STALAG VIIIB
TESCHEN
Formerly Stalag VIIID
TESCHEN
Formerly Stalag VIIID
Above: Stalag VIIID Teschen (later Stalag VIIIB)
Stalag VIIIB was located at the outskirts of Teschen, (now Český Těšín, Czech Republic). It was built in March 1941 on the grounds of a former Czech barracks. It had previously been known as Stalag VIIID.
The camp was created in 1941 as the base camp for a number of work-camps (Arbeitskommando) for prisoners of war working in the mines and industries of Upper Silesia. By early 1942 they housed 7,000 prisoners from Belgium, France, Poland and Yugoslavia. In June 1943 it was placed under the administrative control of Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf and was renamed Stalag IVB/Z. In November 1943 there was another reorganization, Lamsdorf was renamed Stalag 344 and a large number of prisoners were transferred to Teschen, which became Stalag VIIIB. Because of these organizational and number changes there is considerable confusion in accounts of prisoners, even in official German records.
At the end of 1943 within Stalag VIIIB Teschen there were about 50,000 Soviet prisoners, and another 10,000 from other countries, including the UK, the other Commonwealth countries and Italy. In general, the conditions in the main Teschen camp and in all the sub-camps were deplorable.
Among the sub-camps of Stalag VIIIB Teschen were:
E535 - Coal mine at Milowitz, mainly New Zealanders.
E715 - IG Farben's Buna Werke, Monowitz (at Auschwitz), 1,400 British prisoners from the North Africa campaign.
From 21 January 1945, many of the prisoners, particularly British and other Commonwealth, were marched through Nazi-occupied Czech lands to Stalag XIIIC in Bavaria or Stalag XIIID Nürnberg. The march, in temperatures of -15°C to -20°C, caused great distress and many prisoners died. The Czech people in the villages and towns, through which they passed, passed food and clothing to them. Many prisoners managed to escape and were sheltered in private homes. The men were marched along country roads towards the Oder, first north towards Dresden, then when the Germans changed their mind, south towards Bavaria, eventually reaching Stalag XIIID near Nuremberg.
Stalag VIIIB was located at the outskirts of Teschen, (now Český Těšín, Czech Republic). It was built in March 1941 on the grounds of a former Czech barracks. It had previously been known as Stalag VIIID.
The camp was created in 1941 as the base camp for a number of work-camps (Arbeitskommando) for prisoners of war working in the mines and industries of Upper Silesia. By early 1942 they housed 7,000 prisoners from Belgium, France, Poland and Yugoslavia. In June 1943 it was placed under the administrative control of Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf and was renamed Stalag IVB/Z. In November 1943 there was another reorganization, Lamsdorf was renamed Stalag 344 and a large number of prisoners were transferred to Teschen, which became Stalag VIIIB. Because of these organizational and number changes there is considerable confusion in accounts of prisoners, even in official German records.
At the end of 1943 within Stalag VIIIB Teschen there were about 50,000 Soviet prisoners, and another 10,000 from other countries, including the UK, the other Commonwealth countries and Italy. In general, the conditions in the main Teschen camp and in all the sub-camps were deplorable.
Among the sub-camps of Stalag VIIIB Teschen were:
E535 - Coal mine at Milowitz, mainly New Zealanders.
E715 - IG Farben's Buna Werke, Monowitz (at Auschwitz), 1,400 British prisoners from the North Africa campaign.
From 21 January 1945, many of the prisoners, particularly British and other Commonwealth, were marched through Nazi-occupied Czech lands to Stalag XIIIC in Bavaria or Stalag XIIID Nürnberg. The march, in temperatures of -15°C to -20°C, caused great distress and many prisoners died. The Czech people in the villages and towns, through which they passed, passed food and clothing to them. Many prisoners managed to escape and were sheltered in private homes. The men were marched along country roads towards the Oder, first north towards Dresden, then when the Germans changed their mind, south towards Bavaria, eventually reaching Stalag XIIID near Nuremberg.
Above: Memorial on the site of Stalag VIIIB Teschen (taken September 2013)
