Oflag IX A/Z Rotenburg an der Research News 1

and 40 Indians. The numbers increased so that by April 1943 there were a total of 566, including 154 American officers and 68 other ranks. By the end of 1944 the Americans had gone to their own camps, leaving just British and Commonwealth prisoners. These were, by country: June 2009 Britain 372 This is the first of an New Zealand 35 irregularly published Australia 29 news sheet to keep South Africa 14 anyone interested in my Canada 11 research into the history 2 into Oflag IX A/Z from Indian army 7 1942–1945 up to date Cyprus 2 My intention is to pub- The official British War Office records suggest lish my research as an that the maximum number of prisoners that the archive of personal ac- camp could accommodate was 300–350. The camp counts once I have found nominal roll for January 1945, that has survived in a publisher. the papers of the Senior British Officer, Lieutenant– I imagine no more than Colonel Kennedy in the Imperial War Museum, two issues of this news records 413 officers and 57 other ranks serving as sheet a year, if that. If Oflag IX A/Z Rotenburg orderlies, 470 in all. an der Fulda you would rather not (Extract from the draft text) receive this please let Oflag was the German abbreviation for Offizier- me know. If you would slager, ‘Officers camp’ and its number derived from be happy to have this by the military district, the ‘Wehrkreis’ in which it was email again please let located. Camps for NCOs and other ranks were Sta- Lübeck me know. It will save on lags an abbreviation of ‘Stammlager’ or in English postage costs. ‘prison camp’. Hamburg I have circulated this The camp at Rotenburg was a sub–camp of Oflag Bremen edition to everyone who IX A/H a few kilometres down the Fulda at Span- Berlin has been generous with genberg. The ‘H’ was short for Hauptlager or main Hannover their time and resources camp: ‘Z’ short for Zweiglager, a sub camp. in meeting requests The first occupants of the prison camp in Novem- Leipzig for information. Please ber 1939, were 700 Polish officers from Warsaw Cologne feel free to pass it on to and Krakow. They left in May or June of 1940 by Oflag IX A/Z Aachen anyone you think maybe train for a camp at Braunschweig. Included in the Rotenburg an der Fulda interested in the camp. prisoners were 60 Polish priests. In March 1940, Contact according to records held by the Internationaler Suchdienst, the priests were ‘deported by truck to Peter Green an unknown destination’. In the summer of 1940 7 Prospect Hill 500 Belgian prisoners arrived. In turn they were Nuremburg Old Town moved to a camp near Hamburg in mid–1942. Swindon SN1 3JU The first British and Commonwealth prisoners Stuttgart arrived immediately afterwards. The majority of [email protected] Munich these POWs came from Oflag VIB at Warburg and +44 (0)7866 727141 included men captured in Norway and in 1940. By September 1942 there were 277 POWs in the camp including 29 Australians, 1 American The route of the The people of Lieutenant Leighton The camp buildings Information sources march Oflag IX A/Z McLeod ‘Lee’ Hill, New The buildings that I have received immense The apparently haphaz- Currently I have reason- Zealand Expeditionary housed the camp were help from Bjorn Ulf Noll, ard route from Roten- ably detailed information Force and YMCA built in 1909–1912 as a whose father taught burg was a response on the following former Captain F H Muller MC, residential girls train- at the school, and who by the Germans to the prisoners, civilians and New Zealand Expedi- ing college for primary continued to live in the activities of US forces in German military. tionary Force teachers. It was then, school house alongside Central . Lieutenant Edward H and is now, a large the camp. Bjorn was 12 Lieutenant Harry The camp was evacu- Baxter, Royal Army imposing building on the at the time the camp was Roberts, Royal ated with the destina- Ordnance Corps northern edge of Roten- evacuated. Mechanical and Elec- burg. In 1925 the teacher tion being Mühlhausen. The museums, archives Major E J A ‘Peter’ trical Engineers training college left and The advance of US 4th and families of ex– Brush, Rifle Brigade building was turned Armored Division, part Lieutenant Theobald POWS from the UK, over to the secondary of US 3rd Army, to the Lieutenant H H L Cart- Redway, Durham Light Australia, New Zealand, department of the exist- south of Mühlhausen in wright, South Stafford- Infantry Germany and the United ing Rotenburg school. early April led the march shire Regiment States have made the Lieutenant A G Smith, In September 1926 the to change direction Lieutenant–Colonel research possible. South Lancashire school was named the northwards. In doing Basil L Clay, Royal Regiment Jakob–Grimm–Schule. so the POWs narrowly West Kent Regiment My interest in the missed (by about a day) Rev Gunnar Celander, On 27 August 1939 the camp Captain A Quas Cohen, My father, Alan Green, being liberated by US Swedish YMCA school building was 9 Commando was captured at Arnhem 6th Armored Division Hauptmann Prosper designated a reserve and was in the camp which had, unlike 4th, Private Frederick W Heyl, Landesschützen- military hospital and the from October 1944 and been tasked to capture Daniels, Queen’s Royal bataillons 631 Jakob–Grimm–Schule took part in the march to Mühlhausen. Regiment moved into Rotenburg. Obergefreiter Martin Eisleben. In November the build- The next destination Lieutenant S Douglas, Christian Erhard, ings became a prison was the Harz Mountains Cameronians (Scottish Landesschützenbatail- camp. where 11th SS Panzer Rifles) lons 631 Army was assembling in After the war and a brief Captain Ernest L C Herr Adam Diegel, vain attempt to relieve period as an American Edlmann, Royal East Rockensuß Volkssturm German troops trapped hospital, the school Kent Regiment in the Ruhr. The bomb- Herr Rudolph Karl returned to its home. ing of Nordhausen and Lieutenant Marcus Funck, Rockensuß It remains a secondary Dora Mittlewerk by the Edwards, 2/2 Field Volkssturm school. Additional build- RAF on 3 and 4 April Regiment, Imperial ings have been added at Herr George Knoch, filled the nearby villages Expeditionary Force the rear. Rockensuß Volkssturm with refugees and no Lieutenant Terry Fair- doubt 450 POWs was Pictures have come from bairn, 2/1 Battalion, an extra problem the Imperial Expeditionary Lieutenant Frank German army could do Force Slater, Queen’s Own without. Cameron Highlanders Corporal James Fuller This led to the third Royal Northumberland Captain John L change of plan: to move Fusiliers McIndoe, New Zea- them by rail southwards land Expedition- to . Only the Lieutenant Hamish ary Force first stage of this was Forbes, Welsh Guards Lieutenant–Colonel Lieutenant Kennedy, East completed by the time Reverend George W US 3rd Armored Division Leighton Surrey Regiment, Forster, Royal Army Senior British Officer, McLeod ‘Lee’ from US 1st Army Chaplain’s Department Oflag IX A/Z, liberated them on Friday Hill, New Zealand by Frank Slater 13 April 1945. Lieutenant Alan Expeditionary Thomas Green, Border Force and YMCA Regiment Technician 5 Grade, Lieutenant–Colonel G Charles Sumners, US W Kennedy, East Army Signals Corps Surrey Regiment Lieutenant W K ‘Butch’ Laing, Sherwood Foresters