On the 8th of February 1945, as the Soviet Army approached from the East, the German authorities decided to evacuate Edward and all other prisoners of war from Stalag VIII-C.
Such evacuations had been occurring in reaction to the Russians advance since as early as 13th July 1944 (Lithuania). The majority however occurred between December 1944 and February 1945 as the Russian forces reached Poland and its boarders with Germany.
Whilst the motivations are disputed it is clear they wished to delay allied prisoner liberation as long as was possible, moving them westward away from the advancing Russians. Similar routes were being taken by German refugees also fearing Russian retribution in response to their armies actions earlier in the conflict.
By this time Edward will have been a prisoner of war for about a year. As discussed in previous blogs the conditions will have been hard on Edward and his comrades during this time with food extremely limited and forced labour an expectation by day. As the Russians advanced supplies will have become even more scarce and it is widely reported the attitudes and actions of prison guards intensified likely due to their own fears of the Russian arrival.
Therefore on the 8th of February 1945, as first instructed by Adolf Hitler himself on the 19th of July the previous year (with reference to the movement/evacuation of "foreign labour") it became time for Stalag VIII-C to evacuate its prisoners.
February 1945 happened to be amongst some of the coldest months of the 20th century in mainland Europe. Blizzards and temperatures reaching as low as minus 25 centigrade were common. Edward and his fellow prisoners will have been ill equipped to cope with such conditions. What he and others were given for the evacuation is unknown but it was commonly reported that in most cases they were issued with a coat in addition to their regular garments. The clothing they had in their possession will have been by this stage of the war in poor condition and unsuitable for the weather conditions.
It is recorded that Edward's camp were marched from their location near Sagan in Poland directly west into Germany itself. Their destination was to be another prisoner of war camp; Stalag IX-B near Bad Orb (North East of Frankfurt).
(Source: http://www.indianamilitary.org/)
Likely suffering from malnutrition and poorly clothed and equipped, a "march" of approximately 320 miles lay ahead. I do not at this time know the exact route taken by Edward, but it is likely the camps inhabitants will have been broken up into groups of up to 300 prisoners accompanied by armed guards and expected to cover in the region of 12 to 24 miles per day.
The efficiency of the route taken, the food provided and the access to medical care and shelter was very much up to the individual guards and to chance. Walking speeds will have been hampered by the harsh climate, health restrictions, and general bodily conditions of the prisoners. Breaks from the march are reported to have been housed by factories, churches, barns and even out in the open.
Using modern maps through Google the true scale of Edwards journey (before any consideration is given to the aforementioned factors) becomes very apparent.
(Source: Google Maps - Routing to walk between sites within current infrastructure no stops)
Prisoners experiences of these marches differ greatly from account to account. Some were treated badly by their guards, others were at times supported. Depending on their time in captivity, some were more able bodied to cope with the journey than others also. Many longer term prisoners were reportedly half their pre war body weight.
War diaries and accounts provide some insight into the harsh environment and conditions Edward may have faced. I have listed some below as a means of highlighting the reality of their circumstances. I stress these are not directly referenced to Edwards own account but rather capture the collective experience:
Those unable to walk were often left behind in the snow
Some guards continued to punish their prisoners, others were more supportive
Reports of local communities attacking those marching
Some communities fed the prisoners as they had no supplies
Accounts of prisoners eating grass, dogs and rats
Guards shot those who attempted to escape
Guards shot those who were not able to continue
Many prisoners died of diseases such as Typhus during the march
The majority of those in the march were suffering from dysentery
Frostbite due to the conditions and poor boots was common
Gangrene resulting from frostbite was also common
Many froze to death in their sleep
Some columns were mistakenly identified as German by the allies and attacked by air
Against all these odds, on the 16th of March 1945, after 37 days of marching, those who survived arrived at Stalag IX-B near Bad Orb.
Edward was one of those survivors.
But what of his own experience? What condition had this journey left him in? Details are not recorded in the collection but rather live in the stories he told. These will be captured in my next post.