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Deliberately falsified service numbers ?

Started by charlie, July 27, 2015, 09:01:06 AM

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charlie

I have come across what I think are deliberately falsified service numbers on the the PoW lists from Stargard (PA42001 - 42027). All are 5 digit numbers beginning with 37. What also stands out is that too many of the PoWs are given as suffering from "Schw�che" (weakness). It certainly looks to me as though it is just made up as it is all to similar apart from the names and regiments which are correct. Some of the PoWs also have an ICRC index card using these numbers as well as their correct ones.

mack

hiya Charlie.
is it possible that they are their camp numbers

mack ;D

charlie

Thanks Mack, that did cross my mind, you are quite probably right. It just seems a bit odd for probably one of the last returns to be sent from the camp to be different than all those sent previously. I do not think I have come across another list were everyone is suffering from either wounds or sickness  It just looks to me as though whoever typed the list thought the war is over and it doesn't matter anymore, anything will do.

Charlie

mack

AAHHH.i.ve twigged what it means,the date on the lists is 22nd November,thats around the time the American doctors arrived at the camp,to process prisoners for repatriation,their main concern was for the Russian POWs,who were practically in rags,and the blankets they had were so bad,the germans couldn't distinguish if they were the ones they had issued to the Russian POWs,the Serbian POWs were not much better off,the british POWS were in better shape because they had received red cross parcels from home,i,me fairly sure the "sickness"thing amongst the POWs was a ploy by the doctors to get the germans to provide trains more quickly,one of these American doctors accompanied a train load of Serbian POWs to the border,he said that the germans had hidden trains and rolling stock behind every station he passed through.

mack ;D

charlie

Mack, thanks for your most interesting explanation, my appologies to the typist! Is there a particular reason why the doctors were American? Do you know if doctors were sent to all camps to process repatriation?

Charlie

mack

hiya Charlie
the doctor at stargard was with the doctors of the Serbian army,helping with their repatriation,he was also organising train transport for the Russian POWs,they having no doctors of their own,it appears that the germans were shipping huge numbers of Russian POWs to the Russian border and dumping them there,without any food or proper blankets or winter clothing,once at the border,they were given the choice of joining the Bolshevik forces or being shot,one other thing,the germans at stargard were still sending POWs out on work commandos,this was stopped when the doctors arrived at the camp,i think the main priority for the yank doctors was the comfort and repatriation of their own men.

mack ;D

charlie

Thanks Mack, interesting stuff. The Russians must really have had it rough and then to cap it all the sort of welcome home reception you would not want. Even the British army recruiting Sergeants arn't that bad!

Charlie

mack

hiya Charlie.
one of our members CHMrels posted in this section on 12-1-2015 saying that his grandfather was in a POW camp in Germany,but according to his grandfather,he was never in a proper camp.

many men were only on the registers for these camps,some never even set foot in them because they were out on work commandos for months on end,moving around from place to place.

mack ;D