Camp Layout |
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Plan of Stalag 18A (117kb) based on an
original drawn in 1945 by a draughtsman POW (probably Charles
Fairman)
for the Camp Authorities. (Thanks to Ken O'Kennedy for filling in the details.) |
The camp was divided into three compounds. That for the British and Commonwealth POW's contained about 300 men. Next to that were the French and then the Russians. Originally, most of the British and Commonwealth POW's were housed in an old stable, divided into two with an ablution area in the middle. The rest were held in wooden huts, each holding about thirty. Each hut was filled with three-tier bunks and a stove in the middle, with permanent washing lines hanging everywhere.
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| Main Gate, looking West | Guard Tower No. 11 |
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| Main gate, 1941 | Interior of Hut 21 |
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| Small group in Hut 21 | Camp in winter |
(Many thanks to Ken O'Kennedy, ex-POW for the first two pictures, and to Peter Eastwood for the pictures of Hut 21, taken by his father, S/Sgt William Eastwood. The 1941 picture has kindly been sent by Dieter Buckingham, son of Pte Donald Buckingham, RAVC. The camp in winter came from Tracey Croft.)
The last original building from the camp was demolished as recently as 1998. Today it requires a certain amount of imagination to visualise the camp. The area is a rather curious mixture of an industrial estate and private housing. In August 2002, I visited the area and, after much wandering around, I am fairly certain as to the original site of the camp. The only clearly visible reminder is the road 'Lagerstrasse' which runs through the estate.
The west, south and east boundaries of the camp were bounded by St Thomaser Strasse, Schwabenhofstrasse and Klagenfurter Strasse respectively. The northern boundary is not so obvious as the area between Arlingbachweg, a narrow lane, and the Arlingbach stream is heavily wooded. Lagerstrasse seems to enter the camp area from Klagenfurter Strasse at or near the position of the Main Gate of the old camp. The bend in the middle of Lagerstrasse is near the position of the old Sports Ground.
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| Approximate position of the camp boundaries |
Aerial view of the estate with camp outline added |
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View looking West along Lagerstrasse from Klagenfurterstrasse - the location of the main entrance to the lager. (Photo taken by Rob Edwards, son of Pte R.A. Edwards, 2/4 Inf. Bn., AEF.) |
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Lagerstrasse sign (kindly provided by Helen Amison, granddaughter of Dvr G Amison, RASC.)). |
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View from the bend in Lagerstrasse, looking north-west towards the Car Park |
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View looking east along Schwabenhofstrasse from the junction with Lagerstrasse |
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View looking north along Lagerstrasse, Wolfsberg Castle in the background |
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View looking east along Lagerstrasse from the bend |
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View of the Car Park looking north-east |
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A comparison of the skyline looking north-east from the central Car Park with a picture taken on the Sports Ground during the 'Roman Holiday' in 1944. |
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View East along Lagerstrasse towards Klagenfurterstrasse. (Photo: Rob Edwards) |
