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When
Myanah Saunders was a child in the late 1940s, Britain was in the grip of post-war shortages and rationing was still in force.
Although her family was not hard-up, Christmas presents were limited by what was available.
"There was always
a tangerine in the toe of the stocking and a bag of nuts, which were both quite special to us. We didn't have any sweets
or chocolate because they were rationed, although there were usually sugar mice. On top of that, there would be a couple of
things to keep us quiet: wax crayons, a small colouring book and a small toy or puzzle."
Among the items Ms Saunders,
now 62, remembers receiving were clockwork toys, friction-driven cars, slide puzzles, party whistles and celluloid dolls.
"It was quite predictable what we would get, but it was still exciting because it was traditional and we knew
what to look forward to."
The Skylighters were the 800-odd men of the
four batteries of the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion. After training at Camp Davis, North Carolina, the 225th arrived in
England just before New Year's Day 1944, and became part of the antiaircraft defense of England. In mid-June, the Skylighters
landed on Omaha Beach and formed part of the defense of Normandy. Thereafter, for most of their dash across France and the
Low Countries, the 225th were attached to the 9th Air Force's 422nd and 425th Night Fighter Squadrons, who flew the deadly
P-61 Black Widow interceptor against the Luftwaffe. In their role with the night fighters, the 225th received partial credits
on the downing of 36 enemy planes and V-1 buzz bombs. In addition, the battalion's 36 General Electric searchlights were
used to put up over 4,000 light canopies that saved countless planes as well as pilots and aircrews that were lost or disabled
in night combat in the ETO. Skylighters radar sets were used to vector the Black Widows to their targets time and time again.
At war's end, the 225th began training for deployment to the Pacific, and served for a while as part of the Army of Occupation.
Following the surrender of Japan, Skylighters began rotating back home, and by December 1945 the unit was disbanded.
There was one person who led or participated
in every combat, training or occupation operation during WWII and the Korean War. This person could always be depended on.
GI's began to consider him the "super GI." He was one who always got there first or who was always there when
they left. I am, of course, referring to Kilroy Was Here. Somehow, this simple graffiti captured the imagination of GI's
everywhere they went. The scribbled cartoon face and words showed up everywhere - worldwide. Stories (some even true) abound.
The Time Capsule - 1940s Archive
Wartime Vocalist,
Femme Fatales
1940's Entertainment
Retro girls
It
is May 10th 1940 and Churchill is Prime Minister of Britain. The BBC, Guardian and other left liberal news outlets publish
polls stating that 60 % of Britons believe that the war against fascist Germany cannot be won and that the French are an unworthy
ally. The questions used in the poll were inadequate containing ambiguous phraseology but the news outlets don’t report
this – just the summary results. Instead the media focuses on the hardships, the trauma and destruction of war and record
pessimist Britain’s dismay in defeating the Wehrmacht and supporting the fast collapsing French army.
Most
of the media is hostile to Churchill, and tired of his bombast. One of their favorites - Lord Halifax prevented from being
Prime Minister because he sits in the Lords and not the Commons - convenes many press conferences informing Britons that appeasement
with Hitler is the safest guarantor of the British empire. The media endlessly recycles Halifax’s editorials in which
he states that fighting Germany contravenes international and British law, since the Jews and Poles provoked the current conflict.
He maintains that the British empire has no reason to interfere in the internal politics of Europe and that the two empires
can peacefully coexist. Such ideas resonate within the media and their polling affiliates. At the end of May 72 % of Britons
feel that Halifax’s demand that peace be sought with Germany would be ‘appropriate’.
To
support the anti-war group the BBC broadcasts the already long list of dead military, the perils of fighting Germany alone,
portrays the Americans as avaricious Jewish dominated parasites unwilling to formally aid Britain, and proposes that Europe
united under one state and one leader is a historical destiny, quelling troublesome feuds once and for all. On British state
owned TV well known British music stars and actresses are seen meeting with Hitler in attempts to broker a peace settlement,
some more of the more raffish lot are photographed sitting atop Panzer tanks and parading in Gestapo uniforms. Many try to
convince the British public that continuing the war with Germany would be unconscionable and will kill millions of innocent
children and that the British public must stop their domestic military-industrial complex. A top pop song elaborates that
‘Germans love their children too’. Polls in England state that Churchill has only 22 % general support and almost
none amongst women, ethnic, environmental groups and gay rights organizations.
