CONFIDENTIAL

STALAG IV C

with Reserve Lazaret Bilin.

January 26, 1942.

Commander: Major STOSSIER.

        There is no real base camp in this camp area but only a camp office where the prisoners pass through before going out to the work camps. Since the last visit made in September 1941 by a representative of the American Embassy in Berlin, there have been certain changes in the work camps.

        The work camp Schwatz, described in the last report, has been closed, and all the British prisoners here have been transferred to a new camp called Schwatz II. This will be described below. All the Cypriots, who used to be in a work camp at Bruex, had, just in the days when the visit took place, been transferred and divided in many small closed work camps, mostly factories of different kinds, where they will not have to work in the open air, as it was too cold for them.

        In the whole there were, at the time of the visit, 1765 British prisoners of war, of whom 133 were Englishmen, 21 Australians and 1611 Cypriots. Nearly all the Australians are sanitary personnel working as such among the Cypriots.

RESERVE-LAZARET BILIN.

German Chief Doctor: Oberarzt PREISS.

        Since the last visit here, two new barracks have been put in use. One of those is separated from the rest of the hospital and is entirely used for Russian prisoners who have no contact with the other patients. The other barrack is only partly occupied, as the doctor wants to keep an isolation room in case of any epidemic diseases.

        There were, at the time of the visit, in all 190 patients of whom 30 were British and Cypriots. There were 9 English or Australian.

        The interior arrangements have improved and there is now less overcrowding, although some of the rooms on the base floor are still rather full and furnished with double-tier bunks. Dr. Preiss agreed that there were still too many patients, but stated that it was only temporarily that so many patients had come in. He thought it would be better again within the next days, otherwise he would take the whole new barrack in use, to relieve the other rooms. The skittle alley mentioned in the last report is now used as a theatre, and the other room has also been turned into a recreation room.

        The bathing and washing facilities in the lazaret as well as the latrines are satisfactory.

        The kitchen is a modern hotel kitchen with good equipment. The food is prepared by a German cook with the help of some prisoners. It was stated to be well cooked and fairly sufficient in quantity. Special diets for the patients are prepared. The ration is the regular one for all prisoner of war camps.

        The entire sanitary personnel in this hospital is French or Serbian. The medical equipment seems to be satisfactory, and the doctors had no complaints to make.

        Among the Cypriots there were a few cases of lues [flues?] and suspicious tuberculosis. One of the men had a splonomegali with severe anemia of unknown origin. He was told not to respond to any treatment and was now going to be sent to a camp, but kept under control. His name was Askikis. His state will be checked on the next visit. Among the English patients was one with a severe chronic colitis. His name is Raymond Beazley p.o.w. No.95381, Stalag IV B. Most of the other cases were minor ones giving no reason for concern.

        Most of the beds are comfortable hospital beds and all have two blankets and bed linen.

        Dr. Preiss was asked about the typhus in this area, and he stated that there had been no cases among the prisoners in Stalag IV C. In the whole area there are 9 delousing plants which can carry out all the necessary delousing. No new prisoner is coming into this area without being deloused first and kept in quarantine.

        All the patients in the hospital have hospital dresses and the clothing conditions do not seem to be a problem here.

        The patients receive RM 0.40 daily from the camp fund.

        There have been great improvements in the recreation since the last visit. There is now a number of English books, but Greek and Turkish books for the Cypriots are still wanted. Games have also been sent. For the theatre, a good stage has been built and performances are given, however, mostly in French.

        There were no complaints about the mail, except for private parcels which do not arrive regularly. Food parcels have arrived very irregularly for the last weeks, and this was the main complaint in the lazaret. Parcels are handed out to English and Cypriot patients alike, but an appropriate number of parcels does not seem to have been sent. The German doctor stated that he does not want the patients to have one parcel weekly, from the medical point of view, and that he must decide when parcels should be distributed.

        The lazaret makes a fairly good impression and it is believed that the present slight overcrowding will disappear.

