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Stalag 2B (313) Prisoner of War Camp
Stalag IIb at Mooseberg, was situated one and a half miles west of Hammerstein, on the east side of a highway, in West Prussia. Stalag 2B was later renumbered Stalag 313.
22nd Jul 1941 Parcels
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Want to know more about Stalag 2B (313) Prisoner of War Camp? There are:23 items tagged Stalag 2B (313) Prisoner of War Camp available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
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Staff Sergeant Edward Volberding My Grandfather, Staff Sargeant Edward Volbering, was captured at Kasserine, was interned at Stalag 2b and then escaped during the Death March. He and a couple others were able to make it to a farm where they hid in a compartment underneath the floor boards of a barn. That night a Panzer scouting group came and parked in the barn and spent the night with them right over their heads. That day the tanks left and Ed and his buddies thought things were a little suspicious so they moved up to the loft of the barn. Sure enough the Panzers came back that night and they found the compartment where my grandfather was the night before, but they didn't check the loft. The next day the Panzers left and it was another day or so before Ed and his buddies again heard tanks. This time they were ours and my Grandfather was rescued. Any information that anyone can find about the inner workings of Stalag 2b would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You for putting this website together.
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Fred H Otte My grandfather, Fred H. Otte, from Lowden Iowa, was captured 14th February 1943 at Kasserine Pass, and was held as a POW at Stalag IIB for 30 months. It was hard for him to talk of his time there, and I have tried to find out as much as I can since his death in July of 1994.
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John E. "Johnnie" Campbell My father-In-law, John Campbell, was captured in Salerno and was put in Stalag 2B. I was reading some of the entries and there was one by Jeff Baker that said his grandfather, J.D Akin, was captured in Salerno and was sent to Stalag 2B. My father-in-law talked about a man named J.D a lot, said they called him Possum. I would like to be able to get in touch with Jeff Baker to compare notes. They called my father-in-law Booger Red because of his red hair. John said that there were only two men that survived in Salerno, J.D and himself. They hid behind tomato vines while the Germans looked for them. Also is there a drawing or something that shows what Stalag 2B looked like?
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Cpl. Rocco A. "Rocky" Santarciero Infantry Rocco Sandarciero entered into the service on 28th of February 1943 at 19 years of age with his brother William (36). Already serving was his brother Joseph (22) in Trinidad, Anthony (30) Infantry 77th in the Pacific and Angelo(25) who was killed at the Battle of the Bulge.
Rocco saw action in North Africa and was taken prisoner in Italy and sent to Stalag 2B Hammerstein Work Camp in January 1944 and released May 1945.
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Pvt. Warren Harding Decker 509th PIR 101st Airborne Division Pvt. Warren H. Decker was wounded and captured during "suicide" mission of the El Djem Bridge on December 27, 1942. POW camps included PG 98, PG 59, Stalag VI, Stalag IV, the "Black March away from Allied/Soviet forces, Wobbelin concentration camp, Stalag IIIA, Stalag IIB, then finally Stalag VIIA.
He remained a POW until liberated by 14th Armored Division of Patton's 3rd Army at Stalag VIIA, Moosburg, Bavaria, Germany on April 29, 1945.
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Pte. James Thomas Japhet James Japhet served with the US Army, he was taken as a Prisoner of War and held in Stalag 2B.
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PFC. Jack D. Hopkins Coy A. 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment Jack Hopkins was my grandfather. He served with the US Army 82nd Airborne Division in WW2. I found out he was captured on 10th of July 1943 after the jump on 9th of July at Sicily and was held at Stalag 2B. I do know he was kept there for a period of time but did end up making out it out of there.
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Pte. John Barclay Harrah 168th Infantry Regiment John Harrah was captured during the battle of the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, North Africa on 17th of February 1943.
He was first sent to a POW camp in Italy and after a short time there he was moved to Stalag 2b in Hammerstein.
When the war ended he was sent for rehabilitation to Camp Lucky Strike in France.
He smoked only Lucky Strike cigarettes until the day he died in 2003.
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PFC. Ronda Ray Morgan Co E. 179th Infantry Regiment 45th Div Uncle Ron, Ronda Morgan served with Co E, 179th Infantry Regiment. According to the government archives he was at Stalag IIB at Hammerstein from 17th of February 1944 until 7th of April 1945. Uncle Ron re-enlisted for another 6 years after his discharge in 1945 and rose to the rank of Sergeant. Uncle Ron never spoke of this time in his life. He told his sister, my mother, that every day a German soldier would come in and throw a ripe red apple in the middle of the hut. Whoever weakened and grabbed the apple was taken out and punished. That's the only story I know.
He never married. He lived with us for the final years of his life. He would hoard food in his room, especially peanut butter. Momma said it was because of what happened to him in Germany.
He died in 1992.
