Introduction

Prisoner of War
Last updated 9 August 2008
Web Page by Ian Brown; created 6 May 2001
E-mail: ian.brown47@btinternet.com
URL: http://www.stalag18a.org.uk

The purpose of this web-site is to collect together information about Stalag XVIIIA, a POW camp  located at Wolfsberg, Austria from 1941 until 1945. By information, I mean anything which relates to the camp itself, the Work Camps (Arbeitskommandos) attached to it, and especially the men who were held there. If you browse through a few pages, you can see the sort of information that people have added so far. If you are an 'ex-Kriegie', or you know one and you have a story to tell, then please E-mail me.

A major part of this site is the Roll Call to which I am attempting to add the name of every POW who passed through Stalag 18A.

In addition to Stalag 18A, I'm interested in learning more about Stalags 18B, 18C and 18D.

My own interest in Stalag 18A stems from my late father, Sgt George Brown of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, who was a POW there.

Latest News

31 July 2008

New information and photos on the following Work Camps:

22/GW at Leitendorf,
415/GW at Stainach,
924/GW at Niklasdorf,
10030/GW at Lavamund,
10084/GW at Lassach/Mallnitz,
11010/GW at Kühnsdorf,
11088/GW at Gimmern.

9 August 2008

Tracey Croft has sent me some photographs of Stalag 18A brought back by her great-uncle Capt Wilfred Crowe, who was the Medical Officer in charge of infectious diseases at 18A. You can find them in the Stalag 18A section.


The Crown and Anchor Mat

I've been working with Chris Goddard, Assistant Curator, Military Heraldry & Technology at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The work has involved the names of over 300 Stalag 18A POWs written on a hand-drawn mat used to play the game of Crown and Anchor. Click here for details.


POWs requiring Medical treatment

Tamara Haygood of the University of Texas is conducting some historical research into the medical care of Allied POWs during captivity. Dr Haygood would like to hear from any ex-POW who can recall any details of such care. Her email address is tamarahaygood@yahoo.com. One particular story that Dr Haygood would like to follow up is contained in Eric Fearnside's book, 'The Joy of Freedom'. It concerns a POW named Johnson who pretended to be deaf in the hope that he would be repatriated, only to be caught out at the last moment. If anyone has any more details on this story, Dr Haygood would like to hear from you.

If you are searching for a particular person or place then type a keyword in the box below.


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Contents

- a brief description of the Allied campaign in Greece in April, 1941, including some personal accounts.

- the POW camp in Wolfsberg, Austria, where the majority of servicemen captured in Greece and Crete were kept. This section includes  maps of the camp, its history, many photographs and accounts of life in the camp.

The following sections can be accessed from here:

1.  Camp Layout - a detailed plan of the camp as it looked in 1945, some photographs showing some of the layout and photographs of the present day site.
2.  Camp History - an account of the chronological events in the camp, based on an account provided by Dr Barbara Stelzl-Marx of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on War Consequences in Graz (Address: Schoergelgasse 43, 8010 Graz, Austria)
3.  Camp Life - some photographs showing life within Stalag 18A itself plus some anecdotes from Ken O'Kennedy, an ex-POW.
4.  The Guards - some pictures of a few of the German guards.
5.  The Russians - photographs and some details of the Russian POWs.
6.  The French - a fast expanding section devoted to the French POWs. EN FRANCAIS
7.  Letters Home - some extracts from letters written by POWs.
8.  The Theatre - devoted mainly to the Theatre in Stalag 18A itself.
9.  The Air Raid - details and pictures of the bombing of the camp on 18 December 1944 by the USAF.
10. Death in 18A - names and graves of those POWs who died whilst in captivity.
11. Escapes - some accounts of escape attempts.

- An ever-growing list of those men who I know passed through Stalag 18A.

- The start-point for the Picture Galleries.

- A list of many of the Work Camps (Arbeitskommandos) associated with Stalag 18A and their locations. This section includes Red Cross Reports on some of the camps, lists of those POWs known to be held in a particular Work Camp, and photographs which were taken in these camps..

- in the final days of the war, getting safely home was not an easy task. This section includes details of the march from Wolfsberg to Markt Pongau in May 1945, also some details of Stalag 18C at Markt Pongau, and the flights back to the UK.

- personal accounts of life in Stalag 18A and the Work Camps.

- a collection of photographs of souvenirs of the Stalag 18A experience.

- a list of relatives and friends who would like more information on an ex-POW.

- links to related sites.

Help!

There are still many gaps in the story. If you recognize any of the faces in the following photographs, or you can add more information about Greece and Stalag 18A, then please E-mail me.

Disclaimer

As far as possible, I have tried to establish the ownership of the photographs shown in this site, and seek permission for their use. Any breach of copyright is not intentional.
The description of events is often based on memories over 50 years old. It is as accurate as it can be in the circumstances. If you see anything that is incorrect, then please E-mail me.
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