Over the next few weeks the prisoners were transported via Klagenfurt to transit camps in Bari and Naples, from where they were eventually repatriated. The Stalag served as the base for distribution of International Red Cross packages and mail. Stalag IX-B Bad Orb Hessen-Nassau, Prussia Location N/E 50-09. Neubrandenburg camp was liberated by the Soviets in April 1945. 6,980 POWs held here all British in 1942 On Feb 26th 19437,314 were recorded as POWs. As the name suggests, Cinecitta (literally: film city) was the Hollywood of pre war Italy and several films were made here. It was named "Lindele". According to the German Security Officer, Captain Reinhold Eggers, the Dutch officers appeared to be model prisoners at first. On 30 August 1942 the camp was the scene of "Operation Olympia", also known as the "Warburg Wire Job", another mass escape attempt. From the elitist members of the Colditz Bullingdon Club to America's oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent, the soldier-prisoners of Colditz were courageous and resilient as well as vulnerable and fearful -- and astonishingly imaginative in their desperate escape attempts. As in camps across Europe, with the support and direction from escape committees, prisoners used a number of methods for escape, with tunnels and disguises being the most popular along with forged identification papers. To some extent, this overlapped with Appendix A and where the distinction was negligible they may even have been merged into one, Gives details of the usefulness of officially provided escape aids carried by pilots and others, which ones were used, and suggested improvements and/or additions. Covering 50 hectares (120 acres) the camp contained a kitchen, bakery, latrines and bathhouse, and was surrounded by a double barbed-wire fence with five gates and four guard towers (later increased to nine). Although partially demolished during the 1920s, it was used to accommodate about 750 men. (These are the sources for the German/Italian camps information contained on this site -they are hand transcribed and are fully searchable). World War II prisoner-of-war escapes are a staple of adventure fiction. Opened 12/44, this is possibly either a redesignated Oflag IIa or a sub camp of Oflag IIa. Twelve ounces of C-ration vegetable soup concentrate. Other camps in this area identified in SHAEF reports in 1944. Andrew V. McLaglen Sessue Hayakawa, Votes: The work performed was largely agricultural or industrial, ranging from coal or potash mining, stone quarrying, or work in sawmills, breweries, factories, railroad yards, and forests. Flight Lieutenant Hedley Fowlers plane was shot down in May 1940. In October 1942 the camp was repopulated with Jews and run by the infamous Amon Goth (Later the commandant of Plaszow KZ concentration camp) this had many thousands of Jews brought here from the Warsaw Ghetto, and these were the Jewish families (men, women and children) who were working for various German run firms in the locale, particularly the Toebbens uniform factory. Located at Annaberg-Bucholz in Germany, this was also a POW camp in WWI. It was opened as a POW camp in September 1939 and housed mainly Belgian officers. The lists are described as being corrected generally up to 30 March 1945. 62,322 POWs (3,606 British) with 2695 officers held here. Located at 53 degrees, 41 minutes North, 16 degrees, 55 minutes East in the far North of Germany on the Baltic coast. | The camp was built on the site of an old chicken farm, approximately 300 yards north of the main Frankfurt to Bad Homburg road. His escape from Colditz took place on 9 September 1942. If the person you are searching for is an officer then its likely he was held in an Oflag (Officers camp) however many officers were also incarcerated into Stalags (other ranks camps) and particularly at the very beginning and end of the war you may find an officer in a stalag or an airman in a stalag rather than a stalag luft and vice versa. The main camp was located in a complex of fifteen forts that surrounded the whole of the city. Helgoland Soviet forced labour camp, 1500 prisoners. The camp listings come from several sources including the USSME (Italian Army archives) so there could be some confusion over camp designations where two different numbers exist, however it was felt important to list them all: in the event of 2 conflicting pieces of information the USSME data has taken precedence as this is felt to be the most reliable. The camp was supposed to be closed completely late in 1944 when most of the camp were transferred to Sagan (Stalag Luft III) but a few of the sick remained to be liberated by the Soviet a few months later. The village here was very small <100 houses. Sylt- SS Concentration camp 1027 persons at peak, 300 died. Register with your email address now, we can then send you an alert as soon as we add a record close matching the one you were searching for. (7 days confined arrest, 7-13 Dec 1941). District VIII Nearest city Koblenz, In the middle west area of Germany. Near the town of Bautzen (spelt Bautsee/Bautsen on the reports in Wo229/5/1), several wooden huts housing 70 British POWs and other nationalities. In April 1944, most of the prisoners were transferred to Oflag 79 near Braunschweig and the camp was closed. 