416th Bombardment Group (L) Prisoner Of War (POW) Camps

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416th Bomb Group Prisoners Of War (POWs) were held in several different German POW Camps.
Included below is some basic information on these POW Camps with links to additional resources.

German Prisoner of War Camps during World War II
Camps identified as holding 416th Bomb Group POWs highlighted
(Modified from www.merkki.com)

Most 416th Bomb Group POWs were held in "Luftwaffe Camps": Dulag Luft and Stalag Luft I (1), III (3) and IV (4).
Luftwaffe Camps were for Allied airmen and were run by the German Luftwaffe (AirForce) independently of the German Army.

The German POW system separated Officers from Enlisted men and sent them out to various Luftwaffe Camps, termed
Stalag Lufts ("Main Camp, Air"). At Stalag Lufts I (1), III (3) and VII-A (7-A), the Senior Allied Officer (SAO) was in charge.
At Stalag Lufts IV (4), VI (6) and Stalag XVII-B (12-B), enlisted airmen elected the Man of Confidence (MOC) as their leader.

As part of their Escape and Evasion Training, Aircrews received an Eighth Air Force Pamphlet titled "Instructions For
Officers And Airmen Of The Eight Air Force In The Event of Capture", published on 21 July 1942 by Major General Spaatz.

At the start of World War II, the German Army was divided into 17 Wehrkreis (Military Districts),
which were each assigned Roman numerals. POW camps were numbered according to the military district.
A letter behind the Roman number marked individual Camps within a military district.


A few 416th BG POWs were held in German Army managed Stalag POW Camps.

Per research and the NARA/AAD POW Database, some of the 416th BG POWs were held in
Stalags: IV-F (4-F), VI-B (6-B), VII-A (7-A), IX-B (9-B), IX-C (9-C) and XII-A (12-A).


The German term for Prisoner of War was "Kriegsgefangenen", often shortened to "Kriegie".
Among numerous other documents from the National Archives, prepared by the Military Intelligence Service of the War Department,
the American Ex-Prisoners of War website includes the following PDF documents of interest:
Camp Conditions and German Orders Governing Prisoners of War in Europe


See the POW/E&E Sources, References, Resources web page for Primary Sources, References and additional resources.

Luftwaffe Camps

Dulag Luft
(Durchgangslager der Luftwaffe. "Air Force transit camp")

NARA/AAD POW Database Camp Name: "Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12"


Dulag Luft were Prisoner of War (POW) transit camps for German-captured members of the Air Force during World War II,
through which practically all Air Force personnel captured in German occupied Europe passed.

Several camps were set up throughout Germany and the occupied countries as collection and interrogation centres
for newly captured Air Force personnel: the primary interrogation center at Oberursel; the hospital at Hohemark;
and the transit camp ultimately Wetzlar.

Interrogations: Each prisoner was held in solitary confinement for a limited period of time - usually four or five days.
Interrogators used various methods in an effort to obtain operational information from the captured airmen.
Most POWs gave only the information required by the Geneva Convention - Name, rank and serial number.
After interrogation the men were sent to a transit camp and then to their established POW camp.


Location: Oberursel, Germany
Type of Camp: Transit camp/Luftwaffe interrogation center
Peak Numbers: 3,000 processed daily, 250 capacity
Date Liberated: 25 April 1945
Coordinates: 50.21654 N / 8.55366 E


The NARA/AAD POW Database lists the following 416th Bomb Group POWs at camp
"Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12":





Additional Resources for Dulag Luft:
Camp description from the National Archives, prepared by the Military Intelligence Service of the War Department,
from American Ex-Prisoners of War - Dulag Luft (PDF)
392nd Bomb Group - DULAG LUFT - Interrogation Camp (Air Corps POW's)
303rd Bomb Group - Dulag Luft
Pegasus Archive - Dulag Luft (Oberursel) Dulag Luft (Wetzlar-Klosterwald), Pictures (Oberursel) and Pictures (Wetzlar-Klosterwald)
merkki.com - The Interrogators
Wikipedia - Dulag Luft


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Stalag Luft I (1)
(Stammlager Luft I. "Main Camp, Air, I")

NARA/AAD POW Database Camp Name: "Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang Prussia"


Stalag Luft I was a German World War II prisoner-of-war (POW) camp near Barth, Western Pomerania, Germany,
for captured Allied airmen. About 9,000 airmen – 7,588 American and 1,351 British and Canadian –
were imprisoned there when it was liberated by Russian troops.


