Skip to main content
Edit entry 

Stalag Luft I

Other location

  • Prisoners of war, including Colonel Hubert Zemke of the 479th Fighter Group at Stalag Luft I.

    Prisoners of war, including Colonel Hubert Zemke of the 479th Fighter Group at Stalag Luft I.

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 36
  • 1st Lt Howard O. Brown parachuted from B-17 44-8704 on March 19, 1945. He was captured and imprisoned at Stalag Luft I, North 2 - Barrack 7 - Room 4. See UPL 32819 (https://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/32819) for reverse

    1st Lt Howard O. Brown parachuted from B-17 44-8704 on March 19, 1945. He was captured and imprisoned at Stalag Luft I, North 2 - Barrack 7 - Room 4. See UPL 32819 (https://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/32819) for reverse

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 36
  • 1st Lt Howard O. Brown parachuted from B-17 44-8704 on March 19, 1945. He was captured and imprisoned at Stalag Luft I, North 2 - Barrack 7 - Room 4. See key for his location.

    1st Lt Howard O. Brown parachuted from B-17 44-8704 on March 19, 1945. He was captured and imprisoned at Stalag Luft I, North 2 - Barrack 7 - Room 4. See key for his location.

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 36
  • Poem about guard shooting Elroy F. Wyman in Stalag Luft I, by TG Witt

    Poem about guard shooting Elroy F. Wyman in Stalag Luft I, by TG Witt

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 36
  • A form filled out by James N. Hentges after being captured by the Germans. He was sent to Stalag Luft 1 - North 3 (10 DEC 1944)

    A form filled out by James N. Hentges after being captured by the Germans. He was sent to Stalag Luft 1 - North 3 (10 DEC 1944)

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 36
  • POW File for: JAMES NICHOLAS HENTGES STALAG LUFT 1 - NORTH 3 (09 DEC 1944)

    POW File for: JAMES NICHOLAS HENTGES STALAG LUFT 1 - NORTH 3 (09 DEC 1944)

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 36
  • Letter sent to 1st Lieutenant Frank C Miller of the 401st Bomb Group on 24 April 1945 from his wife, while he was a Prisoner of War (POW) in Stalag Luft I. The letter outlines Miller's wife's recent purchases to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and other events back home in Roswell, New Mexico which took place throughout April 1945.

    Letter sent to 1st Lieutenant Frank C Miller of the 401st Bomb Group on 24 April 1945 from his wife, while he was a Prisoner of War (POW) in Stalag Luft I. The letter outlines Miller's wife's recent purchases to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and other events back home in Roswell, New Mexico which took place throughout April 1945.

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 36

  • Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 36
  • POW Card of Rene C. Fix

    POW Card of Rene C. Fix

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 36
  • Prison mug shots taken while in Dulag Luft at Wetzlar before he was moved to Stalag Luft IV. T/Sgt. Charles Sturgeon, who was 20 yrs. old at the time, was captured after he bailed out of Fifinella. Several months later he was moved to Stalag Luft I (Barth) where he stayed until being liberated in May 1945. After being liberated, he was able to find his record out of a pile of records three feet high and three feet in diameter. T/Sgt. Sturgeon remembered noticing a group of POWs gathered around the pile of records looking for the one with their picture. He walked over to the pile, looked down, and immediately saw his picture on the ground in plain sight. T/Sgt. Sturgeon remembered how,

    Prison mug shots taken while in Dulag Luft at Wetzlar before he was moved to Stalag Luft IV. T/Sgt. Charles Sturgeon, who was 20 yrs. old at the time, was captured after he bailed out of Fifinella. Several months later he was moved to Stalag Luft I (Barth) where he stayed until being liberated in May 1945. After being liberated, he was able to find his record out of a pile of records three feet high and three feet in diameter. T/Sgt. Sturgeon remembered noticing a group of POWs gathered around the pile of records looking for the one with their picture. He walked over to the pile, looked down, and immediately saw his picture on the ground in plain sight. T/Sgt. Sturgeon remembered how, "One guy said he had been there two hours looking for his and still didn't find it." CONTRIBUTED BY CHARLES STURGEON

    Show caption About this image
    1-5 of 36
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Detailed history

Allied aircrew shot down during World War II were incarcerated after interrogation in Air Force Prisoner of War camps run by the Luftwaffe, called Stalag Luft, short for Stammlager Luft or Permanent Camps for Airmen.

