Stalag XXB Marienburg

War time place name:
Marienburg
Contemporary local place name:
Malbörk

Unnamed Road, 82-200 Malbork, Poland

Overview

Stalag XXB was a German prisoner-of-war camp in World War II, located in (then) Marienburg, now Malbörk, a town in the Pomeranian district of Poland. At its peak, in 1944, it held some 30,000 Polish, British, French, Belgian, Serbian, Soviet, Italian, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian POWs. The camp was disbanded in early 1945.

The main camp site was located some two miles south of the town of Malbörk, overlooking the Nogat River. There were many sub-camps, located to support industry in the greater Danzig (now Gdańsk) city and hinterland. In the town of Malbörk there were also facilities for feeding, maintenance, medical needs, and camp guards. Many groups POWs were also assigned to work in local factories and farms in the area.  The central camp area remained as the administrative centre. Transport was typically by truck, horse drawn wagons (sledges in winter), and the local narrow-gauge railway.

Timeline 1939-45

In 1939 the first prisoners were Polish, following the German invasion of their homeland. Many British and other Allied nations were imprisoned in early 1941 following the overrun of Western Europe.  Originally, prisoner facilities were temporary and very poor, but by 1942 many purpose built structures had been added, including barracks, administrative buildings, a library and a theatre. Following Germany’s push east, many Soviet prisoners were added in 1942-43 and Italian prisoners after Italy’s capitulation in 1943.

Nationalities at the Camp

The approximate number of prisoners at the camp was as follows:

1940 14,000 – mostly Polish
1941 18,000 – additional British
1942 24,000 – additional Serb and Soviet
1943 25,000
1944 30,000 – additional Italian
1945 31,000 – before camp was emptied Jan 1945

The British contingent at XXB was around 9,000 from 1941 till 1945. Around 80% of all these prisoners were placed outside the central camp area, working on farms, in factories, roads and railways.

Camp Guards

A senior German officer commanded the camp, and there were many in the 5 years of its existence. Reporting to him would be some 100 military staff. Approximately 300 camp guards were drawn from units of older soldiers and auxiliaries and were concerned with the physical security of the sites, rather than supervising the prisoners.

POW Work

Approximately two-thirds of the prisoners were assigned to agricultural work in the area.  Work units (Kommandos) where formed from 10 to 500 men, and assigned to farms, factories and shipyards.  Much of the factory work was in support of timber, sugar beet, grain and other agricultural produce. Life was marginally better on the farms, where extra food might be available. In all cases, the POWs were much sustained by Red Cross food parcels, when these were made available. The Red Cross also made inspection visits and were briefed by the “Man of Confidence”, James Fulton, who was awarded an MBE on his return to UK.   Many sports were organised, including football and boxing with leagues and competitions.

From a POW description of the barracks at the Camp…. “The room is about 30 feet long and 20 wide. Every corner is utilised.  There are nine double decker bunks with a large locker between. The two tables are filled.  Some are stretched out on their beds reading (the only way to ensure comfort).  History, travel, cowboy story books are the blessed form of escape in this life.  The wood stove is burning brightly and black-out shutters are securely fastened.  A 200 watt bulb supplies the illumination with a secret, concealed one to help out.  On the back of every bed there hangs a greatcoat, a spare uniform.  Every spare space is utilised to dry washing and shirts, socks, pyjamas, underwear hang everywhere, for Sunday morning is the only day that hot water can be obtained for clothes washing”.

Escape

Given the extreme eastern location of XXB, escape was very difficult. Russia to the east, Germany and Axis allies to the west and south, and the Baltic Sea to the north meant that there was no obvious escape route home.  A few prisoners managed to slip on to boats at Gdansk and make it to neutral Sweden.

1945, The March

The Germans dissolved the camp in January 1945 in the face of the Russian advance. The POWs were marched west in very hard conditions. Some 10% died or escaped on the journey, which took 8-10 weeks, marching 25 kilometres a day. Some POWs slipped off the back of the march, and were met by Russian forces, eventually to be repatriated. Stalin never trusted the Russian POWs, and many were sent to the Gulags. Allied POWs reached central German towns in April 1945 and were repatriated by British and American forces moving east. They finally got home in May 1945.  Russian forces overran the main site of XXB in February 1945.

In 2009, a mass grave of 2000 people was found during building work in Malbörk. This was assumed to be German nationals who had been massacred in early 1945.

The site today

The main site of XXB can be visited fairly easily from the UK. It lies some 30 miles south-east of the city of Gdańsk. There are trains from Gdańsk to Malbörk, and the site is a short taxi or bus trip from the local station. However, the site is gradually being overrun by the municipal cemetery, and it may be totally lost in time.  The last original buildings on the site were removed in 2013. There is a memorial to the camp on the cemetery site. One mile north is the Commonwealth War Grave cemetery, which contains the graves of some 250 Allied servicemen, who had either died at the camp, or perished in air raids over Gdańsk. There is also a Russian cemetery from 1945.

In 2020 the Municipality of Malbörk mounted a museum exhibition and published documents on the history of the camp.