Location: Barth, Germany
Type of Camp: Airmen
Peak Numbers: 9,144 total/7,717 Americans
Date Liberated: 30 April 1945
Coordinates: 54.3736 N / 12.7086 E


The NARA/AAD POW Database lists the following 416th Bomb Group POWs at camp
"Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang Prussia":





Additional Resources for Stalag Luft I:
Camp description from the National Archives, prepared by the Military Intelligence Service of the War Department,
from American Ex-Prisoners of War - Stalag Luft 1 (PDF)
392nd Bomb Group - STALAG LUFT I- Barth Germany (Air Force Officers)
303rd Bomb Group - Stalag Luft I
AmericanAirMuseum.com - Stalag Luft I
merkki.com - World War II - Prisoners of War - Stalag Luft I
Pegasus Archive - Stalag Luft I, Overview and Pictures
powvets.com - Stalag Luft 1 Details
Wikipedia - Stalag Luft I Barth


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Stalag Luft III (3)
(Stammlager Luft III. "Main Camp, Air, III")

NARA/AAD POW Database Camp Name: "Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia Bavaria (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser)"


Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run POW camp during the Second World War, which held captured Western Allied Air Force personnel.

The camp was established in March 1942 in the German province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan (now Zagan, Poland),
160 kilometres (100 miles) south-east of Berlin. The site was selected because its sandy soil made it difficult for POWs to escape by tunnelling.

It is best known for two escape plots by Allied POWs, one in 1943; the second breakout - the so-called "Great Escape" -
of March 1944, was conceived by Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, and was authorised by the
senior British officer at Stalag Luft III, Herbert Massey.


Location: Sagan, Germany
Type of Camp: Airmen
Peak Numbers: 11,000 total/7,500 Americans
Date Liberated: 29 April 1945
Coordinates: 51.5986 N / 15.3075 E


The NARA/AAD POW Database lists the following 416th Bomb Group POWs at camp
"Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia Bavaria (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser)":





Additional Resources for Stalag Luft III:
Camp description from the National Archives, prepared by the Military Intelligence Service of the War Department,
from American Ex-Prisoners of War - Stalag Luft 3 (PDF)
392nd Bomb Group - STALAG LUFT 3 (Air Force Officers) and THE GREAT ESCAPE
303rd Bomb Group - Stalag Luft III
AmericanAirMuseum.com - Stalag Luft III
Indiana Military Org - Stalag Luft III
Pegasus Archive - Stalag Luft III and Pictures
powvets.com - Stalag Luft 3 Details
Blog at WordPress.com - Stalag Luft III and Feb. 2017 Newsletter - "POW Charles Church"
Wikipedia - Stalag Luft III Sagan


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Stalag Luft IV (4)
(Stammlager Luft IV. "Main Camp, Air, IV")

NARA/AAD POW Database Camp Name:
"Stalag Luft 4 Gross-Tychow (formerly Heydekrug) Pomerania, Prussia (moved to Wobbelin Bei Ludwigslust) (To Usedom Bei Savenmunde)"


Stalag Luft IV was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp in Gross Tychow, Pomerania (now Tychowo, Poland).

On February 6, 1945 some 8,000 men of the camp set out on a march that would be called the "Black March".
The prisoners were given the remaining Red Cross parcels; they were allowed to carry as much as they could.
The march from Gross Tychow lasted approximately 86 days. They were forced to march under guard about
15–20 miles (24–32 km) per day. There was much zigzagging, to escape the encroaching Soviet Red Army from the east.


Location: Grosstychow, Poland
Type of Camp: Airmen
Peak Numbers: 10,000 total/8,000 Americans
Date Liberated: 2 May 1945
Coordinates: 53.9425 N / 16.1761 E


The NARA/AAD POW Database lists the following 416th Bomb Group POWs at camp
"Stalag Luft 4 Gross-Tychow (formerly Heydekrug) Pomerania, Prussia (moved to Wobbelin Bei Ludwigslust) (To Usedom Bei Savenmunde)":





