Stalag XXI-C
| Stalag XXI-C | |
|---|---|
| Wolsztyn, German-occupied Poland | |
  Stalag XXI-C | |
| Coordinates | 52°07′07″N 16°07′13″E / 52.1185°N 16.1204°E |
| Type | Prisoner-of-war camp |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  Nazi Germany |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1939–1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | Polish prisoners of war and civilians, French, British, Soviet, American, Norwegian, Dutch and Italian prisoners of war |
Stalag XXI-C was a
It was one of four main German POW camps in the Military District XXI, alongside the Stalag XXI-A in Ostrzeszów, Stalag XXI-B in Szubin and Stalag XXI-D in Poznań.[1]
History
The camp was established in September 1939, shortly after the invasion of Poland which started World War II, as a Kriegsgefangenenlager camp for Polish POWs.[2] It was located at the former estate of the Mycielski family in the district of Komorowo.[2] In December 1939, it was converted into a transit camp for expelled Poles from the region.[2]
In 1940 it was converted into the Stalag XXI-C POW camp and expanded, and the Stalag XXI-C/Z subcamp was established in Grodzisk Wielkopolski.[2][3] French and British POWs were brought to the camp in 1940, and Soviet POWs were brought in 1941.[2]
In June 1941, the Stalag XXI-C/Z subcamp in Grodzisk Wielkopolski was converted into the separate Stalag XXI-E camp for British, Polish and Serbian POWs.[4]
In 1943, Stalag XXI-C still housed Soviet POWs as well as British, French, American, Norwegian and Dutch soldiers treated in the POW hospital.[2] The medical staff of the hospital consisted of Polish POWs and some other POWs.[2] In September 1943, Italians were brought to the camp, and in 1944, Polish soldiers and American airmen, who helped the Polish Warsaw Uprising also arrived.[2]
Dissolution
In January 1945, the healthy POWs were transported west to the Stalag III-A POW camp.[5] Polish medics and some 500 sick soldiers remained.[2] On 26 January 1945, the Soviets captured the town and liberated the camp.[2]
After the war, the former POW camp served as a temporary shelter for Poles displaced from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union.[2]
References
- ISBN 83-85003-97-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Historia obozu jenieckiego w Wolsztynie". Muzeum Regionalne w Wolsztynie (in Polish, English, French, German, and Russian). Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ISBN 978-83-958269-0-0.
- ISBN 978-0-253-06089-1.
- ^ Toczewski, Andrzej (1986). "Obozy jenieckie na terenie III Okręgu Wojskowego Wehrmachtu w końcowej fazie wojny". Rocznik Lubuski (in Polish). XIV. Zielona Góra: 348.