Skip to main content
Edit entry 

Stalag XVII-B

Other location

  • RAMP (Recovered Allied Military Personnel) brochure issued to S/SGT Neil Brennan after liberation from LuftStalag 17B, 25 April 1945.

    RAMP (Recovered Allied Military Personnel) brochure issued to S/SGT Neil Brennan after liberation from LuftStalag 17B, 25 April 1945.

    Show caption About this image
  • SSGT Joe B. Dobbs Left Waist Gunner John Fouts Crew 466th BG - 786th BS Shot down 8 April 1944.

    SSGT Joe B. Dobbs Left Waist Gunner John Fouts Crew 466th BG - 786th BS Shot down 8 April 1944.

    Show caption About this image
  • Back Row - Left to Right T/Sgt. Andrew Muzik, Radio (POW 21 May 43); 2nd Lt. Ed Reynolds, Bombardier; 1st Lt. Norm Retchin, Pilot (POW 21 May 43); 2nd Lt. Stan Dahlman, Co-pilot (KIA 17 Aug 43); 2nd Lt. Bob Paulson, Navigator Front Row - Left to Right S/Sgt. Joe Wing, Waist Gunner (KIA 21 May 43); S/Sgt. Charles Huber, Waist Gunner (POW 21 May 43); T/Sgt. Elmer Kalfsbech, Top Turret Gunner (POW 21 May 43); S/Sgt. Cloren Meade, Ball Turret Gunner (POW 21 May 43); S/Sgt. John Conrad, Tail Gunner (POW 21 May 43) Retchin's Wretches - This crew joined the 323rd Squadron 4 April 1943 and posed for this photo on 9 April 1943. It was the third replacement crew to arrive in the 323rd. It was part of the Harris Provisional Group that arrived in England in mid-March. They had traveled the Southern route and left the states on 27 Feb 1943. This was the 59th crew trained at Bovingdon in March 1943. The crews were distributed among the original combat groups. The crew posed in front of 42-29559 (Stupntakit). They were flying in s/n 657 when seven of these crewmen were shot down over Wilhelmshaven on 21 May 1943. Lt. Dahlman was KIA on the Schweinfurt Raid 17 Aug 1943 flying on Stupntakit.

    Back Row - Left to Right T/Sgt. Andrew Muzik, Radio (POW 21 May 43); 2nd Lt. Ed Reynolds, Bombardier; 1st Lt. Norm Retchin, Pilot (POW 21 May 43); 2nd Lt. Stan Dahlman, Co-pilot (KIA 17 Aug 43); 2nd Lt. Bob Paulson, Navigator Front Row - Left to Right S/Sgt. Joe Wing, Waist Gunner (KIA 21 May 43); S/Sgt. Charles Huber, Waist Gunner (POW 21 May 43); T/Sgt. Elmer Kalfsbech, Top Turret Gunner (POW 21 May 43); S/Sgt. Cloren Meade, Ball Turret Gunner (POW 21 May 43); S/Sgt. John Conrad, Tail Gunner (POW 21 May 43) Retchin's Wretches - This crew joined the 323rd Squadron 4 April 1943 and posed for this photo on 9 April 1943. It was the third replacement crew to arrive in the 323rd. It was part of the Harris Provisional Group that arrived in England in mid-March. They had traveled the Southern route and left the states on 27 Feb 1943. This was the 59th crew trained at Bovingdon in March 1943. The crews were distributed among the original combat groups. The crew posed in front of 42-29559 (Stupntakit). They were flying in s/n 657 when seven of these crewmen were shot down over Wilhelmshaven on 21 May 1943. Lt. Dahlman was KIA on the Schweinfurt Raid 17 Aug 1943 flying on Stupntakit.

    Show caption About this image
  •  
  •  
  •  

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.

Stalag 17B was situated 100 meters northwest of the village of Gniekendorf. This village is located six kilometers northwest of Krems, Austria.

Air Corps NCO's were held at this camp and they regretted they were not in an Air Force camp. They considered that they were entitled to a special camp and the privileges of aviators.

