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 129 POWs

View these result on a separate page

Last name First name Rank Nationality Unit Service number Camp POW number
Geoffrey James Private British Army, Gordon Highlanders 2879254 Stalag XXB Marienburg 5231
Georgel Maurice Private British Army, 68th R Stalag XXB Marienburg 23691
Gerry Walter Reginald Gunner Driver British Army, Royal Artillery 826909 Stalag XXB Marienburg 14071
Gillespie Martin Civilian Stalag XXB Marienburg 7549
Glencross Joseph Fireman & Greaser Merchant Navy (UK) R181295 Stalag XXB Marienburg 7522
Goodwin Frank British Army Stalag XXB Marienburg
Goodwin George British Army Stalag XXB Marienburg
Goodwin Frank Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 557661 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51087
Goodwin George Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 4032748 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51085
Gove Raymond British Army Stalag XXB Marienburg
Graham Murdo Able Seaman Merchant Navy (UK) Stalag XXB Marienburg 7504
Green Walter Driver British Army, Royal Engineers 2184332 Stalag XXA Thorn, Stalag XXB Marienburg 9689
Griffin Douglas Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5111515 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51094
Hail Frederick Private British Army, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 4452829 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50740
Hales Jack Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5952076 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51083
Harrington Thomas Driver British Army, Royal Army Service Corps 139242 Stalag XXA Thorn, Stalag XXB Marienburg 10411
Hartigan Gerard Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5383280 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50045
Harvey John Private British Army, Border Regiment 3596713 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50739
Haycock Alfred Sergeant British Army, Royal Engineers 1914535 Stalag XXB Marienburg 10130
Heal Matthew Private British Army, Durham Light Infantry 4455693 Stalag XXB Marienburg 9921
Heap James Alfred Private British Army, Border Regiment 3597320 Stalag XXA Thorn, Stalag XXB Marienburg 19289
Hemming Cyril Guardsman British Army, Grenadier Guards 192735 or 792733 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51081
Hessor Alexander Private British Army, Gordon Highlanders Stalag XXB Marienburg 5216
Hickmann Charles A Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5112741 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51089
Hogg Robert Private British Army, Royal Army Medical Corps 7265441 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50750
Holland George Private British Army, The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment 6343745 Stalag XXB Marienburg 10879
Hooper John William Rifleman British Army, Rifle Brigade 6911383 Stalag XXB Marienburg 7569
Hopkins Douglas George Lance Corporal British Army, Royal Army Medical Corps 7361093 Stalag XXB Marienburg 5801
Hopkins Henry Charles Private British Army, Wiltshire Regiment 5571566 Stalag XXB Marienburg 10161
Howard George Charles Dennis Private British Army, Northamptonshire Regiment 5886435 Stalag XXB Marienburg 12624
Howells William Howalls or Howells Fireman & Greaser Merchant Navy (UK) Stalag XXB Marienburg 7529
Hudson Henry British Army, Gordon Highlanders 3307891 Stalag XXB Marienburg 14749
Hunt Sydney Private British Army, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 5386530 5380530 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50741
Intyre Alexander Mc Gunner British Army, Royal Artillery 1520808 Stalag XXB Marienburg 7874
James Howard Hedd Gunner British Army, Royal Artillery 1493033 Stalag XXB Marienburg 533
Janes Amos Corporal British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5952086 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50744
Johnson Albert Henry Private British Army, Queen Victoria’s Rifles 6896559 Stalag XXB Marienburg 12845
Johnson Frederick John Private British Army, The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) 6087261 Stalag XXB Marienburg 13442
Kennedy Donald Able Seaman Merchant Navy (UK) R151464 Stalag XXB Marienburg 7519
Kennedy Allan Ordinary Seaman Merchant Navy (UK) R201679 Stalag XXB Marienburg 7520
Kenny Walter Rifleman British Army, King's Royal Rifle Corps 6845647 Stalag XXB Marienburg 4513
Killick Jack Private British Army, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers 31598 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50738
Kilpatrick John Rifleman British Army, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) 2977796 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50041
King George Arthur Signaller British Army, Royal Corps of Signals 2364195 Stalag XXB Marienburg 17993
Kitson Ralph Bojan Trooper British Army, Reconnaissance Corps 7893512 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51099
Knowles John Corporal British Army, Royal Armoured Corps 7891730 Stalag XXB Marienburg 50754
Leighfield James Private British Army, Royal Warwickshire Regiment 5112282 Stalag XXB Marienburg 51095
Lipscombe Ivor H. S. Lance Corporal British Army, Dorsetshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion (Dorsets) 5724762 Stalag IA Stablack, Stalag XXB Marienburg 20890
Loades Alfred Private British Army, Royal Norfolk Regiment 5769419 Stalag XXB Marienburg 8017
Low William Gunner British Army, Royal Artillery 1427450 Stalag XXB Marienburg 18080

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