Oflag VI-B
Encyclopedia
Oflag VI-B Dössel was a World War II
German
POW camp for officer
s located 5 km (3.1 mi) SW of the small town Dössel (now part of Warburg
) in north-western Germany.
and British
officers were housed in the camp.
In August 1942 the camp was the scene of the "Warburg Wire Job", a mass escape by 41 prisoners who got over the fence on makeshift storming ladders. Three of them made home runs.
In September 1942 the prisoners were transferred elsewhere and replaced with Polish
officers. 1077 of them were brought from Romania
, where they had been interned in September 1939. Another 1500 were transferred from other camps in Germany.
The British had begun digging an escape tunnel. The Poles continued and on 20 September 1943, 47 of them crawled out. Within four days, 20 of them had been captured and returned to the camp. But then they were transported to the Buchenwald concentration camp and there they were executed. In the next few days 17 more were captured and taken to the Gestapo
prison in Dortmund
were they were murdered. Only 10 managed to remain free, some returning to Poland, others finding their way to the Allied lines.
On the night of 27 September 1944 another tragedy occurred. British bombers aiming at the railroad junction in Nörde
, dropped some bombs on the camp killing 90 officers. Altogether 141 prisoners died in Oflag VI-B. They are buried in the cemetery near the center of the town and a memorial was erected in 1980.
The camp was liberated by the U.S. Army
on 3 April 1945.
Poland.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
POW camp for officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
s located 5 km (3.1 mi) SW of the small town Dössel (now part of Warburg
Warburg
Warburg is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the river Diemel near the three-state point shared by Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is in Höxter district and Detmold region...
) in north-western Germany.
Timeline
In 1940 the camp was built on what had been originally intended to be an airfield. At first FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
officers were housed in the camp.
In August 1942 the camp was the scene of the "Warburg Wire Job", a mass escape by 41 prisoners who got over the fence on makeshift storming ladders. Three of them made home runs.
In September 1942 the prisoners were transferred elsewhere and replaced with Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
officers. 1077 of them were brought from Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, where they had been interned in September 1939. Another 1500 were transferred from other camps in Germany.
The British had begun digging an escape tunnel. The Poles continued and on 20 September 1943, 47 of them crawled out. Within four days, 20 of them had been captured and returned to the camp. But then they were transported to the Buchenwald concentration camp and there they were executed. In the next few days 17 more were captured and taken to the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
prison in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
were they were murdered. Only 10 managed to remain free, some returning to Poland, others finding their way to the Allied lines.
On the night of 27 September 1944 another tragedy occurred. British bombers aiming at the railroad junction in Nörde
Nordê
-See also:*List of towns and villages in Tibet...
, dropped some bombs on the camp killing 90 officers. Altogether 141 prisoners died in Oflag VI-B. They are buried in the cemetery near the center of the town and a memorial was erected in 1980.
The camp was liberated by the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
on 3 April 1945.
Aftermath
In 1960 Polish survivors organized the club Klub Dösselczyków. Journals of ex-Polish prisoners are kept in the Museum of Prisoners of War in Lambinowice, near OpoleOpole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
Poland.
Notable inmates
- Douglas BaderDouglas BaderGroup Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL was a Royal Air Force fighter ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.Bader joined the...
, legless British air ace, (October 1941 to May 1942). - General Walerian CzumaWalerian CzumaWalerian Czuma was a Polish general and military commander. He is notable for his command over a Polish unit in Siberia during the Russian Civil War and the commander of the defence of Warsaw during the siege of that city in 1939.-Biography:...
, commander during the siege of WarsawSiege of Warsaw* Siege of Warsaw – by Swedish forces during Deluge* Siege of Warsaw – by Swedish and Transylvanian forces during Deluge* First siege of Warsaw – by Russian and Prussian forces during Kościuszko Uprising...
, September 1939 - Sydney DowseSydney DowseFlight Lieutenant Sydney Hastings Dowse MC was a Royal Air Force pilot who became a prisoner of war and survived The Great Escape during the Second World War.-Early life and RAFVR:...
, RAF pilot and Great Escape survivor - Jock Hamilton-BaillieJock Hamilton-BaillieJock Hamilton-Baillie MC , was a British Royal Engineers officer famed for numerous escapes from German prisoner of war camps during World War II...
, serial escaper - Peter ConderPeter ConderPeter Conder, OBE was a British ornithologist and conservationist known predominantly for his contribution as Director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.-Early life:...
, ornithologist