Additional Resources for Stalag Luft IV:
Camp description from the National Archives, prepared by the Military Intelligence Service of the War Department,
from American Ex-Prisoners of War - Stalag Luft 4 (PDF)
392nd Bomb Group - STALAG LUFT 4 (Air Corps NCO's), Photos and THE DEATH MARCH
303rd Bomb Group - Stalag Luft IV and POW Memorabilia
AmericanAirMuseum.com - Stalag Luft IV and Map of "Luft IV 550 MILE FORCED MARCH, FEB. 6, 1945 to May 2, 1945"
Edge, Laura A. - Collected materials - Stalag Luft IV documents, 1944-1945, 1984, 1991, 2004 and undated
Lawrence Witt and Laura Edge Papers Collection, University of Michigan Library
Various documents including diagrams, notes, photographs, and printed materials related to the Stalag Luft IV prisoner of war camp. - Stalag Luft IV documents (PDF)
Memorial Website - Stalag Luft VI and IV
merkki.com - Stalag Luft IV Photos
Pegasus Archive - Stalag Luft IV
powvets.com - Stalag Luft IV Details
prestizkoszalin.pl - Stalag Luft IV w Modrolesie – pozostaly nieliczne slady [In Polish]
prestizkoszalin.pl (Google Translate) - Stalag Luft IV in Modroles - few traces remained
Wikipedia - Stalag Luft IV Gross-Tychow (Poland)


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Stalag Camps

Stalag IV-F (4-F)
(Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager IV-F. "POW Team Main Camp IV-F")
Military District IV (Dresden)

NARA/AAD POW Database Camp Name: "Stalag 4F + Work Camps Hartmannsdorf-Chemnitz Saxony"


Stalag IV-F was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp in Hartmannsdorf bei Chemnitz, Saxony.

Opened in February 1941, the camp held mainly French troops captured during the battle of France,
and British captured in North Africa. The POWs were assigned to various Arbeitskommando
("Work detachments") locally. The camp was liberated by American forces in March 1945.


Location: Hartmannsdorf, Germany
Type of Camp: Enlisted
Peak Numbers: Unknown
Date Liberated: March 1945
Coordinates: 50.8717 N / 12.8362 E


The NARA/AAD POW Database lists the following 416th Bomb Group POW at camp
"Stalag 4F + Work Camps Hartmannsdorf-Chemnitz Saxony":





Additional Resources for Stalag IV-F:
Pegasus Archive - Stalag IV-F and Photos
Wikipedia - Stalag IV-F Hartmannsdorf


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Stalag VI-B (6-B)
(Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager VI-B. "POW Team Main Camp VI-B")
Military District VI (Munster)


Stalag VI-B was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp (Stammlager),
located about 3 km (1.9 mi) east of the village of Versen in the Emsland district of
Lower Saxony, in north-western Germany, close to the border with the Netherlands.


Location: Versen, Germany
Type of Camp: Enlisted
Date Liberated: Abandoned March 1945, POWs moved by train or marched east to other camps
Coordinates: 52.722713 N / 7.183608 E


The following 416th Bomb Group POW was held at camp
"Stalag 6B":





Additional Resources for Stalag VI-B:
Wikipedia - Stalag VI-B
relikte.com - Das Stalag VI B Versen (Emslandlager IX) [In German]
relikte.com (Google Translate) - The Stalag VI B Versen (Emslandlager IX)


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Stalag VII-A (7-A)
(Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager VII-A. "POW Team Main Camp VII-A")
Military District VII (Munich)

NARA/AAD POW Database Camp Name:
"Stalag 7A Moosburg Bavaria 48-12 (Work Camps 3324-46 Krumbachstrasse 48011, Work Camp 3368 Munich"


Stalag VII-A was Germany's largest prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, located just north
of the town of Moosburg in southern Bavaria. The camp covered an area of 35 hectares (86 acres).
It served also as a transit camp through which prisoners, including officers, were processed on their way
to other camps. At some time during the war, prisoners from every nation fighting against Germany passed through it.


Location: Moosburg, Germany
Type of Camp: Enlisted and Officers
Peak Numbers: 80,000 total/15,000 Americans
Date Liberated: 29 April 1945
Coordinates: 48.4887 N / 11.9435 E


The NARA/AAD POW Database lists the following 416th Bomb Group POW at camp
"Stalag 7A Moosburg Bavaria 48-12 (Work Camps 3324-46 Krumbachstrasse 48011, Work Camp 3368 Munich":





Additional Resources for Stalag VII-A:
Camp description from the National Archives, prepared by the Military Intelligence Service of the War Department,
from American Ex-Prisoners of War - Stalag 7-A (PDF)
392nd Bomb Group - STALAG LUFT 7a - Moosburg (Ground Force Enlisted Men & Air Force Officer Evacuees)
303rd Bomb Group - Stalag VII-A
AmericanAirMuseum.com - Stalag VII-A
Indiana Military Org - Stalag VII-A Moosburg
moosburg.org - POW camp Stalag VII A
Pegasus Archive - Stalag VIIA, History and Pictures
Wikipedia - Stalag VII-A


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Stalag IX-B (9-B)
(Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager IX-B. "POW Team Main Camp IX-B")

NARA/AAD POW Database Camp Name: "Stalag 12A to 9B Limburg An Der Lahn Hessen-Nassau, Prussia"
Note: "Stalag 12A to 9B Limburg An Der Lahn Hessen-Nassau, Prussia" is intended to describe
that the soldier was at Stalag XIIA before being transferred to Stalag IXB.
See also Stalag XII-A


Stalag 9B was situated in the outskirts of Bad Orb in the Hossan-Nassau region of Prussia,
51 kilometers northwest of Frankfurt-on-Main.

