Stalag VII A (MOOSBURG)

The Camp was situated three quarters of a mile North of the town of MOOSBURG, (Lat N 48° 29' Long E 11° 57') on the west bank of the river ISAR and lay between the river and MUNICH - LANDSHUT - REGENSBERG railway. MUNICH lay about 29 miles to the S.W. of the camp. The surrounding countryside is described as rolling, and rose to a height of 1550 feet one mile due North of the camp which was situated on level ground.

The total length of the camp perimeter was roughly 1¼ miles, there being six watch towers situated at intervals on the perimeter which were equipped with searchlights and machine guns. The whole camp was enclosed by two wire fences which ran parallel round it and which had concertina wire placed in between. The inside of the camp was further subdivided by wire into small compounds, some of which contained only two large huts. In September 1943 P/W were not allowed out of their huts, their food being brought to them by orderlies. Guards patrolled outside the wire and for a time police dogs were let loose inside the compound during the night.

A number of Working camps were controlled by the base camp at MOOSBURG, most of them being situated in the MUNICH area.

British P/W in camp varied considerably in number during the course of the war. During 1941 and 1942 numbers were consistently in the area of 2,000 men, but by 1944 this number had greatly increased until in December 1944 it was reported that there were no less than 1[next digit unclear but it could be 8],695 British in the Base and working camps.

French P/W were in the majority and there were also a large number of Russians. During the time of the Russian advance late in 1944, many camps which were situated further to the East were closed down and their inmates transferred to VII A which at about that time accommodated about 100,000 P/W.

General conditions in the camp appear to have been satisfactory, at any rate earlier on in the war when it was not overcrowded. The buildings which housed P/W at the base camp in MOOSBURG were well built and comfortable and were about 50 in number. Washing facilities were good and it was possible to take hot and cold showers. Latrines were of the pit type but hygienic. With regard to amusements, there were several theatrical companies and a library which ultimately contained about 2,000 volumes. There were two or more camp orchestras run by British P/W and in addition a French orchestra and a cinema. French P/W also organised theatrical performances which British P/W were permitted to attend. All forms of sport were encouraged, football and basket ball being the most popular.

Red Cross parcels arrived regularly and were distributed among P/W, it was considered that German ration were inadequate and would not have sufficed to keep prisoners in good condition.

The general impression gathered by parties officially visiting the camp to study living conditions was that it was a very well run Prison Camp and that the morale of the P/W was excellent, and that generally speaking they were fairly treated and comfortable.

ESCAPE ORGANIZATION

The following were Men of Confidence at different times at Stalag VII A:-

        7581557 S.Q.M.S. E.G. BERRY (R.A.O.C.) 7 July 41 to 17 June 43

        4122314 R.S.M. C.H. BURGESS Aug 1944 (Specific period not known)

        -  C.S.M. TREMAYNE Aug 1944 (Helped R.S.M. BURGESS)

S.Q.M.S Berry stated in his Pink Form that he would have been consulted on all attempts to escape from the camp, but in point of fact no mention is made of him by three men who escaped successfully from VII A whilst he was Man of Confidence. The Main Escape Committee was made up of French P/W, which is proved by a statement made by Sergeant A.E. SMITHARD (R.A.O.C.) who mentions that together with BERRY were on the escape committee, which reads as follows:-

"We contacted all men willing to escape, supplied them with civilian clothes, food, information and all equipment. They were sent on walks inside the camp to get their ankles strong, and get them fit. When we had decided that they were fit we got them out of the camp with the aid of the French escape committee. We had all the times of the trains at our finger tips. We controlled 75% of all escapes".

Five successful escapes were made from Stalag VII A by British P/W, their names being as follows

        26.11.41 NX 3653 Cpl PARKER J.A. 2/1 Field Coy A.I.F.

        31.3.42 7621381 Pte EDWARDS D.R. R.A.O.C.

        31.3.43 VX 6693 Pte LANG D. 2/8 Bn, 6 Div., A.I.F.

        29.9.43 200230 Capt TSOUCAS G. Intelligence Corps

        29.9.43 47880 Capt PALM R.B. 94 R.A.F Sqdn. S.A.A.F.

For descriptions of above escapes, see Appendix C.

Major J.G. ROSS, The Parachute Regt. A.A.C., who gained access to Stalag VII A in November 1944 by exchanging his identity with a O.R., obtained considerable information with regard to escaping from various sources. American officers who arrived in the camp later in 1944, contacted Major ROSS through an American officer, Lieutenant WAITE, who got into touch with ROSS. WAITE had also exchanged identities with a British orderly. ROSS and WAITE were responsible for 30 American officers slipping unobserved into the Mens' compound and subsequently out to Working Parties, from which escape was comparatively easy. Of thirty Americans who attempted to escape, two, (Lieutenants VOGEL and SPIRES), reached England, approximately 15 were recaptured, and the balance unaccounted for.

By April 1945, ROSS was able to get in and out of the officers compound when he wished, and he contacted Group Captain KELLET and made arrangements to accommodate 70 officers in the O.R. compound where it was felt they would escape detection. In addition other officers were sent to Working camps and billeted in nearby civilian houses. In all, twelve officers were introduced in the O.R. compound and seven, including Group Captain MACDONALD, were hidden outside the camp. When it was subsequently discovered that the Germans did not intend to move P/W from VII A as had been feared, the officers were returned to their compounds with the exception of Group Captain MACDONALD and Captain BOLLAND who were too far from the camp to be moved back, but who it is thought by ROSS, returned to England immediately after liberation.