Sympathetic documentaries and films
are hurriedly shown in England during May and June 1940, in theatres and on state owned TV, pointing out that Hitlerism and
Nazism is nothing more than the realization of Germanic ambition and historical destiny. They focus on German discipline,
literary and musical achievements and the valid German need for more land. Indeed Hitler is portrayed in such episodes as
a great and noble leader, resurrecting a decrepit and shattered Germany. Nazism is depicted in editorials and on campuses
as a uber-philosophy and historical life-force, based on great accomplishments, community-love, and national pride –
it is the new world order. The destruction of freedom, life and liberal values are never touched upon. Hitlerism and fascism
excites the media and academic elite which publish around the clock, sycophantic essays on the dialectical inevitability of
fascist power.
The Gallery of Regrettable Food
Retro Clip Art
While
Hitler’s service in the Bavarian Army during World War I he saw the great power of War Propaganda especially as applied
by the allies. He clearly understood the fact that the Central Powers especially Austria and Germany did not manage to use
propaganda in a skilled manner and the Allies on the contrary used it excellently. Irrespective of which side of the war used
propaganda in the most provident way, the important fact here is that Hitler had find out something that he would later apply
to his Third Reich’s benefit. His War propaganda expert in the World War II became Dr. Joseph Goebbles. Hitler found
out that creating what mainly added up to be a lie being changed to sound as if it were the simple truth, and subsequently
direct this simple lie to people which were uneducated, or at least to those he supposed had no education or most defenseless,
it could let him manipulate the feelings and emotions of people to make them correspond to what he wanted. Under uneducated
people Hitler understood those who had no knowledge of the subject matter in which the propaganda is contained.
This
was a very effectual technique specifically during the war, because if someone could persuade the enemy that they were in
fact losing the war and it does not matter if they were or not in reality, the will of those people would weaken. During the
war propaganda was the idea that truly attracted Hitler’s attention, propaganda was also applied by Hitler in other
fields such as persuading the Jews who were on the run in Germany in the time of holocaust to come out and surrender. The
lie that Hitler used in this case is that he would merely exile them out of Germany and that the concentration camps were
meant only for those of them who committed crimes against the Reich.
Sue Reads film tells the story of the 10,000 children
who came to Britain to escape the Holocaust in soft tones and gentle rythms, but somehow that heightens the horror.
Wartime Britain, and the period after the war ended
in 1945, produced some of the most difficult times for theatre and pantomime. In the early days of the war in 1940 it looked
as if all places of public entertainment would be closed indefinitely, and one by one the countrys theatres opened their doors,
and the world of pantomime existed as a glittering escape from the streets ravaged by nightly air raids and austere conditions
at home and abroad.
BOOM! BANG!! BAM! Can you hear that? That's
the sound of weapons in World War II. In the 1940's, it was not the happiest decade. It was actually full of killing and
blood. Yet, it also had some interesting sports, games, and famous people. Before World War II there were many poor people.
Suddenly there were headlines saying, "Japs declare war. Attack U.S." After the war, the "Baby Boom" era
began. If you don't know what "Baby Boom" is, I'll explain. After the war, the survivors came home. There
were many marriages and they started to have many babies. People born in this era were called "Baby Boomers."
Soldiers of the glorious Finnish army!
Peace
has been concluded between Finland and Soviet Russia, a harsh peace in which Soviet Russia has been ceded nearly every battlefield
on which you have shed your blood on behalf of everything we hold sacred and dear.
You did not want war; you loved peace,
work and progress; but you were forced into a struggle in which you have achieved great deeds, deeds that will shine for centuries
in the annals of history.
There are places that command History,
Today they are places to walk.
When the veterans
leave, there will remain to us only these places
to recall us what occurred there,
on that day in June 1944.
