Thursday, April 19, 2012

Forced March Route: German & Polish Town Names


During World War II, Stalag Luft III was in a portion of Germany that over time was claimed by both Germany and Poland (or the countries that preceded them). Historical research on this area can therefore be a little confusing because towns were often known by both German and Polish names. At this time, the remains of Stalag Luft III are in Poland. This photo provides a list of the towns that the Stalag Luft III POWs walked through during the forced march of Winter, 1945 (click on the photo for a bigger view of it). It provides both the German and Polish name for each town. The last name on this list is Muskau. After Muskau, all the remaining towns on the march were in territory that, before and after the war, was part of Germany, and those towns never had Polish names. The march ended in Spremberg, Germany.

No comments: