Oflag VIII-E Johannisbrunn
Oflag VIII-E was a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp for Allied general officers (Offizierlager) located in Jánské Koupele (then Johannisbrunn) in German-occupied Czechoslovakia (now located in the Moravian–Silesian Region, Czech Republic).
Oflag VIII-E | |
---|---|
Jánské Koupele, German-occupied Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) | |
Oflag VIII-E | |
Coordinates | 49.83524°N 17.70425°E |
Type | Prisoner-of-war camp |
Site information | |
Controlled by | Nazi Germany |
Site history | |
In use | 1940–1942 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Garrison information | |
Occupants | Predominantly Polish and French general officers, plus other Allied general officers |
Camp history
The camp, a former spa hotel, was opened in July 1940[1] and housed approximately 70 Allied generals and their aides. Among those officers imprisoned were 30 from Poland, 24 from France, 7 from the Netherlands, 6 from Belgium, 1 from the United Kingdom, and a Colonel from Norway. On April 27, 1942, all the Poles were transferred to other camps, mostly to Oflag VII-A Murnau.[2] Soon after all the other prisoners were also transferred, and the camp was closed on 1 July 1942.[1][2]
Commandants
- Oberst Hencker (29 October 1940 – 30 June 1941)
- Generalmajor Johann Janusz (1 July 1941 – 19 May 1942)[3]
Notable prisoners
A number of high-ranking officers were held in the camp, including:
Polish[4]
- Roman Abraham
- Franciszek Alter
- Władysław Boncza-Uzdowski
- Leopold Cehak
- Jan Chmurowicz
- Walerian Czuma
- Franciszek Dindorf-Ankowicz
- Juliusz Drapella
- Janusz Gąsiorowski
- Edmund Knoll-Kownacki
- Wincenty Kowalski
- Józef Kwaciszewski
- Stanislaw Malachowski
- Czesław Młot-Fijałkowski
- Zygmunt Piasecki
- Wacław Piekarski
- Zygmunt Podhorski
- Zdzislaw Przyjalkowski
- Jan Jagmin-Sadowski
- Stanisław Taczak[5]
- Wiktor Thommée
- Juliusz Zulauf
British
- Brigadier Nigel FitzRoy Somerset (145th Infantry Brigade)[2][6]
Dutch
- General Henri Gerard Winkelman, Commander-in-Chief Dutch Forces 1940[7]
References
- "Winter 2004 Newsletter". The National Ex-Prisoner of War Association. 2011. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- Krukowicz-Przedrzymirski, Emil. Report on POW camps. London: Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- Miller, Michael D.; Collins, Gareth (2005). "Generalmajor Johann Janusz". Axis Biographical Research. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- Zahnaš, Petr (2012). "History of Jánské Koupele in World War II". pzahnas.webnode.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- Baltiysk, Wladyslaw (2012). "General Stanislaw Taczak". zosprp.poznan.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- "Biography of Brigadier Nigel FitzRoy Somerset (1893–1990)". generals.dk. 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- Teo van Middelkoop, Generaal H.G. Winkelman, Standvastig strijder, Zaltbommel, 2002
External links
- Media related to Oflag VIII-E Johannisbrunn at Wikimedia Commons