Oflag VII B
The Oflag VII B was a prisoner of war camp for officers ( officers' camp ) in Eichstätt . It existed during the Second World War between 1939 and 1945 and was located on the site of the army barracks ; Today there is accommodation for the Bavarian riot police there .
history
In 1939, after the attack on Poland, Polish officers were interned in the Eichstätt prison camp. A year later they were moved to another camp. Their places were taken by French , Belgian and British officers captured during the 1940 campaign in the west . In 1941, New Zealand and Australian officers who had been captured in Greece and Crete were also transferred to Eichstätt. In 1942, South African and British officers from the Africa campaign arrived at the camp. In 1943, US officers who were captured in Tunisia were also transferred to Eichstätt.
In April 1945 the camp was closed and the prisoners of war were ordered to be moved to Moosburg . In order to avoid attacks by low-level aircraft, the camp commandant scheduled the march at 4:00 a.m. However, this order was not obeyed by the prisoners of war, as they wanted to be freed by the approaching Americans. Therefore the march did not start until around 10:00 a.m. Shortly after leaving the camp, the column was under fire from American low-flying planes. 14 British people died in this attack. Numerous other prisoners were wounded. The march was then broken off and the prisoners remained in the camp until the US Army liberated them.
Web links
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- Chronicle of the Eichstätt Jägerkaserne 1933–1955
- Oflag VIIb, POW Camp, Eichstätt, Germany
Coordinates: 48 ° 53 ′ 6.5 ″ N , 11 ° 12 ′ 11.3 ″ E