| Oflag IX-A | |
|---|---|
| Spangenberg, Hesse | |
 Schloss Spangenberg | |
  Oflag IX-A | |
| Coordinates | 51°7′9.86″N9°39′43.51″E / 51.1194056°N 9.6620861°E |
| Type | Prisoner-of-war camp |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  Nazi Germany |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1939–1945 |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | French and British officers |
Oflag IX-A was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp located in Spangenberg Castle in the small town of Spangenberg in northeastern Hesse, Germany.
The camp was opened in October 1939 as Oflag IX-A [1] to house POWs from the British Royal Air Force and the French Armée de l'Air . [2] The camp was renamed Oflag IX-A/H (Hauptlager, "Main camp") in June 1940, [1] after Oflag IX-C at Rotenburg an der Fulda became a sub-camp (Zweiglager) designated Oflag IX-A/Z. [3]
The first person to escape from the camp was Flight Lieutenant Howard Wardle in August 1940, but he was recaptured and sent to Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle. [4]
On the 21 October 1940 the POW Eric Foster was one of twenty-six selected to move to Spangenberg from Dulag Luft. [5] In his autobiography Foster stated "Dulag Luft had been described as the best camp in Germany... Spangenberg was described as the end of hope." [6] Foster explained though the Schloss, upon arrival, looked like a fairy castle from a Hans Christian Andersen story, [7] he would soon learn to hate the castle as a POW camp. [7] He noted the castle had foul smelling hogs in the moat. The manner of the guards upon arrival was rough and very unpleasant when compared to other camps [8] and the discipline was unusual and severe. [8] Foster described the sleeping quarters as a former Banqueting Hall used as a dormitory. This dormitory was at the top of a spiral staircase and this room had very bad lighting. The lighting in the room came from four fifteen watt bulbs. [9] The room consisted of many double bunk beds. [9] The camp was closed in February 1941 but reopened in July when it was used for housing RAF and British Army officers. [2] Many of the prisoners were temporarily transported to Torun, Poland in this time frame. [10]
On 3 September 1941 three RAF officers, Dominic Bruce, Peter Tunstall and Eustace Newborn, escaped disguised as members of a civilian Swiss Red Cross Commission. They passed through the gate and then, wearing faked Luftwaffe uniforms, headed to an airfield near Kassel intending to steal a Ju 52, which Newborn had flown before the war, and fly home. Unfortunately, they were detected before they could start the plane, so they decided to find another less well guarded aerodrome. After ten days, they were challenged by a former Spangenberg guard and arrested.
The Germans marched the prisoners east on March 29, 1945, and some 25 escaped as they left the castle (see Eric Foster's autobiography). The Americans liberated the camp's inmates at Lengefeld unterm Stein on 4 April. [11] Spangenberg Castle was destroyed by American bombs after Oflag IX A/H had left. [2]
The following prisoners are known to have been housed at the camp:; [12]
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Howard Douglas Wardle MC, commonly known as Hank, was a Canadian pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He is notable for being one of the only two men who escaped from both Spangenberg and Colditz prison camps during World War II.
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Oflag IV-C, generally known as Colditz Castle, was a prominent German Army prisoner-of-war camp for captured Allied officers during World War II. Located in Colditz, Saxony, the camp operated within the medieval Colditz Castle, which overlooks the town. The word "Oflag" is an abbreviation of the German term Offizierslager, meaning "officers' camp." The camp held officers who were deemed escape risks or who had already attempted escape from other prison camps. Known for its seemingly impenetrable structure, Colditz Castle became a site of numerous escape attempts, some of which were successful, earning a reputation for the ingenuity and daring of its prisoners. The camp's history and the elaborate escape plans conceived there have been widely covered in postwar memoirs, books, and media. Today, Colditz Castle has become a popular tourist destination, with guided tours, exhibitions and a museum dedicated to the prisoners' life.
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Peter David Tunstall was a squadron leader in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and a prisoner of war (POW) held at Colditz Castle. He holds the record for the most time spent by an Allied POW in solitary confinement.
Prisoners made numerous attempts to escape from Oflag IV-C, one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II. Between 30 and 36 men succeeded in their attempts - exact numbers differ between German and Allied sources. The camp was situated in Colditz Castle, perched on a cliff overlooking the town of Colditz in Saxony.
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Joseph Kayll, was a Royal Air Force fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War.
James Brian Buckley, was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot who became a notable prisoner of war during the Second World War. He died during an escape attempt on 21 March 1943.
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Hedley Nevile 'Bill' Fowler was a British Royal Air Force pilot who became a prisoner of war and successfully escaped from Oflag IV-C at Colditz during the Second World War.
Group Captain Brian Paddon DSO, was a Royal Air Force pilot who became a prisoner of war and successfully escaped from Colditz Castle during the Second World War.
Dominic Bruce, was a British Royal Air Force officer, known as the "Medium Sized Man." He has been described as "the most ingenious escaper" of the Second World War. He made seventeen attempts at escaping from POW camps, including several attempts to escape from Colditz Castle, a castle that housed prisoners of war "deemed incorrigible". He was named by Jim Rogers as one of the ten 'Kings of Colditz', the men who "dedicated their waking hours only to the idea of escaping".
Donald Roy DSO was a British Commando officer during the Second World War. As a captain in No.2 Commando, Roy led an assault troop in the St. Nazaire Raid in March 1942.
Squadron Leader Anthony Orlando ‘Oscar’ Bridgman, DFC was a bomber pilot of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1940, and, during internment as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft III, was a contributor in The Wooden Horse escape.
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Vincent Bushy Parker(11 February 1918 – 29 January 1946) was an Australian Royal Air Force flying ace, a prisoner of war and a serial escaper. He participated in the Second World War.