CONFIDENTIAL.

Date of visit: January 16th, 1944.

STALAG IX C - Zweiglager Muhlhausen.

Camp Commander: Hptm. Kanabe

British Man of Confidence: C.Q.M.S. Alexander Horne, POW No.592

I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

        This new camp is installed in an old brewery just outside the small town of Mühlhausen.

        The various brick buildings, which are all in good condition, are grouped around a large courtyard.

        On two sides are 2 and 3 storied buildings with the sleeping quarters, the kitchen, the washroom, the revier etc.: a one-storey building contains the theatre and recreation room; finally, on the fourth side of the courtyard is yet another building with toilet facilities and an open drying space for clothing.

        A good air raid shelter is provided in a well built cellar underneath one of the larger buildings.

II. CAPACITY AND PRESENT PERSONNEL.

        329 British prisoners. Among them are:

                151 non-commissioned officers

                21 prisoners selected for repatriation by the M.M.C.

                4 Caffre (South African black soldiers)

        There are still in this camp:

                9 unrecognized non-commissioned officers

                5 unrecognized sanitators;

        for all of them an application for a certificate has been sent a long time ago through the Protecting Power.

                4 prisoners were serving sentence of 21 days arrest for attempts to escape.

                They were visited in their cells; they are treated according to the Convention and made no complaint.

III. INTERIOR ARRANGEMENTS.

        The sleeping quarters are all situated on the 1st and 2nd floors.

        The rooms are of different sizes with accommodation for 6 to 22 men. They are all full to capacity but there is, generally speaking, no overcrowding.

        The prisoners sleep in double-tier beds and each man has two German blankets.

        The heating is by iron stoves in each room and is sufficient.

        The day as well as the night lighting is adequate; however, in 3 rooms, No.52, 53 and 44, the electric light is insufficient and the accompanying officer from the O.K.W. gave orders to have it improved at once. (Will be checked at next visit.)

        The meals are taken in the rooms and good enough tables and benches are at the disposal of the prisoners.

IV. BATHING AND WASHING FACILITIES.

        There is a large bath and washroom with enough cold water taps. There are 12 showers with hot water once a week.

V. TOILET FACILITIES.

        The pit-type, well installed in a one-storey building across the courtyard. Adequate in number. The prisoners have access to the toilets at night too.

VI. FOOD AND COOKING.

        There is a large kitchen at the ground floor; the food is cooked by British prisoners and there is no complaint about it. It was said to be much better than in Mohlsdorf.

        The man of confidence has the possibility of controlling whether the prisoners are receiving the rations they are entitled to.

        Hot water for tea is issued twice a day, early in the morning and between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. The man of confidence asked if it was not possible to issue hot water till 8:00 p.m. but the camp commander explained that it is not possible, first because of the limited coal supply and secondly because he has not enough guards to extend the opening hours of the kitchen at night; as there is a stove in every room the prisoners are free to take enough tea before 6:00 p.m. and keep it warm on the stove.

        There is no stock of Red Cross parcels in the camp but the weekly supply is received regularly and the camp was never without parcels for a year or so.

        There is a tea kitchen with two stoves beside the general kitchen; the private food is prepared there between 8 and 12 a.m. and from 2 to 5:30 p.m. The man of confidence stated the cooking facilities to be fully adequate.

VII. MEDICAL ATTENTION AND SICKNESS.

        1 British doctor, Cpt. Gray.

        8 sanitators.

        There are two sick-rooms, at the moment one of these being used as isolation-room, because there has been a slight epidemic of influenza in the camp but which already is decreasing. At the moment there are only twelve patients and they are all on the way of improvement.

        The German civilian doctor as a rule calls twice a week and at any time for urgent cases. Every day patients can have a consultation as the German doctor's consultation room in town. Serious cases are sent to the lazaret at Obermassfeld, acute urgent cases to the civilian hospital at Mühlhausen.

