Raid at St Lorenzen
Encyclopedia
The Raid at St. Lorenzen was a single operation in August, 1944 in which a total of 132 Allied prisoners of war were freed by Yugoslav Partisans.
, Slovenia (German: Marburg an der Drau).
Prisoners from working camp Stalag XVIII-D
in Maribor were used on maintenance of the railway Maribor - Dravograd
though Drava valley and into Austria, which was regularly destroyed by Slovene Partisans. Over a hundred poorely guarded POWs were transported from Stalag XVIII-D to Ožbalt
each morning to do railway maintenance work, and returned to their quarters in the evening.
Organiser of the escape was Ralph Churches, who was captured in Greece in the initial stages of war. By August 1944 Churches already attempted a few escapes to get experiences and he was always interested in the surroundings and people and their affinities. He realised that a deciding attempt for escape must be made while the prisoners are still in Slovenia in an environment hostile to Germans.
Through a Slovenian family who provided water and some food to the prisoners working on repairs, Churches managed to get a contact a liaison of the 2nd Slovene Shock Brigade of National Liberation »Ljubo Šercer« (shorter Šercer's Brigade), with the result that a group of seven slipped away past a sleeping guard at three o'clock in the afternoon, and at nine o'clock the men were eating and dancing with Partisans in a village Lovrenc na Pohorju
, which was liberated of German presence at that time by the brigade.
Churches managed to convince the commander of the brigade, giving him crucial information of the place and guards, for the rest of the prisoners to be freed the following day. Next morning the seven returned with some hundred Partisans to await the arrival of the work-party by the usual train. As soon as work had begun the partisans, to quote a New Zealand eye-witness, “swooped down the hillside and disarmed the eighteen guards”. In a short time prisoners, guards, and civilian overseers were being escorted along the route used by the first seven escapees the previous evening.
Altogether 87 POWs from Stalag XVIII-D
working camp were freed. At the same night/morning another 10 French and 9 British POWS were freed by the units Šercer's brigade from other working camps near Maribor, which joined the main group in the hills of Pohorje
, as well as some individual escapees, so finally details were taken of the total of 132 escaped prisoners for transmission by radio to England.
Progress along the evacuation route south was difficult, as German patrols were very active. A night ambush by one such patrol caused the loss of two prisoners and two of the escort. Eventually they reached Semič
, in Bela Krajina, Slovenia, which was a Partisan base with an airfield communication with Allied Armies. They were flown across to Bari
on 21 September 1944.
Immediately after the operation and freeing of prisoners, Germans relocated all working camps from Slovenia to Austria.
21 days later. Why his dates differ so markedly from other accounts is unclear.
Background
Prisoners of war were used in working camps for various purposes beneficial to German side. As the front moved towards German Third Reich (including nowadays Austria and parts of Slovenia), so did the working camps. By June, 1944 there were several working camps in and around MariborMaribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
, Slovenia (German: Marburg an der Drau).
Prisoners from working camp Stalag XVIII-D
Stalag XVIII-D
Stalag XVIII-D was a German Prisoner of War camp at Maribor in what is now Slovenia. It opened in the spring or early summer of 1941, operating until the end of the war....
in Maribor were used on maintenance of the railway Maribor - Dravograd
Dravograd
Dravograd is a small town and a municipality in northern Slovenia, close to the border with Austria. It lies on the Drava River at the confluence with the Meža and the Mislinja. It is part of the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia)....
though Drava valley and into Austria, which was regularly destroyed by Slovene Partisans. Over a hundred poorely guarded POWs were transported from Stalag XVIII-D to Ožbalt
Ožbalt
Ožbalt is a village on the left bank of the river Drava in the Podvelka municipality in Slovenia.It gets its name from the local Parish Church, dedicated to Saint Oswald. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maribor and was originally a Gothic building from the late 14th century. The...
each morning to do railway maintenance work, and returned to their quarters in the evening.
Organiser of the escape was Ralph Churches, who was captured in Greece in the initial stages of war. By August 1944 Churches already attempted a few escapes to get experiences and he was always interested in the surroundings and people and their affinities. He realised that a deciding attempt for escape must be made while the prisoners are still in Slovenia in an environment hostile to Germans.
Through a Slovenian family who provided water and some food to the prisoners working on repairs, Churches managed to get a contact a liaison of the 2nd Slovene Shock Brigade of National Liberation »Ljubo Šercer« (shorter Šercer's Brigade), with the result that a group of seven slipped away past a sleeping guard at three o'clock in the afternoon, and at nine o'clock the men were eating and dancing with Partisans in a village Lovrenc na Pohorju
Lovrenc na Pohorju
Lovrenc na Pohorju is a settlement and a municipality in northeastern Slovenia. It lies in the Pohorje Hills to the west of Maribor. The area was part of the traditional region of Lower Styria...
, which was liberated of German presence at that time by the brigade.
Churches managed to convince the commander of the brigade, giving him crucial information of the place and guards, for the rest of the prisoners to be freed the following day. Next morning the seven returned with some hundred Partisans to await the arrival of the work-party by the usual train. As soon as work had begun the partisans, to quote a New Zealand eye-witness, “swooped down the hillside and disarmed the eighteen guards”. In a short time prisoners, guards, and civilian overseers were being escorted along the route used by the first seven escapees the previous evening.
Altogether 87 POWs from Stalag XVIII-D
Stalag XVIII-D
Stalag XVIII-D was a German Prisoner of War camp at Maribor in what is now Slovenia. It opened in the spring or early summer of 1941, operating until the end of the war....
working camp were freed. At the same night/morning another 10 French and 9 British POWS were freed by the units Šercer's brigade from other working camps near Maribor, which joined the main group in the hills of Pohorje
Pohorje
Pohorje is a mountain range in northern Slovenia, near the towns of Dravograd and Maribor. Made of metamorphic rock, it is geologically part of the Central Eastern Alps, though due to its location south of the Drava River it is commonly regarded as a Southern Limestone Alps range.-Peaks:The most...
, as well as some individual escapees, so finally details were taken of the total of 132 escaped prisoners for transmission by radio to England.
Progress along the evacuation route south was difficult, as German patrols were very active. A night ambush by one such patrol caused the loss of two prisoners and two of the escort. Eventually they reached Semič
Semic
Semič is a market town and a municipality in Slovenia in the traditional region of White Carniola in southeastern Slovenia. The municipality is included in the Southeast Slovenia statistical region. It gets its name from Semenič Castle that used to stand on a hill above the settlement...
, in Bela Krajina, Slovenia, which was a Partisan base with an airfield communication with Allied Armies. They were flown across to Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
on 21 September 1944.
Immediately after the operation and freeing of prisoners, Germans relocated all working camps from Slovenia to Austria.
Ralph Churches' account of events
Ralph Churches, a private in the Australian army, wrote a book called A Hundred Miles as the Crow Flies, after he was relieved of the obligation to secrecy by Australian Army, detailing the events prior to the escape and the course of escape and evacuation. Book is also translated in Slovenian as Vranov let v svobodo (Crow's Flight into Freedom).Walter Gossner's account of events
Walter Gossner, a private in the Australian army, provided an extremely detailed account of his experiences about being part of a group of 87 POWs freed by Partisans from a location Ožbalt on 27 September 1944. He arrived at SemičSemic
Semič is a market town and a municipality in Slovenia in the traditional region of White Carniola in southeastern Slovenia. The municipality is included in the Southeast Slovenia statistical region. It gets its name from Semenič Castle that used to stand on a hill above the settlement...
21 days later. Why his dates differ so markedly from other accounts is unclear.