They fought in
canvas and wood biplanes that could barely fly 100 MPH. Men like von Richthofen, Rickenbacker, Bishop, Guynemer, Mannock,
Ball, who flew airplanes with names like Spad, Fokker, Albatros, Nieuport, and Sopwith Camel.
In this era, the top speeds
were about 100 MPH. When the pilots ventured ten miles over the enemy lines, that was a notable event. The pilots carried
no parachutes. The airplanes were made of wood and canvas; when they caught on fire, it spread quickly, and spelled certain
death for the occupants.
The Timeline section focuses on the history of the
Holocaust, chronicling the years from 1918 to the present. Hitler's rise to power was the initiation of a period that
wrought great fear and destruction. Millions were forced to live in ghettos, only to be deported later to the concentration
camps. The tragic details remained obscure until the liberation of the death camps and the further revelations during the
Nuremberg War Trials. The subsections below offer a simplified outline for thinking about how the Holocaust unfolded.
The
term "Old Time Radio" refers to the entertainment programs that were broadcast to the public from the early 1920s
to the early 1960s. In the beginning, most radio programs emulated the vaudeville acts that were the mainstay of public amusement
before radio. Comics and singers ruled the airwaves! Best of all, you no longer had to leave your home to enjoy their talents!
Eventually, however, audiences matured and other types of programs were added to the radio schedule. Drama series became extremely
popular including shows about doctors, soap operas, and even movie scripts that were adapted for radio. Action series brought
cops, robbers, private detectives, and westerns into the home! Fantasy series thrilled audiences with well known characters
including Superman and the Green Hornet! Horror fans got their share of ghosts, vampires, and werewolves. Those who craved
science fiction got their weekly craving for tales of the future, space travel, and exploration of the unknown. Game shows
like "You Bet Your Life" gave the average person an escape from everyday life!
This is the place to find Old Time Radio shows that
have been featured within the past week. The shows are usually kept here for a week or so after their day in the spotlight
on the Today's Features page.
At its peak, the British Empire was the largest
formal empire that the world had ever known. As such, its power and influence stretched all over the globe; shaping it in
all manner of ways. This site is dedicated to analysing the history of the British Empire: The triumphs, the humiliations,
the good that it brought and the bad that it inflicted. For better or worse the British Empire had a massive impact on the
history of the world. It is for this reason that this site tries to bring to life the peoples, cultures, adventures and domination
that made the Empire such a powerful institution. It is neither an apology for, nor a nostalgic reminiscince of the institution
that so dominated the world for over a century. Rather, it analyses and describes the vast institution that so influenced
the shape of the world that we see today.
Welcome to Don Mabry's Historical Text Archive
!
The HTA publishes high quality articles, books, essays, documents, historical photos, and links, screened for content,
for a broad range of historical subjects. It was founded in 1990 in Mississippi and is one of the oldest history sites on
the Internet. This site is dynamic with regular additions to its contents and its link collection.
The Dad's Army Theme tune was penned by Jimmy
Perry and Derek Taverner in 1969. The feel of the tune and the sentiment in the lyrics are so 'right' that many believe
they are listening to a real war-time song. Bud Flanagan sang the lyrics, it was his last song recorded before he died. There
have been many versions recorded at different stages, including one by Arthur Lowe.
His
parents, Wolf and Yetta (Kitty) Weintrop were Polish Jews who fled to London in the mid 1870s as a result of Eastern European
pogroms. They had ten children all born in London. In 1881 they lived in Brick Lane and by 1891 had moved on to 12 Hanbury
Street, Spitalfields. At the time of the 1901 census the family were still at Hanbury Street, with Reuben aged 4 living with
six of his siblings and his parents over a Fried Fish shop. They later owned a barber shop and tobacconist in Whitechapel.
Flanagan attended school in Petticoat Lane, and by the age of 10 was working as call-boy at the Cambridge Music Hall. In 1908,
he made his début in a talent contest at the London Music Hall in Shoreditch, performing conjuring tricks as Fargo,
The Boy Wizard.