WORK CAMP SCHWATZ II

        In this camp there are now 132 English prisoners of war, all of whom used to be in the former work camp Schwatz. They are still employed in the same kind of mining work as before. The men are working in two shifts, from 6 to 2 and 2 to 10. 15 men have so far had to work for 6 hours every Sunday, but the Man of Confidence has been able to manage it so that no man had to work more than one Sunday a month. (A general representation has already been made to the German Foreign Office about Sunday work.) The pay is RM 16.20 to 18.20 monthly.

        The prisoners are now living in the gymnastic building belonging to a former "Sokolhein". It is a well-built brick building. There is one big and one small room with the necessary toilet rooms, and a kitchen in the same building. In the big room, the former gymnastic hall, there are 108 men. The beds occupy the whole floor, with very little free space between the beds. At the end of the room there is a big stage, furnished with tables and benches and used as a dining and recreation-room. As the room is very high-ceilinged, the air cube in the room must be considered sufficient, but in other respects it is much too overcrowded. (This question was discussed with the Commander, who promised to see what could be done, but the matter will also be brought to the attention of the German High Command.) In the smaller room there are only 24 men, and this room is in every respect satisfactory. The building has central heating and the light is good. The beds are of the double-tier type, but are very comfortable. Each man has two blankets.

        In the wash-room there are 14 spigots with running cold water. The room is heated and there is facility to have hot water. There are, however, still no showers, but it was stated that they had been ordered. This matter will be checked on the next visit. The latrines are of the pit type and rather primitive, but were kept in good order.

        The kitchen is satisfactory. The food is prepared by three German women. All the prisoners receive the additional ration for heavy workers. There were no complaints about the food.

        There is a small infirmary with four beds, all empty at the moment. A British sanitator is working here. The camp is inspected by the German civilian doctor of the village, twice a week. The health conditions were said to be good.

        There were three men who stated themselves to be sanitators, but who are not recognised. They are:

                Arthur Charles HILL, p.o.w. No.94241 at Stalag IV B Army No.WX 2606,

                J. DEBREY, p.o.w. No.12860 XX A Army No. 7366353

                Richard Oliver DOBSON, p.o.w. No.94246 IV B Army No. 8389734

        All the men here have two uniforms each, although some were rather dirty and worn out. They have, however, no British great-coats, but only French or Serbian ones. They were also in great need of boots, as most of them have only clogs.

        The laundry is sent away to a private laundry.

        There is a small canteen and the supplies are bought weekly by the Man of Confidence in the village. The stock was rather scarce at the time of the visit.

        There is no religious activity. A few English books have arrived here, but many more are wanted. Games will also be appreciated. The men wanted to start a band, and the accompanying German officer promised to arrange to have musical instruments, if the prisoners made a list of those wanted. It was promised that a sports-ground would be arranged as soon as the weather allows out-door sports. Sports equipments have not arrived but were expected.

        Mail arrives regularly and all the men here have received news from home. As everywhere in the work camps depending on this Stalag, there has not been a sufficient number of Red Cross parcels to issue one per man weekly. This seems to be due to the fact that the number of Cypriot prisoners have not been taken into consideration by the Red Cross, although they receive parcels in the same way as the English and Australian prisoners.

        There were no real complaints, except for the overcrowding in the big dormitory.

        Sergeant Wilby, the Chief of the camp police, stated, however, that he could not manage to keep the camp clean if the men had to do it themselves in the morning, before leaving for their job. He suggested that 3 or 4 men should be left indoors each day to clean up. The matter was discussed with the Commander, who promised to arrange this and pay the chosen men from the camp fund.

        As the Cypriot prisoners were just on their way to the new camps which could hardly be reached that day because of the snow, no visit was paid to them this time. The condition of these camps will, however, be checked on the next visit, if possible.

        All matters subject to complaint in this report have been discussed with the local camp authorities. Defects which the local camp authorities refuse to correct or state they are unable to correct have been taken up with the German High Command in Berlin.

Fred O. Auckenthaler.

Dr. Folke Malmquist.