Oflag II-A was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp located in the town of Prenzlau, Brandenburg, 93 kilometres (58 mi) north of Berlin. It housed mainly Polish and Belgian officers.
| Oflag II-A | |
|---|---|
| Prenzlau, Germany | |
  Oflag II-A | |
| Coordinates | 53°18′08″N 13°49′15″E / 53.3021°N 13.8209°E |
| Type | Prisoner-of-war camp |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  Nazi Germany |
| Site history | |
| In use | September 1939-April 1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | Mostly Polish and Belgians officers |
The camp, located just south of Prenzlau on the main road to Berlin, and was originally built in 1936 as a barracks[1] for Artillery Regiment 38.[2][3]
It was opened as a POW camp in September 1939 and housed mainly Belgian and Polish officers. With an area of about 7 hectares (17 acres) the camp was divided into two compounds: Lager A which contained four three-storey prisoner blocks, and an administration and canteen block, and Lager B which contained various garages and workshops, some of which were used as additional prisoner accommodation. The camp was surrounded by a double barbed-wire fence with seven watchtowers.[1]
On 17 March 1945, a group of evacuated sick Polish officers from the Oflag II-C camp reached Oflag II-A.[4]
On 12 April 1945 two bombs dropped by a Russian aircraft hit Block B killing eight POWs, and injuring several others. The camp was liberated by the Red Army on the morning of 28 April 1945.[3]
Notable inmates
edit- Kazimierz Laskowski, Polish Olympic medalist in fencing[5]
- Raymond Troye, Belgian officer and writer
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Oflag II A Prenzlau - Plan du Camp". Oflags.be (in French). 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
- ^ "Standort Prenzlau". Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German). 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Oflag II A Prenzlau". Oflags.be (in French). 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
- ^ Zientarski, Andrzej (1986). "Jeńcy wojenni na Pomorzu Zachodnim na przełomie 1944–1945 roku". Rocznik Lubuski (in Polish). XIV. Zielona Góra: 328.
- ^ Urban, Renata (2021). "Polscy olimpijczycy w niemieckich obozach jenieckich". Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny (in Polish). 44. Opole: 36. ISSN 0137-5199.