WWII German Stalag POW Identification Tag
During World War II, the most well-known German prisoner of war camps were known as either Stalags, short for the German word Stammlager, or Oflags, short for the German Offizier Lager.
Oflags were German prison camps for officers, while Stalags were for both officers and enlisted men. Some of the Stalag camps were properly named Stalag Luft, short for Stammlager Luftwaffe. They were run by the Luftwaffe and were initially intended to house airforce prisoners. There were also camps known as Marlags, short for the German Marinelager, which were for captured naval servicemen.
Before being sent to a camp, a captured prisoner of war had to pass through a Dulag, short for the German Durchgangslager. These were transit camps where details of the prisoners were processed and they were interrogated.
Prisoners would then be transported to a prisoner of war camp, usually by train. Individual camp layouts varied from camp to camp, but all were enclosed with barbed wire and contained guard towers which were manned by armed German soldiers prepared to shoot anyone trying to escape. Prisoners were usually housed in one-story wooden barracks which contained bunk beds (two or three high) and a charcoal burning stove in the middle of the room.
Prisoners were generally given two meals a day – typically thin soup and black bread. All prisoners looked forward to deliveries of Red Cross food parcels which contained 'luxury' items such as butter, biscuits, chocolate and condensed milk as well as dried fruits and vegetables. Prisoners often improvised their own brick stoves and cooked their food in empty milk tins.
Daily routine varied from camp to camp but all prisoners were required to attend at least one daily roll-call. Some men would be put to work either around the camp or in the locality. A range of sports were played when weather permitted, and in the evenings there were sometimes concerts. However, for most, the overriding features of life in a prisoner of war camp were boredom, hunger and dreams of a better life once the war was over.
Oflags were German prison camps for officers, while Stalags were for both officers and enlisted men. Some of the Stalag camps were properly named Stalag Luft, short for Stammlager Luftwaffe. They were run by the Luftwaffe and were initially intended to house airforce prisoners. There were also camps known as Marlags, short for the German Marinelager, which were for captured naval servicemen.
Before being sent to a camp, a captured prisoner of war had to pass through a Dulag, short for the German Durchgangslager. These were transit camps where details of the prisoners were processed and they were interrogated.
Prisoners would then be transported to a prisoner of war camp, usually by train. Individual camp layouts varied from camp to camp, but all were enclosed with barbed wire and contained guard towers which were manned by armed German soldiers prepared to shoot anyone trying to escape. Prisoners were usually housed in one-story wooden barracks which contained bunk beds (two or three high) and a charcoal burning stove in the middle of the room.
Prisoners were generally given two meals a day – typically thin soup and black bread. All prisoners looked forward to deliveries of Red Cross food parcels which contained 'luxury' items such as butter, biscuits, chocolate and condensed milk as well as dried fruits and vegetables. Prisoners often improvised their own brick stoves and cooked their food in empty milk tins.
Daily routine varied from camp to camp but all prisoners were required to attend at least one daily roll-call. Some men would be put to work either around the camp or in the locality. A range of sports were played when weather permitted, and in the evenings there were sometimes concerts. However, for most, the overriding features of life in a prisoner of war camp were boredom, hunger and dreams of a better life once the war was over.
The item I have in my collection is a POW Identification Tag from Stalag 344. The Stalag was located in Lamsdorf, now called Łambinowice, Poland. Between 1940 and January 1945, when it was evacuated, it housed more than 100,000 prisoners from Britain and other Commonwealth countries, as well as from the Soviet Union, Poland and other Allied countries. In 1943 many prisoners from Lamsdorf were transferred to other camps, and the number was changed from VIIIB to 344.