In 1910, he sailed with the SS Majestic to New York, where he had a variety of jobs before returning
to England in 1915 and joining the Royal Field Artillery, in France. Here he met the unpopular Sergeant Major from whom he
later adopted his stage name. In 1919 he formed a comedy double act, Flanagan and Roy. he met his wife Anne,
daughter of Irish comedian Johnny Quinn, (The Singing Clown), and in 1926 their son Buddy was born. He
is best known as part of a double act with Chesney Allen, Flanagan and Allen. They had first met on active service in Flanders,
but did not work together until 1926, touring with a Florrie Forde show. They established a reputation and were booked by
Val Parnell at the Holborn Empire. As music hall comedians, they would often feature a mixture of comedy and music in their
act and this led to a successful recording career as a duo and roles in film and television. Flanagan and Allen were both
also members of The Crazy Gang, appearing in the first show at the London Palladium in 1931, and continued to work with the
group, concurrently with their double-act career.
Flanagan
and Allen's songs featured the same, usually gentle humour for which the duo were known in their live performances, and
during the Second World War reflected the experiences of ordinary people during wartime. Songs like We're Going To Hang
Out The Washing On The Siegfried Line mocked the German defences (Siegfried Line), while others like Miss You sang of missing
one's sweetheart during enforced absences. Other songs such as their most famous Underneath the Arches (which Flanagan
co-wrote with Reg Connelly) had universal themes such as friendship, which again, helped people relate to the subject matter.
The music was usually melodic, following a binary verse, verse chorus structure, with a small dance band or orchestra providing
the backing. The vocals were distinctive because while Flanagan was at least a competent singer and sang the melody lines,
Allen used an almost spoken delivery to provide the harmonies.
Flanagan
and Allen stopped working together with Chesney Allen's retirement in 1945, when he gave up performing to become a theatrical
agent; but Flanagan continued working until his death. His last recording was Jimmy Perry and Derek Taverner's Who Do
You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler?, recorded shortly before his death in 1968, which was the theme to the British sitcom
series Dad's Army. The song was a deliberate pastiche of the sort of songs Flanagan had sung during the war and, being
so nostalgic, was very popular with the public.
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Greatest Film Star Roles and Filmographies (see
below) contains a selected sampling of the starring roles that best define the screen presence or persona of some of the greatest
stars of the American cinema. The definitive screen role is often the one for which the actor or actress is best-remembered.
In some cases, some actors/actresses - over a long, prolific career - have had more than one exemplary or essential example
of their acting portrayed in films.
Best of British Magazine Britain's favourite
nostalgia monthly magazine is packed with stories and pictures guaranteed to bring the memories flooding back. Offering page
after page of timeless reading, Best of British covers every aspect of life from the 1940s through to today, recording the
way it once was and demonstrating what makes Britain so special
Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, the historic
site of secret British code breaking activities during World War Two and the birthplace of the modern computer
In
1939, Nazi U-boats were wreaking havoc on military and merchant ships. The submarines appeared from nowhere, torpedoing entire
fleets before disappearing beneath the waves. Allied commanders knew that if they could break the Enigma code, they could
listen in on the U-boats’ orders and discover where they were. There was only one problem; the odds against breaking
the Enigma code were 150 000 000 000 000 000 000 to 1.
The Allies recruited some of the country’s brightest mathematicians
and sent them to Bletchley Park, a mansion in Buckinghamshire that had been commandeered by the military. Their mission was
simple; to crack the Enigma code.
Cracking the Enigma code was no simple matter. Enigma’s complexity was bewildering
and the codes changed daily.
The
Bombe was the work of mathematician Alan Turing, the father of modern computing. Based on the pioneering work of Polish code
breakers, the Bombe was an early form of computer that could crunch numbers at a dizzying speed. In 1940 the Enigma code was
defeated. Not only had Turing invented the forerunner of today’s PC, he also proved that no matter how clever the code,
any Private Key Cryptography can be broken if you chuck enough processing power at it.
I am well over 70 and have been married to Cliff
for nearly 55 years. I have one very good son, a wonderful daughter-in law and one very beloved granddaughter.