Sources and Further reading

Found 128 POWs

View these result on a separate page

Last name First name Rank Nationality Unit Service number Camp POW number
Acutt Arthur Leonard Private British Army, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 6914276 Stalag XXB Marienburg 17551
Allan William Private British British Army, Royal Scots Regiment 3052131 Stalag XXB Marienburg, Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf / Stalag 344 51097
Anthony Thomas British Army, Royal Artillery 1467833 Stalag XXB Marienburg 6903
Baird George Driver British Army, Royal Army Service Corps T/72977 Stalag XXB Marienburg 7660
Baldwin Nathan R Sergeant British Army, Royal Artillery 833771 Stalag XXA Thorn, Stalag XXB Marienburg, Stalag 357 Oerbke / Fallingbostel 15153
Banfield Thomas Henry Private British Army, Middlesex Regiment Middlesex Regiment (Kensingtons) Service Number: 6206284 Stalag XXB Marienburg 18391
Beattie Wilfred Soldier British Army, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) 3854664 Stalag XXA Thorn, Stalag XXB Marienburg, Stalag XIB Fallingbostel, Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf / Stalag 344, Stalag IIIA Luckenwalde 114184
Bell Leslie Benn or Sergeant British Army, Sherwood Foresters 4910832 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51093
Bennett Arthur Lance Corporal British Army, Lancashire Fusiliers Stalag XXB Marienburg 4733
Bennett James Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5112794 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50039
Bettany Albert Private British Army, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 4686114 Stalag XXB Marienburg 96455
Bewley Joseph Private British Army, Border Regiment 3709106 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50387
Billingham John Henry Private British British Army, Manchester Regiment 5251708 Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf / Stalag 344, Stalag XXB Marienburg 50034
Bird Raymond Sergeant British Army, Grenadier Guards 2614809 Stalag XXB Marienburg
Boden Richard Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5102186 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50038
Boyd Kennes Able Seaman Merchant Navy (UK) R74058 Stalag XXB Marienburg 7513
Brassington Sydney James Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5952038 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51084
Brooks John Stanley Warrant Officer Royal Air Force 622115 Stalag XXB Marienburg, Stalag Luft II Litzmannstadt 50392
Brown Herbert Raymond Gunner British British Army, Royal Artillery 1520642 Stalag XXB Marienburg, Stalag XXA Thorn 10426
Brown Frank Gunner British Army, Rifle Brigade unspecified Stalag XXB Marienburg 11381
Carberry Andrew McAtee Corporal British British Army, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, 4th Battalion (QOCH) 2931931 Stalag XXB Marienburg 16411
Chennells Robert W Guardsman British British Army, Grenadier Guards 2616818 Stalag XXB Marienburg, Stalag VB Villingen 175
Churchill Arthur Corporal British Army, Sherwood Foresters 4869926 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50742
Clark George Corporal British Army, Border Regiment 3444278 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50731
Clarke Firth Private British British Army, Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps 4607557 Stalag XXB Marienburg 9681
Cleaveley John Private British Army, Royal Army Service Corps Private Stalag XXB Marienburg 4795
Collins Grathan Reginald John Corporal British Army, Royal Army Medical Corps 7264735 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50751
Courtney Leonard Corporal British Army, Coldstream Guards 2657773 Stalag XXB Marienburg 5363
Creery John Private Fusilier British Army, Royal Scots Fusiliers 3130515 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51092
Crispin William Henry Private British Army, Royal Army Service Corps T109164 Stalag XXB Marienburg 14523
Cross James Fireman Merchant Navy (UK) Stalag XXB Marienburg 7539
Current George Scott Rifleman British Army Stalag XXB Marienburg 50396
Dale Walter J Assistant Steward Merchant Navy (UK) R4808 Stalag XXB Marienburg 7533
Danes Thomas Private British British Army, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 5384386 Stalag XXA Thorn, Stalag XXB Marienburg 12824
Davies William Henry Private British Army, Worcestershire Regiment 5252593 Stalag XXIB Schubin, Stalag XXB Marienburg 4388
Dawson Arthur Corporal British Army, Cheshire Regiment 4124165 Stalag XXB Marienburg 475
Deeley Walter Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5110614 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50747
Desmond Henry Private British Army, 15th/19th King's Royal Hussars 2058960 Stalag XXA Thorn, Stalag XXB Marienburg 5492
Doig Robert G Driver British British Army, Royal Army Service Corps 82839 Stalag XXA Thorn, Stalag XXB Marienburg 15082
Duncan Thomas Fireman & Greaser Merchant Navy (UK) Stalag XXB Marienburg 7528
Easterlow Bert Corporal British Army, Royal Army Medical Corps 7260963 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50749
Edmonds James Private British Army, Black Watch 2754955 Stalag XXB Marienburg 14361
Elder George A Private British Army, Border Regiment 3600412 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50732
Ferminger Robert Private British Army, The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment 6347083 Stalag XXB Marienburg 4153
Finnis William Private British Army, The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) 6283744 Stalag XXB Marienburg 11664
Firman Herbert Douglas Lance Corporal British Army, North Staffordshire Regiment 5047566 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50393
Fisher James Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5111842 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50403
Fortune Ralph William Guardsman British Army, Grenadier Guards 2615609 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50736
Froud Donald James Private British Army, Grenadier Guards 773506 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51080
Gardiner Henry W Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5112344 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51086

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