Polish-American Foundation for the Commemoration of POW Camps in Szubin

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©ICRC (V-P-HIST-01589-07)
©ICRC (V-P-HIST-01522-06)
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News

Announcing the Tin Store: A Glimpse from the Past into the Future

19 April 2022

The Germans had a rule that no POW could have more than six tin cans, full or empty, in his locker. This restriction was because the guards were concerned the POWs would use the extra supplies for trading or bribing...

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Commemorative plaques unveiled at the site of former POW camp Stalag XXIB/H in Thure

29 September 2021

The commemorative plaque was mounted on one of the camp’s surviving buildings, and this afternoon one of Thure’s oldest inhabitants did the unveiling. He well remembers when the central buildings of this former dairy were used to house Allied prisoners...

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American POWs in Oflag IX A/Z at Rotenburg an der Fulda, Germany, Part 2

18 May 2021

Part 1 During the short period when US Army POWs were held in this camp, the Senior American Officer in Oflag 9A/Z was Lt. Colonel John H. Van Vliet, Jr.  The following intriguing entry in the War Diary of John H...

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American POWs in Oflag IX A/Z at Rotenburg an der Fulda, Germany, Part 1

30 November -0001

Before Oflag 64 in Szubin was opened for American ground force officers, part of them were held in Oflag IX A/Z. The camp was housing 568 British Officers. Most of those had been veterans of France captured in Dunkirk in...

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Tins Solve It All: How the POWs Utilized Metal Tins for Just about Everything

30 March 2021

The Kriegie’s life was made all the more difficult because his German captors supplied him with only the bare essentials of what was required by international law. If he wished to enhance his standard of living, his only resort was...

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Double funeral of Commandant Blanc

08 March 2021

The morning of March 11, 1942 greeted the French POWs of Oflag XXI B in Szubin with sad news. Captain Jacques Blanc, called Commandant by the French POWs, had died during the night. Grave of Commandant Jacques Blanc...

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Stalag XXI B/H Thure. Prisoners of war in Tur during World War II

23 February 2021

We are proud to announce our latest publication: a monograph, written by the Foundation’s Jan Daniluk and Mariusz Winiecki, about the little-known German POW camp in Tur (Thure). Tur is a small village located just 6 miles north of Szubin. Before...

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Red Cross Parcels

24 January 2021

When one thinks about the fate of Kriegies in German captivity, one often reads that their chief problem was their fight against boredom and “the wire disease.” However, food shortages constituted an equally pressing problem. German officials-- especially in a...

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Escape and Evasion Maps

15 December 2020

During the months and years when the Western Allies prepared for the invasion of continental Europe, heavy fighting occurred in the skies. Fighter  and bomber pilots hammered at German industry, and slowly but inexorably diluted the strength of the mighty...

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French Regional Exhibition at Oflag XXI B in Szubin, August 1942

14 December 2020

    August 1942 in Szubin was warm and sunny. Just like the weather, the mood of the 1,500 French prisoners of war at Oflag XXI B was bright. Filled with anticipation and excitement, the POWs awaited the opening of their...

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18th September – National POW/MIA Recognition Day

21 September 2020

  In the United States, the third Friday of September is observed as National Prisoners of War/ Missing in Action Recognition Day. This commemoration was established in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, chiefly to honour the more than 1,700 U.S. servicemen--presumed...

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Szubin Skyline

27 April 2020

When we write these words, many of us have endured various incarnations of social distancing, lockdowns, or even outright quarantine. We have spent the last few weeks mostly in our flats or houses, sometimes looking through our windows and seeing...

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Workshop "Sites of Former German POW Camps in Poland. Forgotten or Discovered?"

12 December 2019

Historian and Foundation Board member, Dr. Jan Daniluk, presented at a workshop of Poland’s Central Museum of POWs (Centralne Muzeum Jeńców Wojennych w Opolu, or CMJW) entitled “Sites of Former German POW Camps in Poland. Forgotten or Discovered?“ The CMJW...

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“Shadow Library” in Oflag XXI B

14 June 2019

One of the basic practices exercised to fight daily boredom during imprisonment was reading. Books were an important element of the prisoners’ life. The books were collected in camp libraries and lent among the prisoners. Some books found their way into...

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Reports of the American Consulate in Königsberg (1940-1941)

14 June 2019

Historians who research the history of prisoner of war camps during World War II seldom point their attention towards the records of diplomatic representations of neutral states in Nazi Germany or countries occupied by the Nazis. The most important ones...

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Foundation Council and Board Members Sign Foundation Registration Documents

27 November 2018

On November 27, 2018, the Oflag 64 Family delegates signed documents in Warsaw for the registration of the Polish-American Foundation for the Commemoration of POW Camps in Szubin. Signatories of the documents included Cindy Burgess (daughter of ex-POW 2nd Lt...

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American Games at the Oflag 64 Sportplatz

26 September 2018

On September 22, 2018, Polish teams commemorated the activities enjoyed by Oflag 64 POWs behind the wire, by playing exhibition games of American football and baseball. Nearby stood a compelling display of posters that had been created by students of a...

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Help bring the history of the POW camps in Szubin to life, and educate generations to come. The Foundation is led by volunteers and financed by private donors.

Your contributions will go toward the development of a museum at the site of the camps, and support the foundation’s outreach, operating costs and academic research.

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