Polish-American Foundation for the Commemoration of POW Camps in Szubin
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News
D-Day at Oflag 64
02 June 2024
Headline of The Oflag Daily Bulletin, 6 June 1944. U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center. Photo: Susanna Connaughton. On June 6, 1944, millions of people around the world stayed close to their radios, awaiting broadcasters’ announcements of the long-anticipated Allied invasion of...
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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...
Read moreCommemorative 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...
Read moreAmerican 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...
Read moreTins 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...
Read moreDouble 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...
Read moreStalag 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...
Read moreRed 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...
Read moreEscape 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...
Read moreFrench 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...
Read more18th 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...
Read moreSzubin 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...
Read moreWorkshop "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...
Read more“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...
Read moreReports 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...
Read moreFoundation Council and Board Members Sign Foundation Registration Documents
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…
American Games at the Oflag 64 Sportplatz
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…
“Passing the Keys” of Barracks #9 to the Town of Szubin
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…
Establishing a Foundation and 501(c)(3)
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…
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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.
