Stalag IV-A Hohenstein Liberation
Captain Klutz
Stalag IV-A at Hohnstein, Germany in 1945.
There is little information on-line and what there IS seems to be
confusing IV-A with IV-B (which was liberated by the Russians, April
23, 1945).
My father was a British gunner with the Royal Artillery Regiment. He
was in various camps, the final one being Stalag IV-A Hohenstein.
He said once that American tanks came through IV-A's front gates two
days after his birthday (which would make the date 8th June 1945).
That date also appears in his military service record, that the MoD
sent me back in 1991. However as VE Day was 7th May 1945, the 8th June
seems far too late.
I'm somewhat surprised that I can't find on-line any information on
the liberation dates of this particular camp. There are lists
featuring other camps but when it comes to IV-A, they all have a blank
in the date column. I suppose, in those last few weeks and months of
the war, things were all happening too fast.
Anything you can help me with would be terrific!
PhilBee, New Zealand
narrl...@hotmail.com
I don't have any solid information to give, but I wanted to let you
know that you're not alone in not being able to find info about this
online. I have some expertise in the field, and I'm drawing blanks
too.
But here's a factoid, and a suggestion. Factoid: the American unit
nearest to Hohnstein as of May 7 1945 was the VIII Corps of First
Army. I haven't yet tracked what divisions are most likely to have
been present, but I'm going to try. Suggestion: contact the Hohnstein
city or (?) district archive and see what they know. (I was actually
surprised not to find a potted account of the end of the war, in
German at least, but I didn't devote a lot of time to the task
either.)
One last remark--the chronology is indeed puzzling. In another forum
I saw the language "released June 8 1945" (or words to that effect, I
didn't copy it down) and it seems at least possible that represents
the orderly repatriation of PoWs still under discipline rather than
the date the Americans arrived. Depending on when your father made
the statement, he may have been conflating different events. I don't
say that lightly; I have learned that memories and official records
are both subject to error.
Anyway, this is so you don't imagine that your query is being ignored.
Narr
Michele
news:50852a62-1ece-494b...@q36g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
Suggestion: contact the Hohnstein
> city
Just in passing I've looked some data up; this is not my cup of tea, really.
The only thing I'd like to point out is that Hohenstein and Hohnstein are
two different places. The original poster's message has both spellings, so
it's not your fault; but if one starts with this kind of problem from the
very beginning, it's obviously likely that he will get sidetracked.
narrl...@hotmail.com
(punto)> wrote:
> <narrled...@hotmail.com> ha scritto nel messaggionews:50852a62-1ece-494b...@q36g2000yqn.googlegroups.com...
Fair observations, but I checked an official American Red Cross map of
known German stalags and oflags, published during the war, and found
IV-A located at Hohnstein on the map and in the index. This is in
"Saxon Switzerland" south of Dresden, almost to the Czech border.
Narr
Georg Schwarz
> Fair observations, but I checked an official American Red Cross map of
> known German stalags and oflags, published during the war, and found
> IV-A located at Hohnstein on the map and in the index. This is in
> "Saxon Switzerland" south of Dresden, almost to the Czech border.
since Hohnstein ist east of the Elbe river it is very unlikely US troops
ever got there (and if so only on invitation by the Soviets to pick up
their POWs long after the fighting had ceased). It was most likely
occupied by Soviet troops right on or shortly after VE day.
--
Georg Schwarz http://home.pages.de/~schwarz/
georg....@freenet.de +49 170 8768585
Alan Nordin
> since Hohnstein ist east of the Elbe river it is very unlikely US troops
> ever got there (and if so only on invitation by the Soviets to pick up
> their POWs long after the fighting had ceased). It was most likely
> occupied by Soviet troops right on or shortly after VE day.
The map in the back of "US Army in WWII" - "ETO" - "The Last
Offensive" shows the town of Hohnstein to be almost right at the limit
of the First Ukrainian Fronts advance toward Prague from the north on
VE-day 5/8/45. The closest US [1st Army] troops would have been some
50+ miles away somewhere around Chemnitz.
Alan
Captain Klutz
Thanks to you all for your input.
I DID actually mean the location spelt as "Hohnstein" - yeup, the one
50 miles from Dresden very near the Czech border. Didn't realise there
was another of similar spelling - trap for young(ish) players!!
As Colditz nr.Dresden was liberated 15 April and Oflag IV C on 16
April, then it seems very likely that the number '6' on Dad's records
was perhaps a clerical error and it should have been a '4'. Or if it
was handwritten (I received a typed version), an odd '4' could have
looked like a '6'. Who knows?
But you've all given me some good input, and ideas for further
searches. I very much appreciate it!
Phil [ tall...@gmail.com ]
Michele
news:1jzfdgl.11mt6fj1s8ht32N%georg....@freenet.de...
> <narrl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Fair observations, but I checked an official American Red Cross map of
>> known German stalags and oflags, published during the war, and found
>> IV-A located at Hohnstein on the map and in the index. This is in
>> "Saxon Switzerland" south of Dresden, almost to the Czech border.
>
> since Hohnstein ist east of the Elbe river it is very unlikely US troops
> ever got there (and if so only on invitation by the Soviets to pick up
> their POWs long after the fighting had ceased).
I agree. In that case, the veteran's recollection would be of the day when
the US troops showed up by such an agreement with the Soviets, and the date
might be credible.
Georg Schwarz
> As Colditz nr.Dresden was liberated 15 April and Oflag IV C on 16
> April, then it seems very likely that the number '6' on Dad's records
> was perhaps a clerical error and it should have been a '4'. Or if it
> was handwritten (I received a typed version), an odd '4' could have
> looked like a '6'. Who knows?
I recommend consulting a map: Colditz is located maybe 50 km west of the
Elbe river, and that's why it was liberated by the Americans. So those
dates are not really meaningful wrt. Hohnstein, which is east of the
Elbe river.