1 British POW was reported as being here at February 1945. Colin Gordon, After this point the stonehouse was used as the interrogation centre for new POWs, and the barrack blocks were used to house the permanent staff POWs and other POWs awaiting transfer to other camps. Many prisoners managed to escape and were sheltered in private homes. This was a work camp, making roads and operating a stone quarry. Conflicting reports from various sources place this also as PG 93 and relocated at Fontanellato in Parma. A substantial quantity of material concerning British and Commonwealth POWs - mostly Air Force personnel - can be found in the Headquarters Papers of Bomber Command (AIR 14), and in the Air Ministry's Directorate of Intelligence Papers. It is extremely rare for any records to be found from these holding camps: they were quite literally a barbed wire compound with at best tents for shelter, no real infrastructure and well guarded. Early 1945 reports have 27303 POWs with 491 officers, 214 of which were British, later reports show 217 British, 17 US, 9439 Soviets, 40 Belgians, 299 Yugoslavs, 1835 Italians and 5030 French. The nearest large city is Kaliningrad (formerly Konigsberg). The lower-ranking officers were incarcerated in the lower levels of the fortress. Search them here now. The camp housed around 2,500 British and 900 other commonwealth and allied nations' POWs and 7,500 USAAF in huts (10 x 12 metres) for 15 men with 3 tier bunks. Introduction: The Colditz Phenomenon View chapter 1 Capture and Interrogation View chapter 2 Transit and Processing View chapter 3 Compounds and Commandants View chapter 4 Leaders and Followers View chapter 5 Body and Soul View chapter 6 Work and Play View chapter 7 Reprisals and Rewards View chapter 8 Allies and Aliens View chapter The sick and the dead were left at Stettin while the majority of the rest were moved on to Stalag IIA (Neubrandenberg) where they arrived on 7th February, 1945. Finally, in late December 1944, Americans captured in the Battle of the Bulge arrived. Over 700 of the inmates are said to have lost their lives before the camps were closed and the remaining inmates transferred to Germany in 1944. This book was a refreshing change because it dealt with German captors who kept their humanity and followed their legal responsibilities to their prisoners from France, Germany, Holland, And even India. In late summer 1941 Soviet prisoners from Operation Barbarossa arrived and were placed in a separate enclosure built south of the main camp. This is a good read. Those who died in Stalag XXA were buried in the garrison military cemetery except Soviet POWs who were buried in a mass grave in the forest near Stalag 312, between Glinki and Cierpice. The location listed for this hospital in the SHAEF report of February 1945: 53 degrees 45 minutes north, 14 degrees 2 minutes east. Absolutely brilliant. 9 miles west of the port of Brindisi, mainly Indian POWs. The major subcamps were Thorn and Elbing. The first to arrive were 403 men from the Allied campaign in Norway. POWs transferred to San Guiseppe Iato later. Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall. The camp was built by forced labour. Another British Jewish inmate was Lt J M Barnet, Royal Engineers, [14] who was captured in November 1940, arrived in Colditz (re Chancellor's list) on Aug. 4 th 1941 and was repatriated to Britain on 6/9/44 with feigned illness and so counts as an "escaper". Oflag 64 or XXI-B Schubin (Moved to Usedom) Poland, Altburgund Location N/E 53-17. E715 IG Farben chemical factory in Monowitz. Stalag V-B is recorded as at Villingen AND Biberach an de Ris both in Baden Location N/E 48-08, it is possible these are the 2 nearest locations hence it was named as both. SHAEF reports from February 1945 show 130 Soviet and 1691 Dutch were here. They caught the train to Stuttgart where they stayed overnight in a small hotel. P.G. E.g. The camp Dulag Nord was located between Marlag and Milag. Approximately 6,000 officers and orderlies were in the camp. Stars: Bushell was later to be murdered by the Gestapo following The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III in March 1944. Whilst every reasonable effort has been made to ensure accuracy and completeness if you notice anything that you feel is missing or incorrect wed be very happy to hear from you. In the latter circumstances, the more perceptive SBOs, realising the Germans would quickly take control, encouraged individual escapes; while some of the more enterprising prisoners escaped without official sanction. Originally opened in March/April 1941 the camp reported having 920other ranks on 26th February 1943. Opened June 1941, 186 other ranks were held here on 26/2/43. 2928797 Private Walter Murray Queens Own Cameron Highlanders died 13/8/1942
