.

        Medical attention is very good in Stalag IV B, which has 3 hospitals (one of which is for the British).

        There are 4 British doctors out of a total of 12.

        The medical installations in the hospitals are adequate; the doctors and the Camp Leaders have nothing to complain of.

        The prisoners would, however, like more sheets, but the German Authorities say this is impossible owing to the shortage of textiles.

        The Transit Camp naturally houses many slightly wounded prisoners, and a fair number of patients certified as unfit for service and awaiting repatriation. They use a fair amount of medicaments, and the medicaments supplied by the Germans are not sufficient. A supply from Geneva would be much appreciated. The doctor is especially short of materials for dressing small wounds.

        This applies also to many other Stalags.

        The doctor asks on behalf of the British for medicaments to arrest malaria; numerous cases have broken out in the camp and among the detachments.

        There are about 38 prisoners unfit for service, among the British, who have been expecting to leave since May.

Dental Service

        There are three dentists of other nationalities working in the camp. They have all the necessary materials. The British would also like to have a dentist. They are expecting a dental installation from Geneva, which is appears, which is appears, has been promised them.

Medical Orderlies

        150 British (50 recognised, and 29 occupied as such), out of a total of 419. The Camp Leader insists that the necessary papers establishing the status of these men as protected personnel, should be obtained as quickly as possible, with the official stamp of the British Government. The German Authorities are talking of sending these men to detachments.

        Members of the staff who are medical orderlies are allowed to go out regularly.

Correspondence

        The number of letter forms distributed is normal. All the prisoners complain that the mail has become very slow. The Camp Leaders say that they are not allowed to telegraph even in urgent cases. On this point, the Colonel who was Commandant of the Camp, told the Delegate that no request had been addressed to him about this up to the present; he will grant facilities for this.

Work and salary

        In the whole of the camp, only the medical orderlies employed as such as paid; 200 other prisoners, heads of huts, or men employed in administration, also receive a salary of 0.70 RM.

Discipline

        Morale is at present rather low, for one of the British was shot by a sentry in the middle of the camp. An order had been brought to the notice of the prisoners that anyone approaching the barbed wire would be shot without warning. The name of the man who was killed was Hugues BROWN No ? (sic. probably Hugh BROWN). He was shot when he was simply going to a part of the garden where strawberries were cultivated. There was no possibility of escaping from this place at all.

        The Camp Leaders complain that prisoners undergoing punishment have to remain too long in detention in the disciplinary hut, and that the days spent there are not deducted from their sentence.

Leisure and intellectual and religious needs:

        The Chaplains of Stalag IV B include among others, 4 British - 3 Anglicans and 1 Roman Catholic.

        The library is not very comprehensive; a supply of books in various languages would be much appreciated.

        The camp has a British theatre.

        The orchestras are kept up.

Final Interview with the Authorities

        1. The Camp is actually overcrowded. Reply: The strength changes daily; it is only crowded temporarily.

        2. Would it be possible to obtain larger promises so that larger numbers of parcels can be stocked. Reply: Stocks will be still further reduced; an order from the Ministry of Defence allows all districts a maximum reserve of 4 weeks.

        3. What are the regulations about Canteen profits? Reply: This question will be settled after a meeting with the Camp Leaders. According to new orders, each prisoner is allowed 10 Pfennigs a month, which times from the Welfare funds of the camp.

        4. The prisoners are very apprehensive of the effects of the order saying that sentries will fire without warning; one prisoner has been shot already. Reply: The sentries only fire without warning on men who are trying to escape; moreover, in practice, German guards always challenge the man. In the case of the man recently shot, it was an unfortunate accident; the affair is at the moment under investigation.

        5. The period of preventive detention in the punishment cells is too long. Reply This is dependent on the orders of the tribunal; administration always proceeds but slowly; an approach shall be made on the subject to the appropriate authorities. The position is, in any case, no serious since there are only two prisoners undergoing detention, both of whom are of a nationality other than British.

        6. The latrines are not emptied often enough. The night latrines (which are only buckets) are defective. Reply The present situation is certainly bad. The Chief Commandant for Prisoners of War visited the camp on the very morning of the delegate's visit and gave orders for the improvement of the latrine installation. In a week or two from now all will be in good order.

        The delegate was able to converse freely with all the Camp Leaders and to discuss with him all the points previously mentioned in this Report.

Conclusion

        This is an Assembly Camp. The conditions are normal.