News

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 POWs–who had been missing since the end of the Vietnam War. All subsequent Presidents have … Read more

Pre-war history of boys’ reform school in Szubin 1888-1939 Many sources, quite briefly, and often even incorrectly, recount to the history of the site and the institution which, during World War II, was transformed into a POW camp for Allied officers and non-commissioned officers. Contrary to the information often presented, there was no Polish girls’ … Read more

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 the very same landscape every day. Features like distant buildings, trees, parks, and other features, … Read more

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, located in Opole, was founded in 1965, and belongs to the group of museums of … Read more

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 were the embassies and consulates of Switzerland – the country which had become the protecting … Read more

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 the camps through the prisoners themselves. Many soldiers had the books with them when … Read more

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. Wilbur Sharpe), Susanna Connaughton (daughter of ex-POW 2nd Lt. Seymour Bolten), and Mariusz Winiecki, Szubin … Read more

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 local school. The posters illustrated the students’ ideas of what life must have been … Read more

On September 21, 2018, six family members of ex-POWs from Oflag 64 met in Szubin Poland with members of the local Polish government for the “passing of the keys” ceremony. The Plenipotentiary of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivode for Culture, National Heritage and Historical Policy, Jarosław Jakubowski passed the keys to Mayor of Szubin, Artur Michalak and … Read more

A 12-member delegation of volunteers from the Oflag 64 Family met with their Polish advisor and advocate, Mariusz Winiecki, during the week of July 22-29, 2018 in Washington, DC. The delegation consisted of descendants of American ex-POWs and met for the purpose of finding ways to assist in the development of historical museums/centers and to … Read more