Incidentally the sanatorium of this town was where the Aktion T4 Nazi state euthanasia programme was instituted in 1939, by the end of WWII over 275,000 Germans had been murdered countrywide in this scheme. The record series WO 344 consists of approximately 140,000 Liberation Questionnaires completed by British and Commonwealth servicemen, with a few from other Allied nationals and merchant seamen. At this point, I should stop being surprised. Borkum Organisation Todt labour camp 500-1000 at any one time. These were in desperate conditions and it was decided to liberate the camp immediately. The Italian camp nominal rolls are sourced directly from WO392/12. That month there were a total of 38,831 prisoners registered at the camp. 4,000 lower-ranked British, South African and Ghurka prisoners, mostly from the surrender of Tobruk, were held in two compounds of tents, with very poor conditions and food shortages. Very engrossing. 203 Bologna hospital in Castel S Pietro. Located at coordinates 54 degrees 23 minutes North, 12 degrees 42 minutes east. Another tunnel built by Norwegian prisoners was discovered before its completion. This camp consisted of high ranking officers, mostly of the rank Major and above. The space between the two fences was a tangled mass of barbed-wire. Initially it was Stalag XXI-B for Polish soldiers until December 1940. 106 US POWs here on the road to Falkenburg. From December 1944 to March 1945 STALAG 13d (XIII-D) was designated Oflag 73. Relocated to Biberach, housed mainly French and Serbo-Croat officers. Director: In July 1941 the prisoners of Ilag X-B were set to work dismantling their barrack huts at Sandbostel, then rebuilding them at Westertimke, finally completing the Milag camp in February 1942. In 1941 and 1942 Soviet prisoners arrived. Stalag XXI-D Posen (Posnan) Poland Location N/E 52-17. Many of them died from the bitter cold and exhaustion. The Prisoners of War and Internment Files in the Admiralty and Secretariat Papers ADM 1 (code 79) contain documentation on many aspects of the Royal Navy's involvement with the capture and internment of the enemy and Allied POWs, naval and other services. US AAF POWs arrived in October, 1943, bringing the total of US prisoners to 4,000 until liberation in April, 1945. Some prisoners were even billeted to live with the local Austrian families. As was usual for Stalags, many of the prisoners were located in Arbeitslager ("Work camps") on farms or adjacent to factories or other industrial operations. On reaching the UK, Fowler was promoted to squadron leader and posted to the Armament Test Squadron at Boscombe Down to act as a test pilot. Richard Todd, Opened September 1942 and closed September 1944. That day the Kommandant, Hauptmann Steiner, had handed over control of the camp to the Senior British Medical Officer and the "Men of Confidence". Richard Attenborough, The camp was evacuated in January 1945 as the Red Army approached At 11:00 PM on 27 January 1945 Germans marched the POWs out of Stalag 3 with Spremberg for their destination. Notorious: The hotel in Colditz, in southern German, has 161 beds and offers the full 'prisoner experience'. | Lt. Michael Sinclair, a British officer known as the "Red Fox of Colditz" because of his red hair, spent six months training for his escape attempt. In June 1942 the Polish officers were transferred to other camps, such as Oflag VII-A Murnau and Oflag VI-B, Dssel. While no discrete record holds these forms, they are occasionally found in War Crimes files. Neave went on to work as an intelligence agent for MI9 and served with the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremberg trials in 1946. The final scenes very moving. Nevertheless, Upham prised open the toilet window and jumped onto the tracks, knocking himself unconscious. At Taranto the arrangements, in the hands of the Italian Navy, were known as very efficient. Kriegslazarett Kriegslazarett-Abteilung 604 - Military Hospital in the, (3.10.1944) Stalag 304 Zeithain (Soviet POWS), British & Imperial Prisoners of War held in Germany WWII. July 1941: About 20,000 Soviet prisoners captured during Operation Barbarossa arrived. Reaction to the armistice varied from camp to camp. Ben Macintyre has done it again. These contain miscellaneous