As I get older, I find myself slowing down and stiffening somewhat, so my computer-and the internet- has replaced the knitting
and designing I used to enjoy, just as walking
Gi-Gi, who you'll meet later, has replaced the ballroom dancing.
I still, however write poetry.
When
France falls in June 1940 more polls are published in a frenzy of worried activity revealing that 80 % of Britons are pessimistic
or uncertain about the war’s outcome with an astonishing 90 % expressing some level of concern about the government’s
performance. Some extreme editorials charge that Churchill lied about the nature of the war and the reality of fighting an
invincible Germany during his May 1940 Parliamentary speeches. His speeches and statements are re-parsed, picked over and
extensively criticized for their naivety, romanticism and extreme patriotism.
Political and media analysts carp
about Churchill’s own past including his poor academic record, his dubious military escapades, and his criminal guilt
in the battle of Omdurman in 1898 in the Sudan when black native fighters were destroyed by modern military technology. They
also point out Churchill’s personal combat against the Boers, the Indians and Afghans, stating that bigotry and racial
hatred are at the core of Churchill’s character. Talk shows abound with analysts and those who ‘know’ Churchill
stating that Churchill’s past is inglorious and at odds with current post World War One modernity of enlightened thoughtful
liberalism. Even his vain, womanizing syphilitic father, a political star that crashed through arrogance and illness is dragged
from the history books to prove that genetically Churchill is an unstable character and the son of drunken political bore.
Friends of the 40s has finally arrived, ready to
serve as your online news source to all thing 1940s. As well as keeping you well informed of all the latest events and happenings
on the 40s scene, we provide a resource to the fans, listing all the best in 1940s entertainment, re-enactment groups and
period traders. We also hope to provide community facilities for all the online 40s fantactics. Look no further than Friends
of the 40s for unrationed forties goodness.
Sentimental Journey was formed in 1995 by Ian Durrant,
a collector for over 20 years. Ian served in the Territorial Army for about nine years and in a mixture of units;
Churchill’s
past and own drinking excesses are front page stories, with news analysts and experts linking Churchill’s terrible character
with the losing war effort. Many call for not only Churchill’s resignation but his impeachment for not doing enough
to prevent the fall of the British expeditionary army and the humiliation of Dunkirk. The BBC reports that Churchill and his
Ministers are not only losing the war, but also profiting from war contracts through firms closely allied with the Conservative
political effort and that Churchill has sent his own small fortune out of the country to Canada. No evidence is given on these
allegations but no proof is asked for. New public polling puts Churchill with a 13 % approval rating and calls for his resignation
echo more loudly each day.
The anti-Conservative and anti-Churchill media also stoke antipathy to Churchill’s
new coalition government by focusing on the incapability of British forces to fight. While willful, manly Germany prepares
for the invasion of the British Isles, the media is adamant that the government is doing nothing. The British Labor party,
sensing Churchill’s political weakness, reveal documents which support the position that the government is disorganized
and drifting with no rational plan to wage war. A recently demoted Cabinet member releases photos of a drunk Churchill slurring
his words at a private dinner function while discussing war strategy, and publishes letters from Churchill to his War Cabinet
which apparently prove that Churchill has no real plan of national defense. Clement Attlee leader of the Labor Party, along
with Lord Halifax, holds a press interview on an important TV talk show criticizing Churchill for the Norway fiasco along
with inadequate funding of the armed forces and a lack of strategic focus. Atlee contends that appeasing Germany for two to
three years, would enable Britain to retool and rearm, and cites the Soviet-Nazi pact of 1939 as an example of judicious statesmanship.
Indeed Atlee calls for a British-like ‘Stalin’ to take over the government and re-energize its martial spirit.
The media gives Attlee’s criticisms wide coverage and some propose that an Attlee government would have a more nuanced
and realistic appraisal of confronting Germany, and would be smart enough to elicit support from ‘allies’ and
the international community. Media analysis and polls are produced showing Atlee as Briton’s top choice for Prime Minister.
The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association
(SSAFA) Forces Help is the leading national charity committed to helping and supporting those who serve in our Armed Forces,
those who used to serve, and the families of both. We provide a reliable, caring and trusted service to more that 50,000
people each year.