Germany held nearly 9,000 USAAF and RAF airmen at Stalag Luft I during WWII. Stalag Luft I was located two miles northwest of the village of Barth, Germany, on the Baltic Sea. The first Allied prisoners entered the camp on 10 July 1940 (French and British POWs). The German garrison left the camp several days before the arrival of Soviet forces on 2 May 1945. The POWs were evacuated by 8th Air Force B-17s on 12-13 May 1945.

Further detailed information, photographs and stories can be found at :
http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag1.htm

Connections

People

  • Anthony Abad

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, baled out. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849. Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Milton Abernathy

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 303rd Bomb Group
    Shot down by flak on a mission to Dyon, FR on 6 Feb 1944 in B-17G 42-97498 'Padded Cell'. Crew baled out and a/c crashed near Bricey. Prisoner of War (POW).

  • Charles Abramson

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 301st Bomb Group
    Assigned to 352BS, 301BG, 15AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Steyr, Austria in B-17 42-31437 24-Feb-44; enemy aircraft, crashed Enns, Austria; Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 2636. Awards: AM (2OLC), POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Robert Abresch

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
    Assigned to 615BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 11-Sep-44 in B-17 42-31091 'Maggie'. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 8920 Awards: AM (3OLC), POW, WWII Victory, EAME (1 x Battle Star).

  • Kenneth Adams

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 527BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down on 30-Jan-44 in B-17 42-31535, Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 2876 Awards: AM, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Robert Ager

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Joined Sqd 3-Aug-42. ETO/Flight Echelon 2-Oct-42. WIA 6-Dec-42 (Abbeyville). DS/Tunis 16-Sep-43. Trans/Group HQ. ...

  • Russell Alcott

    Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, baled out at low level. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849 Awards: AM(OLC), POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Alexander Alex

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
    Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #42-39764 'Santa Anna', Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Arthur Alexander

    Military | First Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 355th Fighter Group
    Assigned to 358FS, 355FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) from free lance mission, A/C developed coolant system failure, A/C abandoned and crashed near Elsten on 15-Dec-44 in P-51D 44-15014 Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 11310. ...

  • Spotswood Allen

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 301st Bomb Group
    Assigned 32BS, 301BG, 15AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Lechfeld 12-Sep-44 flak, crashed Karwendelhaus; Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 8622. Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

Show more
Known as
Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
19 January 2017 19:41:48 Al_Skiff Changes to person associations
Sources

Added William F Schmid and James Groblewski
Date Contributor Update
11 December 2015 06:11:58 AKMark Changes to person associations
Sources

Military Records
Date Contributor Update
13 May 2015 15:55:45 general ira snapsorter Changes to person associations
Sources

Associated prisoners of the 457th Bomb Group from http://www.457thbombgroup.org/POW/POW.html
Date Contributor Update
13 May 2015 15:46:05 general ira snapsorter Changes to history and person associations
Sources

Associated prisoners of the 457th Bomb Group from http://www.457thbombgroup.org/POW/POW.html
Date Contributor Update
11 March 2015 09:54:35 general ira snapsorter Changes to history
Sources

Additional history added from b24.net : http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag1.htm
Date Contributor Update
11 March 2015 09:34:55 general ira snapsorter Changes to history
Sources

Added b24net link
Date Contributor Update
11 March 2015 09:29:55 general ira snapsorter Changes to name and known as
Sources

Title change for consistency
Date Contributor Update
09 March 2015 16:20:54 Emily Changes to media associations
Sources

Associated Hub Zemke image from Stalag Luft I from Freeman Collection
Date Contributor Update
31 December 2014 14:53:50 Sam_Martin Created entry with name, known as, latitude, longitude, history and person associations
Sources

Roy, Morris. Behind Barbed Wire. Published in 1946; Zemke, Hubert (and Freeman, Roger). Zemke's Stalag. Published in 1991.

Share