Stalag XX-A
Encyclopedia
Stalag XX-A was a German
World War II
PoW
Camp located in Thorn/Toruń
, Poland
. It was not a single camp and contained as many as 20,000 men at its peak. The main camp was located in a complex of fifteen forts
that surrounded the whole of the city. The forts had been built by Prussians at the end of 19th century to defend the western border of Prussia
.
at the mouth of the river Vistula
and on the Hel
peninsula. In June 1940 additional forts were added to the camp to accommodate British soldiers. The first to arrive were 403 from the Allied campaign in Norway. Later about 4,500 arrived from Dunkirk and subsequently from the British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)
captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux
. In 1941 and 1942 Soviet prisoners arrived. At the peak there were about 10,000 prisoners at the camp. However many of them were located in sub-camps. The camp was liberated February 1 1945 by the Soviet Army
, POWs below the rank of Sergeant were required to work and were known as Arbeitskommando. They were hired out to Military and Civilian Contractors. In the case of farm work, this was often carried out on State Farms. Sergeants and above could not be forced to work and if they did so were sent to non-working camps. Some of these camps were not the traditional POW camps we see on the films with lots of barbwire and Guard Towers but merely accommodation centers. Some camps were large and created particularly for a project.
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...
World War II
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...
PoW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
Camp located in Thorn/Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
, Poland
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...
. It was not a single camp and contained as many as 20,000 men at its peak. The main camp was located in a complex of fifteen forts
Torun Fortress
Toruń Fortress , built from 1872–1894 by the Kingdom of Prussia and located in Toruń , is one of the largest fortresses in Central and Eastern Europe. The fortress complex – a chain of forts surrounding the city, as well as numerous smaller fortifications supplementing it – was intended to defend...
that surrounded the whole of the city. The forts had been built by Prussians at the end of 19th century to defend the western border of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
.
Timeline
September 1939 some of the forts were used as P.O.W. camps for Polish prisoners, specifically those captured after the surrender of the Polish fort at WesterplatteWesterplatte
Westerplatte is a peninsula in Gdańsk, Poland, located on the Baltic Sea coast mouth of the Dead Vistula , in the Gdańsk harbour channel...
at the mouth of the river Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
and on the Hel
Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula |Nehrung]]) is a 35-km-long sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is located in Puck County of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.- Geography :...
peninsula. In June 1940 additional forts were added to the camp to accommodate British soldiers. The first to arrive were 403 from the Allied campaign in Norway. Later about 4,500 arrived from Dunkirk and subsequently from the British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)
British 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (World War II)
For the First World War unit, see 51st Division .The 51st Infantry Division was a British Territorial Army division that fought during the Second World War...
captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux
Saint-Valery-en-Caux
Saint-Valery-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small fishing port and light industrial town situated in the Pays de Caux, some west of Dieppe at the junction of the D53, D20, D79 and the D925 roads...
. In 1941 and 1942 Soviet prisoners arrived. At the peak there were about 10,000 prisoners at the camp. However many of them were located in sub-camps. The camp was liberated February 1 1945 by the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
Sub-camps
In accordance with the Third Geneva ConventionThird Geneva Convention
The Third Geneva Convention, relative to the treatment of prisoners of war, is one of the four treaties of the Geneva Conventions. It was first adopted in 1929, but was significantly updated in 1949...
, POWs below the rank of Sergeant were required to work and were known as Arbeitskommando. They were hired out to Military and Civilian Contractors. In the case of farm work, this was often carried out on State Farms. Sergeants and above could not be forced to work and if they did so were sent to non-working camps. Some of these camps were not the traditional POW camps we see on the films with lots of barbwire and Guard Towers but merely accommodation centers. Some camps were large and created particularly for a project.
- Camp 34 - Construction of a large housing project for German Colonists
- Elbing Camp
- Konitz Camp
See also
- StalagStalagIn Germany, stalag was a term used for prisoner-of-war camps. Stalag is a contraction of "Stammlager", itself short for Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager.- Legal definitions :...
- List of German WWII POW camps
- Prisoner of warPrisoner of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
- Prisoner-of-war campPrisoner-of-war campA prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
- Okey GeffinOkey GeffinAaron "Okey" Geffin was a South African rugby union player.He is sometimes considered the greatest Jewish rugby player of all time, and he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1998....