papers relating to the circumstances of loss/capture. The POWs occupied themselves in various ways. In June 1942 it was renumbered Oflag XII-B. Inmates were cleaned and transferred to an improvised hospital outside the camp and thence to convalescence camps. Large new barrack buildings of white stone, roofed with red tiles or slates, were divided into seven or eight bays, each holding twenty or so two-tier bunks. District XI Nearest city Kassel, in the centre of Germany. District X Nearest city Hanover, in the middle north of Germany. The largest POW camp in Austria and 2nd largest in the entire German Reich. Several escape attempts, one successful on March 29th 1943 - Six British and New Zealand officers escaped through a tunnel from Castello di Vincigliata (Campo 12) near Florence, Italy. On 22 May 1940 all 1,336 Polish prisoners were transferred to Oflag VII-A Murnau, and were replaced with British, French and Belgian officers taken prisoner during the battle of France. Of more than 5,000 Allied merchant seamen captured by the Germans during the war, most were held at Marlag-Milag. The camp covered an area of 37,000 square metres, divided into two sections but not separated by barbed wire. Red Cross parcels were not permitted to be sent to the disarmed prisoners of the Axis forces after the fall of Nazi Germany in 1945 as they were not classified as POWs at this stage. Stalag I-B Hohenstein was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of Hohenstein, East Prussia (now Olsztynek, Poland). This camp is recorded under WO224/10 in the national archives. They were successful. Their escape, on 14 October 1942, took place with two other officers. From the port of disembarkation prisoners of war went to transit camps in the south of Italy. 25052 (7792 British) with 1310 officers, work detailed to coal mines locally. Stars: Lamont Johnson The Germans agreed. The British forces (XXX corps) advancing through this area had been aware of the POW camp but, until two escaped British Secret Service men reached them they were unaware of several thousand political prisoners in a separate compound. The prisoners were given the remaining Red Cross parcels; you could carry as much as you could. Two hundred NCOs were transferred to Stalag XVIII-C at Markt-Pongau in June 1944. George Segal, The escapers, including Day, Buckley, Johnnie Dodge and future Carry on Film star Peter Butterworth were all recaptured within a week. It is very important to note that the Soviet Union had not signed the Geneva Convention and hence the main Nazis reasoned that the POWs captured were to be treated similarly cruelly to the Jews, Slavs and the myriad of other prisoners who were systematically ill-treated, brutalised & murdered during the war. The successful escapes by Lt. Michael Duncan and Captain O'Sullivan were documented extensively at the time by British Intelligence. Originally most soldiers and officers had been released after the end of the Norwegian campaign, but as resistance activities increased, the officers were rearrested and sent to POW camps. In June 1940 British, Belgian, Dutch and French senior officers and a small number of orderlies were transported to Mainz from transit camps in France and Belgium after the end of the Battle of France. Near to the town of Aquila, this was a transit camp. Up to 22,000 prisoners who had died or been murdered, were buried in 32 mass graves within the local area of the camp. Located at Ebenrode (Nesterov) in USSR, opened 1941. I have attempted to include every camp, however, some have very few details even then if you notice anything missing please dont hesitate to contact us, its worth noting that many camps could/were known by location and locations were often misheard and then mistranscribed due to the language barrier in many instances. Within months two officers from Dssel, Lieutenant Jock Hamilton-Baillie and Captain Frank Weldon, proposed digging a tunnel north from Block 2's latrine to a villager's chicken coop about 30 m (98 ft) away. The camp of huts near Fallingbostel became known as Stalag XI-B and was to become one of the Wehrmacht's largest prisoner of war (POW) camps, holding up to 95,000 prisoners from various countries. The main Dulag Luft camp at Frankfurt was the principal collecting point for intelligence derived from Allied POW interrogation. Every so many yards along the fence was a guard tower, fully armed and manned. Three men were killed, and 14 seriously wounded. 