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PFC. Alvin Lyle "Short" Schilling 34th Regiment 9th Division My father, Alvin Schilling was captured in October, 1944 near Aachen, Germany. He had been separated from his unit in late September. I have a letter that he wrote during his time in Stalag IIB. He talked about being liberated by the Russian front, and treated badly by the Russians. He was on the march till meeting American forces in April, 1945.
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Sgt. Victor P. Terrana Victor Terrana enlisted on the 24th of January 1941. He served with an Infantry Regiment and was captured in Sicily, he was held as a Prisoner of War in Stalag 2B at Hammerstein, he was released on 14th Sep 1945.
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Chester Kadlubowski Infantry Chester Kadlubowski was captured in Italy and held in Stalag 2B.
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Cpl. Joseph "Poppa" Pacetti 168th Infantry Regiment When my father served in Vietnam, his 1SG was Poppa Joe Pacetti.
Hoe had been captured in Tunisia on 17th of February 1943 and spent the balance of WWII as a Prisoner of War at Stalag 2B.
He went on to serve in both Korea and Vietnam, where he watched over my father and made sure that they both made it through the war in one piece.
Uniquely, Poppa Joe was a three time recipient of the Combat Infantryman Badge, which puts him in a small group of individuals to have earned this award.
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Pvt. Mitchell Lincoln Burgess 1st Armored Division  Mitchell L. Burgess is my grandfather. He enlisted on 22nd of Mar 1940 and landed in North Africa with the 1st Armored Division.
He was captured by Germany on or about 14th of Feb 1943 in the vicinity of Kasserine Pass, Tunisia. According to a telegram dated 16th of Apr 1943 he was transferred to a POW sorting camp at Capua, Italy, around that time. He was again transferred to Dulag 226 it Italy before finally being sent to Stalag IIB near Hammerstein (Czarn), Poland. He was released from Stalag IIB and returned to US control on 13 Apr 1945 and present in Camp Lucky Strike according to a list dated 24 Apr 1945.
Other members of the 1st Armored were captured on the same day and also ended up at Stalag IIB. Their names were:
- Duval, Gordon E, 39305363 discharged 06 Aug 1945
- Eskut, Steve J; 6989039, discharged 01 Sep 1945
- Evans, Walter, 7041885, discharge unk and
- Janz, Glenn O, 37095721, discharge unk
The above names are those who survived the war and were returned to the US. The list of 1st Armored personnel captured on or about that date, were also sent to Stalag IIB, but died before they could come home was too extensive to write here.
While researching my grandfather, I contacted the International Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland and made an inquiry there. They sent me a most helpful attestation full of useful information. I recommend others do this if they are similarly searching for information about a POW.
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George A. Witt George A. Witt served win North Africa and was captured and sent to Salag 2b. Worked in the potato fields and tried to escape a few times. Was lead on a long march with other prisoners.
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Staff Sergeant Edward Volberding My Grandfather, Staff Sargeant Edward Volbering, was captured at Kasserine, was interned at Stalag 2b and then escaped during the Death March. He and a couple others were able to make it to a farm where they hid in a compartment underneath the floor boards of a barn. That night a Panzer scouting group came and parked in the barn and spent the night with them right over their heads. That day the tanks left and Ed and his buddies thought things were a little suspicious so they moved up to the loft of the barn. Sure enough the Panzers came back that night and they found the compartment where my grandfather was the night before, but they didn't check the loft. The next day the Panzers left and it was another day or so before Ed and his buddies again heard tanks. This time they were ours and my Grandfather was rescued. Any information that anyone can find about the inner workings of Stalag 2b would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You for putting this website together.
|
Fred H Otte My grandfather, Fred H. Otte, from Lowden Iowa, was captured 14th February 1943 at Kasserine Pass, and was held as a POW at Stalag IIB for 30 months. It was hard for him to talk of his time there, and I have tried to find out as much as I can since his death in July of 1994.
|
John E. "Johnnie" Campbell My father-In-law, John Campbell, was captured in Salerno and was put in Stalag 2B. I was reading some of the entries and there was one by Jeff Baker that said his grandfather, J.D Akin, was captured in Salerno and was sent to Stalag 2B. My father-in-law talked about a man named J.D a lot, said they called him Possum. I would like to be able to get in touch with Jeff Baker to compare notes. They called my father-in-law Booger Red because of his red hair. John said that there were only two men that survived in Salerno, J.D and himself. They hid behind tomato vines while the Germans looked for them. Also is there a drawing or something that shows what Stalag 2B looked like?
|
Cpl. Rocco A. "Rocky" Santarciero Infantry Rocco Sandarciero entered into the service on 28th of February 1943 at 19 years of age with his brother William (36). Already serving was his brother Joseph (22) in Trinidad, Anthony (30) Infantry 77th in the Pacific and Angelo(25) who was killed at the Battle of the Bulge.
