In May 1941 part of
Oflag XIII-A Langwasser, Nuremberg, was separated off, and a new camp, designated Oflag XIII-B, created for
Yugoslavian officers, predominantly
Serbs captured in the
Balkans Campaign. In April 1943 at least 3,000 Serbian officers were moved from Langwasser to Hammelburg. Many were members of the Yugoslavian General Staff, some of whom had been POWs in Germany during the First World War. On 11 January 1945 American officers captured during the
Battle of the Bulge arrived and were placed in a separate compound. These included Lt
Lyle Bouck, Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon, 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division, and Lt
Donald Prell, Anti-tank Platoon, 422nd Infantry, 106th Division. By 25 January the total number of Americans was 453 officers, 12 non-commissioned officers and 18 privates. On 10 March 1945 American officers, captured in the
North Africa Campaign in 1943 or the
Battle of Normandy, arrived after an eight-week
forced march from
Oflag 64 in
Szubin,
Poland. On 25 March there was a total of 1,291 American officers and 127 enlisted men at the camp. Conditions for the American POWs were very poor, according to an
International Red Cross inspection of 25 March 1945. Around 200 men were crowded into each barrack. The amount of coal for heating during the bitter winter months was strictly rationed, and the average temperature in the barracks was about . There was no hot water for washing, and the number of latrines was inadequate. Food rations were only about 1,070 calories a day, though additional supplies, mostly
root vegetables, could be bought from the canteen when available. No
Red Cross parcels were delivered, so the Serbs insisted on sharing theirs. All the 57 tanks,
tank destroyers, trucks, and
half-tracks were lost. The American compound was evacuated on 28 March, when 500 POWs were transferred to the
camp at Nuremberg by train. The remaining able-bodied men were marched the to
Stalag VII-A at
Moosburg. Those too sick to move were left behind with the medical staff. The camp was captured by
Combat Command B of the
U.S. 14th Armored Division on 6 April 1945. ==See also==