In November 1939, POW camp Stalag IX-B formed, housing prisoners from at least eight countries:
France, the Soviet Union, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, Serbia, Slovakia and the US.
Many Allied soldiers captured during the Ardennes Offensive (the Battle of the Bulge)
were held at Stalag IX-B.


Location: Bad Orb, Germany
Type of Camp: Enlisted
Peak Numbers: Unknown total/4700 Americans
Date Liberated: 2 April 1945
Coordinates: 50.21009 N / 9.39789 E


The NARA/AAD POW Database lists the following 416th Bomb Group POW at camp
"Stalag 12A to 9B Limburg An Der Lahn Hessen-Nassau, Prussia":





Additional Resources for Stalag IX-B:
Camp description from the National Archives, prepared by the Military Intelligence Service of the War Department,
from American Ex-Prisoners of War - Stalag 9-B (PDF)
AmericanAirMuseum.com - Stalag IX-B
Fold3 Blog - The Liberation of Stalag IX-B POW Camp August 18, 2021 by Jenny Ashcraft
Indiana Military Org - Stalag IX-B History and Conditions
LoneSentry.com - Stalag IXB, Bad Orb
Pegasus Archive - Stalag IXB, Documents and Pictures
Wikipedia - Stalag IX-B Wegscheide/Bad Orb


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Stalag IX-C (9-C)
(Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager IX-C. "POW Team Main Camp IX-C")
Military District IX (Kassel)

NARA/AAD POW Database Camp Name: "Stalag 9C Bad Sulza Saxe-Weimar"


Stalag IX-C was a German prisoner-of-war camp for Allied soldiers in World War II.
Although its headquarters were located near Bad Sulza, between Erfurt and Leipzig in Thuringia,
its sub-camps – Arbeitskommando – were spread over a wide area, particularly those holding prisoners
working in the potassium mines, south of Muhlhausen.


Location: Bad Sulza, Germany
Type of Camp: Enlisted and Officers
Peak Numbers: 47,405
Date Liberated: 29 March 1945
Coordinates: 51.089 N / 11.625 E


The NARA/AAD POW Database lists the following 416th Bomb Group POW at camp
"Stalag 9C Bad Sulza Saxe-Weimar":





Additional Resources for Stalag IX-C:
AmericanAirMuseum.com - Stalag IX-C
Pegasus Archive - Stalag IXC, Secret Camp Histories and Pictures
Wikipedia - Stalag IX-C Bad Sulza


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Stalag XII-A (12-A)
(Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager XII-A. "POW Team Main Camp XII-A")
Military District XII (Wiesbaden)

NARA/AAD POW Database Camp Name: "Stalag 12A to 9B Limburg An Der Lahn Hessen-Nassau, Prussia"
Note: "Stalag 12A to 9B Limburg An Der Lahn Hessen-Nassau, Prussia" is intended to describe
that the soldier was at Stalag XIIA before being transferred to Stalag IXB.
See also Stalag IX-B


Conditions at Limburg [Stalag XII-A] were notoriously bad with next to nothing in the way of facilities.
This is partly explained by the fact that Stalag XIIA's primary function was to act as a transit camp which processed
newly captured Prisoners of War before distributing them amongst the other, better organized Stalags in Germany.
Typically a new prisoner would arrive, be interrogated, documented, and moved on within a few weeks,
therefore most men did not have to endure this depressing camp for long. The population of the camp was always
extremely high because for many prisoners captured on the Western Front, passing through the gates of
Stalag XIIA was their first point of call.


Location: Limburg, Germany
Type of Camp: Enlisted
Peak Numbers: 58,000 total/15,000 Americans
Date Liberated: 25 March 1945


The NARA/AAD POW Database lists the following 416th Bomb Group POW at camp
"Stalag 12A to 9B Limburg An Der Lahn Hessen-Nassau, Prussia":





Additional Resources for Stalag XII-A:
Indiana Military Org - Stalag XII-A Limburg, Germany
Pegasus Archive - Stalag XIIA, History and Pictures
506th Infantry Regiment - POW Notebook of 1SG Woodrow H. Smith


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