Saturday 13rd april 2024
Grünberg (Allemagne)
Visit to the farm site, on the former lands of Friedrich Von Stülpnagel, where one of the three columns of prisoners from Oflag IIB slept on the night of February 5-6, 1945, during their march back to France. There, we had a wonderful chance encounter with the village mayor, Axel Buse, who is also the town's fire chief.
Stargard (Poland) Collegiate Church of St. Mary in Stargard. Then, a tour of the town, including important sites of Stalag IID, led by our guide, Piotr Tarnawski:
- A former camp where nearly 50,000 non-commissioned officers were housed
- A war memorial honors them next to what is now a prison. A cemetery where more than 300 bodies have been exhumed and analyzed.
- A cemetery where several nationalities are represented and honored with commemorative plaques.
Sunday 14th april 2024
Borne Sulinowo
A lecture by Dariusz Czerniawski on the history of the city and its past, marked by German and then Soviet occupation, up to its reconstruction to once again welcome civilians after more than eighty years of military history. This was followed by a visit to important sites that shaped the daily lives of the occupiers, such as the hospital, the officers' club, the monastery, the railway, and the old train station, which Hitler used three times to visit his troops.
In front of Oflag IID in Gross-Born, a reminder of all the work done to collect the data now accessible was given in front of the French and Polish monuments. The tour continued through the sites of the former barracks and living quarters (sports field, chapel, site of the tunnel used by the escape of seventeen prisoners) where nature has now reclaimed the land. The prisoners of war remained in this location from the beginning of their captivity until the three waves of departures on May 16, 17, and 18, 1942. They were then transferred by train to Oflag IIB in Arnswalde, some say for "greater comfort," others citing the numerous escape attempts as the reason. The tour then returned to the town center to see the church and its priest, Father Jerzy Stadnik. This church is dedicated to the memory of the prisoners of war of Oflag IID and the altar is built with stones recovered from the site of the camp.
Lundi 15 avril 2024
Dobiegniew
Visite du musée (rénové) dédié à l’Oflag IIC (qui a aussi été un Stalag) de Woldenberg par Madame Irena occupé à l’époque par des prisonniers polonais.
Choszczno (Arnswalde)
Accueil à l’ancien Oflag IIB qui est aujourd’hui une caserne militaire. Le maire Robert Adamczyk ( lien pour les photos : https://www.facebook.com/ChoszcznoPL?locale=fr_FR ) nous a accompagnés et nous a donnés une interview. Marak Zuchowicz et le commandant Adam Suchowiecki nous ont donné toutes les informations à connaitre sur la caserne et son fonctionnement dans le passé. S’en est suivie une visite de la ville, la gare où sont arrivés les prisonniers français en mai 1942, le monument de l’Oflag, l’église du défunt père Lemieszko qui a œuvré pour que la mémoire de ces hommes perdure.
Tuesday 16th april 2024
A representative visit was held to discuss the work accomplished. A conference was led by Mayor Piotr Zabrocki, Benedykt Liptski, former president of the city council, and Colonel Andrzej Szutowicz. The entire event was filmed by Ireneusz Czerniawski. A tour of the former Stalag IIB site was led, notably by Ireneusz Czerniawski, before paying tribute at the cemetery where André Rabin was first buried.
Wednesday 17th april 2024
Szubin (Schubin sous la dénomination allemande)
A visit to the Oflag XXIB site was led by Mariusz Winiecki, president of the Polish-American Foundation. Using the current layout of the site and the photographs he brought, we were able to see the chapel and living quarters such as the canteen and workshops, now repurposed as a juvenile detention center. This was followed by a visit to the developing museum, including a "private" tour of the collection, which is funded by the families of former American prisoners.
Borne Sulinowo
On the return from Szubin, a visit to the site of the first Block IV of Oflag IID, amidst the paths laid out to serve the barracks of the Westphalenhof camp, which housed approximately 10,000 German soldiers. A tribute and reading by Marie-France Seguin about the conditions of the Russians' captivity took place around the cemeteries containing the graves of 1,000 and 9,000 men respectively.
Thursday 18th april 2024
Borne Sulinowo
A presentation took place at the high school, named in 2009 "Bohaterow Oflag IID" (meaning "Heroes of Oflag IID"), followed by a visit to the town hall where we were welcomed by Deputy Mayor Mariusz Miroslaw Gorgol and the mayor's secretary. A conference was held in the afternoon to review the photos of the sites visited throughout the week. Jean-François Mouisset, Marie-France Seryies, and Franck Walter also spoke, sharing the story of "their prisoner."
Thanks
Many thanks to our host Dariusz Czerniawski.
Many thanks to our interpreter Gabriela Smolij.
Many thanks to our guide
Etienne Jacheet.