ESCAPE MATERIAL

The only escape material actually received in Stalag VII A according to S.Q.M.S. BERRY's statement was contained in some gramophone records which arrived in the camp in July 1942. There is no mention of any further parcels containing maps, money or other escape materials having been received.

In order to obtain German money, contents of parcels and personal kit were sold to French P/W in camp. Captain PALM purchased a compass from French P/W. Pte EDWARDS and LANG obtained material to enable them to escape in various ways. They sold tea (which they obtained in exchange for cigarettes from other P/W) to Germans in MUNICH, receiving as much as 20 Rm. for each quarter of a lb. Whilst working on the railway near MUNICH, they ripped a map of the German-Swiss frontier from its frame in one of the railway carriages, and they also bought some overalls from French P/W and two overcoats and two caps from a German who was also working on the railway.

The most important articles needed by prisoners attempting escape from this camp were:- 1) German money, 2) Civilian clothes, 3) Maps and 4) Food.

It was considered fairly easy to get away from a Working Party the main difficulty thereafter being to remain unsuspected whilst walking about.

CENSORSHIP

Censorship of letters and parcels was carried out at the base camp in MOOSBURG, by military personnel. It was not done very efficiently and many of the letters distributed had not been censored.

CODE LETTER MAIL

Sixteen Code letters were received from Stalag VII A which were written by different P/W. The main difficulty with regard to establishing communication with this camp was that it was used as a Transit Camp to a great extent and P/W were constantly being moved elsewhere. Of the nine code writers in the camp, six were transferred and the remaining three wrote one letter each during the latter part of 1943. From then on, no further letters were received by I.S.9.

The first letter sent to VII A by the War Office containing a code message was dated 26 Feb 1942, and the first letter received from the camp, written by Sergeant GRACE R.A.F. was dated 1 March 1942. It is not known how code letters began to be written from this camp and there is no mention of any organisation dealing with the despatch and receipt of them in Pink Forms.

The following P/W were responsible for the 16 code letters received from the Stalag:-

        Captain K. GRANT

        Sgt C.H. GRACE

        F/Sgt J.C. HAMILTON

        Bdr A.E. MITCHEL

        Captain R. POLLOCK

        Pte C. WAUGH

        Sapper O.J. PHILLIPS

                    A.H. BRECKNELL

        Lieut G.C. WILLIAMS

INTERNAL SECURITY.

Internal Security at Stalag VII A was good as can be seen from the following documentary report which was obtained from a German H.Q.

Luftwaffenfuhrungsstab Ic

Fremde Luftwaffen West
Nr 23768/44 geh. (C 2)

H.Qu., 11.8.44

SECRET

Documentary Report

Subject: Economic Intelligence of GREAT BRITAIN obtained by interrogation of Army PW (subject No. 2)

Discussions at the Army PW camp at MOOSBURG confirmed and supplemented the conclusions already arrived at in talks at the LAMSDORF camp (of documentary report of 23 July 1944). MOOSBURG camp receives more particularly prisoners from the Southern front, and the men are held for a few days in transit huts for delousing etc.

Interrogation on economic subjects is conducted in the transit hut by Sonderfuhrer interpreters in civilian clothes and an English confidential agent, who is also put in as a Sdf (in other words, this man is not slipped in in disguise as at LAMSDORF). Interrogations consist of informal conversations, the question of PW's future work being used as cover. The officers are also questioned on economic matters.

As in LAMSDORF, there is a dearth of useful background information, as an aid to interrogation on individual armament factories. The furnishing of a list of important works of the aircraft industry, together with air photos was therefore welcome, since it proved of great assistance in interrogating PW.

There remains to be seen whether PW who possess exact information about factories of the aircraft industry as a result of their previous work or other circumstances, such as having lived very close to a works, should be sent to WETZLAR as a regular practice for further questioning, as the documentation for a really thorough investigation is available only at that place.

Both at MOOSBURG and at LAMSDORF things are made difficult for the economic intelligence officers by the English camp leaders, who certainly maintain excellent order and military discipline (e.g. saluting is very good) and are therefore popular with the camp commandants, but at the same time keep a careful watch on all the work of the intelligence services and make it impossible.

A soldier who has once been under the supervision of these camp leaders is therefore spoilt for further interrogation. Both at MOOSBURG and at LAMSDORF the opinion was expressed that these camp leaders are trained men of the intelligence service who may perhaps even have got themselves captured on purpose. (The Camp Leader at LAMSDORF had already been in captivity in the last war, and in this war was captured again at the beginning of 1940.)

Signed (Illegible)

Major G.S.

W/T COMMUNICATION

There were no wireless sets in the camp until about November 1944 when three were obtained; one was found in a bomb damaged building in MUNICH, the second one was purchased from a German, and the third one which was the only one in working order was brought into the camp by some medical orderlies who had come from LAMSDORF (Stalag 344) by train. Major J.G. ROSS, (The Parachute Regt A.A.C.), who came to VII A in November 1944 took charge of this wireless set but considered it inadvisable to have a daily bulletin read out owing to the difficulty of taking security measures. Accordingly, news received on the wireless was spread round the camp as a rumour and it is unlikely that many prisoners in the camp knew of the wireless' existence.

Before the wireless mentioned above had come into the camp, the English news was obtained regularly from French P/W who must have had a wireless set of their own in their compound, or else access to one somewhere. The Camp Interpreter also supplied news received by wireless which he obtained from a German who listened regularly to the B.B.C.