        The dental service is done by the German civilian dentist. Special dental treatment is provided at the lazaret at Obermassfeld. The drug supply is quite sufficient. There are enough bandages for dressings, most of them are supplied by the B.R.C.S. The remedies mostly have been bought at the German chemists of Mühlhausen.

        Non-recognized sanitators:

                PEEBLES No.69

                FILLMANN No.29789

                MACKIE No.23927.

        For all three sanitators an application has been made two years ago.

        Certain difficulties between the British doctor and the German Captain could be settled easily. The understanding between the British doctor and the German doctor is good.

VIII. CLOTHING.

        The clothing condition can be described as good, as the men in this camp are not working. Their uniforms are not wearing out as quickly as in working parties.

        There is a small stock of uniforms, underwear and boots at hand.

        There is a British tailor in the camp as well as a British cobbler; repairing material from the Red Cross is at hand.

IX. LAUNDRY.

        The prisoners wash their own laundry in the washroom; hot water for that purpose is provided twice a week.

        There is an open drying space in the same building as the toilets and another one for the winter in an attic. The man of confidence complained that the laundry took a long time to dry as the room was not heated; however, it seems that no stove can be installed there, owing to the danger of fire.

X. MONEY AND PAY.

        Nothing to report.

XI. CANTEEN.

        There is very little to be had at the canteen. The stuff is provided by the main canteen at Stalag IX C. The prisoners can have as much beer as they want, but the bad quality of the beer nowadays certainly does not induce them to make a great use of that facility.

XII. RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

        There are two chaplains in the camp:

                Capt. Bamber - Church of England.

                Father Hinsley - Roman Catholic.

        They do not experience any difficulty in exercising their ministry and are now allowed to visit from time to time the working parties under this Stalag.

XIII. RECREATION AND EXERCISE.

        There is a large recreation and theatre room and shows and concerts take place regularly. However, the man of confidence complained that he does not receive in this respect much support from the camp commander; therefore the accompanying officer from the O.K.W. was asked to point out to the camp commander the importance of these entertainments to keep the spirit of the prisoners and to recommend him to be more liberal in the future. It is hoped that this will have a good effect.

        There is a good library in the camp and besides books are regularly received from the circulating library of the Stalag.

        Classes have been organized too but unfortunately they have often to be interrupted, the class-rooms from time to time being used as sleeping quarters when the camp is temporary overcrowded.

        Sports facilities are provided as there is a football and sports-field just next to the camp where games can be played every day. Sports equipment is adequate.

XIV. MAIL.

        The incoming mail was said to have improved lately and to have been quite good recently.

        Letters take an average of 4 to 5 weeks from England and of 2 to 3 months from Canada.

        The Australian mail is still irregular and scarce.

        More private parcels have been received recently.

XV. WELFARE WORK.

        This new camp has not yet been visited by representatives of the I.R.C.C. or of the Y.M.C.A.

XVI. COMPLAINTS.

        There are no serious complaint but the following points were raised:

                (1) The man of confidence stated that he was not allowed to go to the main camp like men of confidence of working parties do. The matter was discussed with the camp commander and it was decided that from time to time and when there is an opportunity he would be allowed to go and visit the chief man of confidence there. (Will be checked on at next visit.)

                (2) Private John EWANS, POW No.341, who has been selected last October for repatriation by the M.M.C. has lost his certificate; the camp authorities will furnish him with a duplicate of that document (Will be checked on at next visit.)

                (3) The man of confidence expressed the wish of all the non-commissioned officers to be sent to the special non-commissioned officers' camp Stalag 383 where they would have better educational and entertainment facilities. The reply of the representative of the O.K.W. was that there is at the moment no room left for more prisoners but that the O.K.W. is presently studying the possibility of opening another camp for non-commissioned officers where they could have the same facilities as at Stalag 383; however, a decision cannot be expected before some time.

XVII. GENERAL IMPRESSION.

        The material conditions in this new camp can be described as fairly good and were doubtless a great improvement on the previous camp of Mohlsdorf. The treatment of the prisoners has been so far good and there has been no serious difficulty.

sig. Gabriel Naville.

      Dr. Max Meier.