94 min On 14 February 1945 the Americans and British were marched out of the camp westward in advance of the Soviet offensive into Germany. It then it became Oflag XXI-B for French and British Commonwealth officers, subsequently for Soviet officers until June 1943. In January 1943 the camp at Spittal became a Zweiglager ("Sub-camp") of Wolfsberg, and was redesignated as Stalag XVIII-A/Z. Most of these Italian prisoners were suffering from tuberculosis or had been injured while working. An alphabetical list of British and Dominion Air Force PoWs in German hands in 1944-1945 is in AIR 20/2336. In January 1945, as the Soviet armies resumed their offensive and advanced into Germany, many of the prisoners were marched westward in groups of 200 to 300 in the so-called Death March. Most posed as French civilian workers, of whom there were many in Germany at the time. To the south were four more blocks; three were for senior officers, while the fourth housed their ordonnance ("orderlies"). Action, Drama, War. 86 min In late 1944 he escaped again and this time made it to Sweden. Located just north of the town of Sudauen, East Prussia (now Suwalki, Poland). The jobs allowed some Poles to help them by giving food and cigarettes. PoWs held here previously however. In order to accommodate them the entire population of Marlag "M" were moved into "O". Some 20 miles (32 km) north of Genoa, this was a fortress on top of the hill overlooking the town. | Gross: In July 1941 they were followed by Soviet prisoners from Operation Barbarossa housed in the open in a separate enclosure. Walter Fitzgerald, O. Henry's Short Stories", which after the war was donated to the archives of the Historical Section of the Canadian Army HQ. Bari Transit camp, one work camp, located nearby. May 1941 more prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign, mostly British and Serbians. This was closed down and the patients moved to Hohenstein-Ernsthal in February 1944. Fowler died March 1944, Escape through kitchen into German yard, across yard into Kommandantur cellar, out cellar into dry moat. In late 1944 small numbers of American, Romanian, British and Polish prisoners arrived. These cells, eight feet high, feet wide and twelve feet long, held a cot, a table, a chair and an electric bell to call the guard. The bunk beds were in blocks of nine- three on the top, three in the middle and three on the bottom. For further information on war crimes see related research guides. Sandbostel lies 9 km south of Bremervrde, 43 km northeast of Bremen. On the 11th May 1942 52 POWs escaped from Kirchain via a tunnel, all were later recaptured. There are document pouches for individual seamen in BT 373/360-3716. Opened originally in May 1942, 180 other ranks were reported here on December30th 1942.. Near Perugia, Fornaci Briziarelli brick factory, POWs also worked on the Todi Orvieto road construction. About 5% of the Soviet prisoners who died . The column generally covered less than 10 km (6.2 miles) a day, and steadily diminished in size as prisoners took advantage of the dense forests to slip away. | Upham jumped from the truck at a bend and managed to get 400 yards (370 m) away before being recaptured. Their disappearance went unnoticed the next day, so the next night another group escaped, a total of 132 men altogether. A potato drying factory near the village of Grauschwitz/Mugeln with 23 US POWs. In 1942 a large camp (Stalag 323) was built for Soviet prisoners, it was located at the other end of the training ground. Notable POWs who were held here include (briefly) Colditz inmate and escape officer Pat Reid who was held for 3 months before escaping, being recaptured and sent to Colditz where he finally escaped to freedom from later. The Polish POWs were transferred to other camps on 1 June 1940 and Oflag II-D was established to house French officers from the Battle of France. Home organisations and families could also send parcels either directly or by organisations set up to aid POWS via the Red Cross containing all manner of items from sports and games to books and some clothing. Infamous for the unprecedented murder under the orders of Hitler/Himmler by the Gestapo of 50 Prisoners of War and the attempted cover up of these murders afterwards. Buckley was a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm and as such the Germans had placed him, with all other FAA aircrew, under the responsibility of the Luftwaffe. 