Rocco saw action in North Africa and was taken prisoner in Italy and sent to Stalag 2B Hammerstein Work Camp in January 1944 and released May 1945.
|
Pvt. Warren Harding Decker 509th PIR 101st Airborne Division Pvt. Warren H. Decker was wounded and captured during "suicide" mission of the El Djem Bridge on December 27, 1942. POW camps included PG 98, PG 59, Stalag VI, Stalag IV, the "Black March away from Allied/Soviet forces, Wobbelin concentration camp, Stalag IIIA, Stalag IIB, then finally Stalag VIIA.
He remained a POW until liberated by 14th Armored Division of Patton's 3rd Army at Stalag VIIA, Moosburg, Bavaria, Germany on April 29, 1945.
|
Pte. James Thomas Japhet James Japhet served with the US Army, he was taken as a Prisoner of War and held in Stalag 2B.
|
PFC. Jack D. Hopkins Coy A. 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment Jack Hopkins was my grandfather. He served with the US Army 82nd Airborne Division in WW2. I found out he was captured on 10th of July 1943 after the jump on 9th of July at Sicily and was held at Stalag 2B. I do know he was kept there for a period of time but did end up making out it out of there.
|
Pte. John Barclay Harrah 168th Infantry Regiment John Harrah was captured during the battle of the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, North Africa on 17th of February 1943.
He was first sent to a POW camp in Italy and after a short time there he was moved to Stalag 2b in Hammerstein.
When the war ended he was sent for rehabilitation to Camp Lucky Strike in France.
He smoked only Lucky Strike cigarettes until the day he died in 2003.
|
PFC. Ronda Ray Morgan Co E. 179th Infantry Regiment 45th Div Uncle Ron, Ronda Morgan served with Co E, 179th Infantry Regiment. According to the government archives he was at Stalag IIB at Hammerstein from 17th of February 1944 until 7th of April 1945. Uncle Ron re-enlisted for another 6 years after his discharge in 1945 and rose to the rank of Sergeant. Uncle Ron never spoke of this time in his life. He told his sister, my mother, that every day a German soldier would come in and throw a ripe red apple in the middle of the hut. Whoever weakened and grabbed the apple was taken out and punished. That's the only story I know.
He never married. He lived with us for the final years of his life. He would hoard food in his room, especially peanut butter. Momma said it was because of what happened to him in Germany.
He died in 1992.
|
PFC. Alvin Lyle "Short" Schilling 34th Regiment 9th Division My father, Alvin Schilling was captured in October, 1944 near Aachen, Germany. He had been separated from his unit in late September. I have a letter that he wrote during his time in Stalag IIB. He talked about being liberated by the Russian front, and treated badly by the Russians. He was on the march till meeting American forces in April, 1945.
|
Sgt. Victor P. Terrana Victor Terrana enlisted on the 24th of January 1941. He served with an Infantry Regiment and was captured in Sicily, he was held as a Prisoner of War in Stalag 2B at Hammerstein, he was released on 14th Sep 1945.
|
Chester Kadlubowski Infantry Chester Kadlubowski was captured in Italy and held in Stalag 2B.
|
Cpl. Joseph "Poppa" Pacetti 168th Infantry Regiment When my father served in Vietnam, his 1SG was Poppa Joe Pacetti.
Hoe had been captured in Tunisia on 17th of February 1943 and spent the balance of WWII as a Prisoner of War at Stalag 2B.
He went on to serve in both Korea and Vietnam, where he watched over my father and made sure that they both made it through the war in one piece.
Uniquely, Poppa Joe was a three time recipient of the Combat Infantryman Badge, which puts him in a small group of individuals to have earned this award.
|
Pvt. Mitchell Lincoln Burgess 1st Armored Division Mitchell L. Burgess is my grandfather. He enlisted on 22nd of Mar 1940 and landed in North Africa with the 1st Armored Division.
He was captured by Germany on or about 14th of Feb 1943 in the vicinity of Kasserine Pass, Tunisia. According to a telegram dated 16th of Apr 1943 he was transferred to a POW sorting camp at Capua, Italy, around that time. He was again transferred to Dulag 226 it Italy before finally being sent to Stalag IIB near Hammerstein (Czarn), Poland. He was released from Stalag IIB and returned to US control on 13 Apr 1945 and present in Camp Lucky Strike according to a list dated 24 Apr 1945.
Other members of the 1st Armored were captured on the same day and also ended up at Stalag IIB. Their names were:
- Duval, Gordon E, 39305363 discharged 06 Aug 1945
- Eskut, Steve J; 6989039, discharged 01 Sep 1945
- Evans, Walter, 7041885, discharge unk and
- Janz, Glenn O, 37095721, discharge unk
The above names are those who survived the war and were returned to the US. The list of 1st Armored personnel captured on or about that date, were also sent to Stalag IIB, but died before they could come home was too extensive to write here.
While researching my grandfather, I contacted the International Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland and made an inquiry there. They sent me a most helpful attestation full of useful information. I recommend others do this if they are similarly searching for information about a POW.
|
George A. Witt George A. Witt served win North Africa and was captured and sent to Salag 2b. Worked in the potato fields and tried to escape a few times. Was lead on a long march with other prisoners.
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