Our professionally trained staff and network of 7,000 volunteers provide practical and financial assistance,
emotional support and a wide range of services to ensure that SSAFA Forces Help makes a real difference wherever there is
a need and whenever anybody turns to us for help
Sir
Winston Churchill was one of the most prominent politicians of the 20th century in the United Kingdom. He was surely the most famous Prime
Minister of the 20th century. His personality compounded talented author, outstanding speaker, artist, and a great leader
that managed to escape Britain’s defeat and even be among the winning nations at the end of World War Two.
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on the 30th of November, 1874 in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire in the family
of Lord Randolph Churchill and Jennie Jerome. Winston’s father was a famous Tory politician, descendent of John Churchill
(1st duke of Marlborough, the hero of the wars against French Louis XIV). Winston’s mother was the daughter of a prominent
American financier Leonard W. Jerome.
Churchill was a very poor student at school that later resulted his father
to make young Winston to join the military. Here again he did not show great results and passed the entrance examination to
the Royal Military College only from the third try. However, he took studying at college seriously and graduated 20th in class
out of 130. After graduating from college Winston Churchill joined the 4th Hussars and ended up in Cuba reporting on Cuban
independence war from Spain. A couple of months later Churchill returned back home from Cuba and left for India along with
his division. In India he for the first time he experienced being a soldier and a journalist at the same time.
Shortly after becoming Prime Minister in May 1940,
Winston Churchill visited the Cabinet War Rooms to see for himself what preparations had been made to allow him and his War
Cabinet to continue working throughout the expected air raids on London. It was there, in the underground Cabinet Room, he
announced 'This is the room from which I will direct the war'.
The
future prime minister decided to finish his career in the military and go into politics. For the living he wanted to write
articles for different newspapers and magazines. The tradition to lose for the first time did not fail for Churchill when
he tried to be elected as a Conservative at Oldham. Instead of a Conservative at Oldham Winston found himself in South Africa
reporting on the South African War for British newspaper The Morning Post. Not being lucky was sort of a story of Churchill’s
life, this time he was captured by Boers as a prisoner in military prison in South Africa. However, he managed to escape from
the prison which later made him nearly a hero when he went back home.
After coming back from Africa he decided
to run for the Parliament again in 1900. This time he achieved his goal. Being a member of the Parliament Churchill experienced
difficulties with public speaking as he had a speech defect (that he actually never lost). It was a big challenge for him
but it did not break him up and he never left oratory art.
In 1904 due to some disagreements with his party members
over trade tariffs Churchill had to join the Liberals. In the new spot he quickly gained popularity for his brave debates
with those who argued with him. In 1908 Churchill became the president of the Board of Trade. That same year Winston Churchill
married (the first and the last time) Clementine Hozier.
The National Archives is at the heart of information
policy - setting standards and supporting innovation in information and records management across the UK, and providing a
practical framework of best practice for opening up and encouraging the re-use of public sector information. This work helps
inform today´s decisions and ensure that they become tomorrow´s permanent record.
From Flapper Fashion to 20s and 30s Movie and Royal
Fashion Icons, to wartime Utility Clothing and Dior's New Look to 1950's Glamour and Denim Jeans. Photos and image
links. Social History 1914-1955.
At Past Perfect our passion is for natural, original
sound of the 190s, 30s and 40s.
Our CDs enjoy a world-wide reputation for their unique clarity and fidelity. Big bands,
trad jazz, dance bands, love songs, swing and more... we use the very latest computer technology to achieve this, but will
never use any of the gimmicks beloved of contemporary sound engineers. No fake reverberation or artificial stereo on Past
Perfect CDs just pure classic sound.
The Churchill Society London.
here are the
title deeds of freedom which should lie in every cottage home
we must never cease to proclaim in fearless tones
the great principles of freedom and the rights of man
which are the joint inheritance of the English-speaking world
and which through Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights,
the Habeas Corpus, trial by jury,
and the English common
law
find their most famous expression
in the American Declaration of Independence.