Further detailed information, photographs and stories can be found at :
http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag17.htm

Connections

People

  • Irwin Aaseby

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
    Irwin Aaseby served as a gunner with the 306th Bomb Group from Thurleigh. He was shot down on 28 July 1943 in B-17 #42-29779 'Bab's Best', bailed out and was taken as a Prisoner of War (POW). He was held at Stalag 17B Braunau Gneikendorf, near Krems,...

  • Julian Abel

    Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 94th Bomb Group
    Shot down 26 November 1943 in B-17 #42-3185 'Queen Bee'. Prisoner of War (POW) in Stalag 17B. POW

  • Isaac Abeyta

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    ETO/ Queen Mary 9/5/42. ...

  • Earl Adams

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Shot down on 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-30386. Prisoner of War (POW). The a/c was crippled by fighters, fire in the bomb bay, two engines out and the elevator controls also shot out. Crashed near Estree Blanche. ...

  • Howard Adams

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 384th Bomb Group
    Shot down 28 July 1943 in B-17 #42-30032 'Sky Queen'. Prisoner of War.

  • Andrew Allen

    Military | Corporal | Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
    Assigned to 614BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Schweinfurt in B-17 42-97464 'What Next ?'; Shot down 13-Apr-44. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3941 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Earl Allen

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner; Flight Engineer | 381st Bomb Group
    ETTG, Wright crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 17 August 1943 in B-17 #42-30028 'Great In Lani' or 'Sweet is Le Lani'. Mission #20 "Black Tuesday" to the ball bearing works at Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 380. Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft...

  • John Allen

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner; Flight Engineer | 381st Bomb Group
    ETTG, Crosson crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #42-31075 'The Rebel'. Mission #51 to Bremen, Germany. MACR 1722. Taken to an unknown hospital by the Germans with S/Sgt Eloe. Prisoner of War at Stalag XVIIB. ...

  • John Allen

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 384th Bomb Group
    Shot down 13 April 1944 in B-17 #42-97233. Prisoner of War (POW). Missing Air crew Report #3874. POW

  • Wilbur Alsheimer

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
    BTG, Moon crew. 381st BG, 532nd BS, 8th AF. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-5847 'Margie Mae'. Mission #17 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. MACR 660. Prisoner of War at Stalag XVIIB. New York

Show more
Known as
Stalag 17b, Krems an der Donau, Austria

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
20 May 2015 16:01:48 general ira snapsorter Changes to history
Sources

Correction to basic details:
http://www.ww2pow.info/index.php?page=camps&cmp=Stalag+17b+Braunau+Gneik...
Date Contributor Update
20 May 2015 15:44:27 general ira snapsorter Changes to name, known as and history
Sources

Correction to basic details:
http://www.ww2pow.info/index.php?page=camps&cmp=Stalag+17b+Braunau+Gneik...
Date Contributor Update
13 May 2015 16:12:58 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 16:02:34 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
26 March 2015 01:18:16 stu Changes to person associations
Sources

Justin Sturak grandson of Stanley J Sturak
Date Contributor Update
11 March 2015 10:48:44 general ira snapsorter Changes to name and history
Sources

Renamed Stalag Luft XVIIb for consistency.
Date Contributor Update
11 March 2015 10:08:09 general ira snapsorter Changes to name and known as
Sources

Amended basic details.
Date Contributor Update
11 March 2015 10:06:38 general ira snapsorter Changes to name, known as, latitude, longitude and history
Sources

Added details from : http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag17.htm
Date Contributor Update
06 February 2015 01:23:02 drh1957nb Changes to name
Sources

various websites
Date Contributor Update
06 February 2015 01:06:35 drh1957nb Changes to history
Sources

various websites
Date Contributor Update
06 February 2015 01:03:36 drh1957nb Changes to history
Sources

Stalag 17 website
Date Contributor Update
06 February 2015 01:02:26 drh1957nb Created entry with name, known as, latitude, longitude and person associations
Sources

U.S. Archives

Share