108 min Originally a Hitler Youth camp, in October 1939 it was modified to house about 15,000 Polish prisoners from the German September 1939 offensive. District XVI Nearest city Metz, now in France. Stalag XX-A was a German World War II prisoner of war camp located in Thorn/Torun, Poland. Comedy, Drama, War. Some great stories, but it can also be a bit slow. Brad Dexter, Votes: Because of approaching Soviet troops, all POWs capable of walking were marched out. In August 1943 the first American prisoners arrived having been taken prisoner in Tunisia. Oflag VIII-F was first established at Wahlstatt in July 1940 and housed French and Belgian officers taken prisoner during the Battle of France. And perhaps the most colorful examples have emerged from Colditz, the Nazi camp for Allied officers in Germanys east from 1939 to 1945. The guards were mainly Austrian army veterans and conditions in the camp were better than in many other POW camps in Germany. Sandbostel lies 9 km south of Bremervrde, 43 km northeast of Bremen. | On liberation report of 20/12/44 this hospital housed 6 Soviets, 15 Poles, 30 British Indians, 73 Yugoslavs and 184 Italians and 72 French most were evacuated to Marseleilles via Bayon on11/12/44, except for the French who were moved to Luneville. The camp was liberated in May 1945. The treatment was a little worse. | The 'Market Garden' plan employed all three divisions of First Allied Airborne Army. At one time there were over 30,000 jammed into facilities designed for 15,000. The contact address is International Council of the Red Cross (ICRC), Archives Division, 19, Avenue de la Paix, CH-1202 Geneva, website: ICRC Archives. However, not all Germans were hated - the guard Shorty was carried by several prisoners after he couldn't go on. Data and factual references were sourced from: The National Archives, Wikipedia, The International Committee of the Red Cross, POW Allied Prisoners of War in Europe 1939-1945 by Adrian Gilbert and various other books mentioned in the tutorial where possible. There is an extensive collection of records in the series BT 373, giving the circumstances of capture and the eventual fate of UK and Allied Asian merchant seamen captured during the Second World War. POW camp in the castle of Bad Wurzach, although this was unlike Colditz in that it was really a large country house, not a castle as such. Others were sent to work on farms. It may have been attached or close by Hospital H206? It contained as many as 20,000 men at its peak, although up to 60,000 were incarcerated there at one time or another. However, the current whereabouts and indeed survival of these documents is uncertain. They were forced to march under guard about 1520 miles (2432 km) per day. I'm not sure that Colditz is as well know in the U.S.A. Searches are only made in response to written enquiries, and an hourly fee is usually charged. Marlag camp was not completed until July 1942. SHAEF reports of February 1945 show 224 French and 172 Greek POWs held here, although we have seen letters from Polish Officers also kept here earlier in the war. According to a SHAEF report of February 1945 the camp held: 25 British, 7201 US, 16234 Soviets, 851 Belgians, 3 Poles, 1676 Yugoslavs, 1111 Italians and 16935 French. 49 Fontallenato Reggio nell'Emelia (Parma). Soon after their arrival the senior Canadian officer, Brigadier W.W. Southam, convened a conference which compiled an after action report on the Raid. The International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva keeps incomplete lists of all known POWs and internees of all nationalities for the Second World War. In June 1943 it was renamed Stalag Luft VI and used to hold British and Canadian Air Force NCOs, and from February 1944, also Americans. 161 officers were held here on 26/2/43 and it opened originally in June 1941. Each hut held approximately 50 prisoners, and each compound had 20 huts, the Hut Commander slept in an area which doubled as an admin office. 'Imperial Prisoners of War held in Italy dated August 1943. Larive did not forget and many prisoners later escaped using this route. After ROAC officer Major B.D. At this same location there had been a prisoner camp during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. Originally a hutted and tented camp with a double boundary fence and watchtowers set up in the Great War. The third barrack contained administrative headquarters. Nevertheless, it was recognised that in most instances an evader/escaper had little opportunity of observing enemy activities due to the normal practice of 'hiding-up' during the day. Ian Hendry, Colditz Castle 1943. Less than eight months later Oflag IV-C was captured by American soldiers from 1st US Army. 116 min It served as the hospital for all Soviet POWs in the region until January 1945. VIEW HERE A MAP OF POW CAMPS IN GERMANY - PUBLISHED BY THE RED CROSS & ST. JOHN WAR ORGANISATION. Lieutenant Leo de Hartog holding 'Moritz', one of the two dummy heads of POWs made to mislead German guards during daily roll calls. Article 10 required that POWs (also abbreviated as PW) should be lodged in adequately heated and lit buildings where conditions were the same as German troops. Director: In August 1940 most enlisted men were shipped to other camps; Stalag XIII-A, Stalag XIII-B and Stalag XIII-C. Only those remained who were already employed in local industry and were housed in individual Arbeitskommandos.