Winston Churchill
I would encourage anyone with memories of WW II
to write them down for the benefit of their offspring and those who were not there to understand the times. You need not write
a book. A simple paragraph or two of even one moment should be recorded. My visitors and I would of course enjoy the privilege
of being able to read them on this page
ASAC
offices are staffed by Volunteers from various ex-service organisations (ESOs). Our Advocates are fully qualified having
completed studies via the Training and Information Program which is funded and coordinated by the Department of Veteran Affairs
(DVA). Advocates do not receive payment for their services from either the DVA or any other Government Department.
Do
you have a question? Ask a qualified advocate today!
Visit the ASAC Forum and post your query on-line or contact
an ASAC Advocate via phone, fax or email.
Click Here for further details.
Looking for information on welfare
and pension entitlements? Stop by the Forum for the latest updates.
Shortly after the beginning of World War II in September
1939, a POW camp called Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager (Stalag) VII A was established north of Moosburg. Originally
it was planned for 10,000 prisoners, but at the end of the war some 80,000 Allied soldiers - mostly French and Soviet citizens
- had to live in it.
British, French, Belgian and Dutch soldiers taken prisoner during the Battle of France started arriving
in May 1940. Many were transferred on to other camps, but close to 40,000 French remained at Stalag VII-A throughout the war.
British, Greek and Yugoslavia prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign in May and June 1941. A few months later Soviet
prisoners started arriving, mostly officers. At the end of the war there were still 27 Soviet generals in Moosburg who had
survived the mistreatment that they, like all Soviet prisoners, had been subjected to.
More British Commonwealth and
Polish prisoners came from the North African campaign and the offensive against the Italian held islands in the Mediterranean.
They were brought here from Italian PoW camps after the Armistice with Italy in September 1943. Italian soldiers were also
imprisoned.
The first American arrivals came after the Tunisia Campaign in December 1942, and the Italian Campaign in
1943. Large numbers of Americans were captured in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.
Among the last arrivals were
officers from Stalag Luft III who had been force marched from Sagan in Silesia (now Żagań), Poland). They arrived
2 February 1945. They were followed by more prisoners marched from other camps threatened by the advancing Soviets, including
part of the American officers that had been marched from Oflag 64 in Szubin, via Oflag XIII-B, under their senior officer
Lt.Col. Paul Goode.
During the 5½ years about 1000 prisoners died at the camp, over 800 of them Soviets. They
were buried in a cemetery in Oberreit, south of Moosburg. Most died from illness, some from injuries during work. It has been
said that there were some casualties from Allied bombs at work
The camp was started in September 1939 to house Polish
prisoners from the German September 1939 offensive. They arrived while the wooden barracks were under construction and for
several weeks lived in tents.
British, French, Belgian and Dutch soldiers taken prisoner during the Battle of France
started arriving in May 1940. Many were transferred on to other camps, but close to 40,000 French remained at Stalag VII-A
throughout the war.
British, Greek and Yugoslavia prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign in May and June 1941.
A few months later Soviet prisoners started arriving, mostly officers. At the end of the war there were still 27 Soviet generals
in Moosburg who had survived the mistreatment that they, like all Soviet prisoners, had been subjected to.
More
British Commonwealth and Polish prisoners came from the North African campaign and the offensive against the Italian held
islands in the Mediterranean. They were brought here from Italian PoW camps after the Armistice with Italy in September 1943.
Italian soldiers were also imprisoned.
The first American arrivals came after the Tunisia Campaign in December
1942, and the Italian Campaign in 1943. Large numbers of Americans were captured in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.
Among the last arrivals were officers from Stalag Luft III who had been force marched from Sagan in Silesia (now Żagań),
Poland). They arrived 2 February 1945. They were followed by more prisoners marched from other camps threatened by the advancing
Soviets, including part of the American officers that had been marched from Oflag 64 in Szubin, via Oflag XIII-B, under their
senior officer Lt.Col. Paul Goode.
During the 5½ years about 1000 prisoners died at the camp, over 800 of
them Soviets. They were buried in a cemetery in Oberreit, south of Moosburg. Most died from illness, some from injuries during
work. It has been said that there were some casualties from Allied bombs at work sites.
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