Generałowie Wojska Polskiego w obozach specjalnych Wehrmachtu
Generals of the Polish Army in the Wehrmacht special POW camps

Summary/Abstract: The German prisoner-of-war system included special camps designed for offi- cers, which functioned as places of isolation for officers of the Allied, who displayed hostile attitudes towards Germans, organized escapes, undertook to escape or developed conspiratorial activity. Such camps offered worse living conditions than regular oflags and had stricter discipline introduced. The places were treated by the Wehrmacht as special or penal camps. Polish generals were detained in the following special oflags: IV B Königstein, IV C Colditz, VIII B Silberberg, X C Lübeck. The camps were located in fortified castles (fortresses), e.g. in Lübeck – on a low-lying damp terrain, hardly fit for living as the inmates were accommodated in cramped, damp rooms, without proper sanitary facilities, supervised particularly closely by German guards to prevent the detained from fleeing. Sending officers to the special oflags was a form of punishment. Polish generals kept in such camps performed the function of seniors of the camp. They behaved with dignity, organized military conspiracy and supported officers in organizing escapes. The most prominent, as regards their attitude and activity in this respect, were Major General Tadeusz Piskor and Commodore Józef Unrug. After the end of the war, nine generals returned to Poland from German captivity; however, the majority decided to stay in exile.

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