The first POW camp was established in Dęblin by the German occupiers in 1939 for Polish troops of the
Independent Operational Group Polesie taken prisoner during the German
invasion of Poland that began World War II. Following the
Battle of France,
French, Dutch, Belgian and
Senegalese POWs were brought to the camp. While still in Kaliłów, abysmal living conditions and feeding rations caused widespread malnutrition and diseases, and there were also mass executions of POWs, including those attempting to escape. Overcrowding, poor food rations and sanitary conditions caused starvation and epidemics, resulting in a high mortality rate. Around 100,000 POWs died in the camp. ==Notable inmates==