STALAG IV F

LAYOUT AND DESCRIPTION OF CAMP.

        The administration camp of STALAG IV F was situated in the village of HARTMANNSDORF (Lat N 50 53' Long E 12 48' 20") on the Western side of the village which is about 10 kms N.W. of CHEMNITZ. The living quarters consisted of a long stone building 30 yards long by 20 yards wide and four storeys high. The building was a disused spinning mill.

        Between 20 and 30 British P/W lived in the Base Camp. The bulk of British P/W whose numbers during the war fluctuated between 4,000 and 5,000 were allocated to the 95 working Kommandos which made up Stalag IV F and which were dotted round the area. English P/W constituted the largest percentage of the British captives followed by South African P/W (fluctuating between 250 and 300 men) and in the minority were Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders.

        Cpl. A.D. Neale was the Camp leader in 1941, the Camp being run by a German Commandant named HAENDLER. Relations between the Commandant and Camp Leader were cordial.

        Living conditions in the building at the base camp were not unfavourable, though there was a certain amount of overcrowding, but the British P/W were kept separate from prisoners of other nationalities.

        The men in the working Kommandos were issued with rations by the base camp and were responsible for preparing their own food. Working hours were long, the men having to do 72 hours of work per week.

        There were 15 Infirmaries to deal with the sick in the working camps, and a separate one for those in the base camp.

        Total number of prisoners of all nationalities was in the region of 24,000.

        British P/W performed many different types of work in the various Kommandos to which they were sent. The following list illustrates the type of work the men had to do. Working parties varied in numbers from 10 to 250 men.

ESCAPE ORGANISATION.

        No Escape Committee of any description operated at Stalag IV F. A certain number of W.O. and R.A.F. Officers by successfully changing their identities managed to get to one of the working Kommandos which was under the charge of L/Cpl P. Prebble. These P/W's attempted escapes from the working camps but in all cases were unsuccessful due to lack of organisation and the fact that contacts were not made with civilians in the area which Prebble says could have been done.

        There being no Escape Committee, escape attempts were made by a few men, who were prompted to do so by a feeling of sheer boredom. These attempts lacked organisation and, having failed, had their repercussion on the working camps in that guards were doubled, vigilance increased, and worst of all, P/W's clothing was removed at night by the Germans and not returned to them until the following morning.

ESCAPE MATERIAL.

        There is no evidence that escape material ever reached Stalag IV F, though some was sent. (See Appendix B.)

CENSORSHIP.

        Censorship was carried out at the base camp, but it is not known by whom. As the war neared its end, large batches of mail and parcels which had not been censored at all were received by the P/W's.

CODE LETTER MAIL.

        There was no system of communication with the War Office by code. No code letters were sent to or received by the camp.

GENERAL.

        It would appear that as P/W's were split into small groups and allocated to one of the 95 working Kommandos it was not easy to form Escape Committees. Added to which there were very few Officers in the camp who might have organised some thing in this line. Conditions in the working camps appear to have been satisfactory, at least, no complaints were made and this in itself did not give P/W's incentive to escape.

APPENDIX B.

STALAG IV F

MATERIAL SENT OUT IN PARCELS.