| 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 held at the camp:; [12]
Colditz is a British television drama series co-produced by the BBC and Universal Studios and screened between 1972 and 1974.
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.
Squadron Leader Roger Joyce Bushell was a South African-born British military aviator. He masterminded the "Great Escape" from Stalag Luft III in 1944, but was one of the 50 escapees to be recaptured and subsequently murdered by the Gestapo.
Oflag VI-B was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp for officers (Offizerlager), 1 km (0.6 mi) southwest of the village of Dössel in Germany. It held French, British, Polish and other Allied officers.
Oflag IV-C, often referred to by its location at Colditz Castle, overlooking Colditz, Saxony, was one of the most noted German Army prisoner-of-war camps for captured enemy officers during World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers' camp".
Oflag XXI-B and Stalag XXI-B were World War II German prisoner-of-war camps for officers and enlisted men, located at Szubin a few miles southwest of Bydgoszcz, Poland, which at that time was occupied by Nazi Germany.
Harry Melville Arbuthnot Day, was a Royal Marine and later a Royal Air Force pilot during the Second World War. As a prisoner of war, he was senior British officer in a number of camps and a noted escapee.
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.
Captain Michael Clive Burn, MC was an English journalist, commando, writer and poet.
Stalag Luft I was a German World War II prisoner-of-war (POW) camp near Barth, Western Pomerania, Germany, for captured Allied airmen. The presence of the prison camp is said to have shielded the town of Barth from Allied bombing. About 9,000 airmen – 7,588 American and 1,351 British and Canadian – were imprisoned there when it was liberated on the night of 30 April 1945 by Soviet troops.
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.
The Delousing break was a mass escape attempt by allied aircrew officers of British and American nationalities who were held as prisoners of war during the Second World War. It occurred on 12 June 1943 from the North Compound of Stalag Luft III POW Camp in Germany.
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".
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.
Nazi Germany operated around 1,000 prisoner-of-war camps during World War II (1939-1945).
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.