WARTIME GUIDES

During the operation of the German prisoner-of-war camp Stalag XXA in Toruń, there was an official channel of communication between the prisoners and their families. It consisted of letters and postcards sent under the supervision of the German administration. Every message was censored, and its content strictly controlled. Nevertheless, there were cases where prisoners embedded coded information about their own situation or the fate of their fellow soldiers in such correspondence – but that is a story of its own. However, it is hard to imagine that during the occupation, with thousands of prisoners located so close to civilian areas, no unofficial network of communication would have developed – and its organization is remarkably interesting. This communication had a completely different character – it was part of the activities of the Polish resistance and the involvement of Allied soldiers. Thanks to these efforts, intelligence reports were smuggled out of Stalag XXA, while informati...

 Situated in a strategic location between Toruń and Bydgoszcz , Emilianowo (German: Emilienau ) played a crucial role in the Polish resistance movement as early as 1940. This small forest lodge became one of the most important contact points for underground networks operating around the German DAG ammunition plant in Bydgoszcz , and most importantly – for Allied POWs escaping from Stalag XXA in Toruń and from German forced labor detachments in the surrounding towns and villages . A Forest Gateway to Freedom The so-called northern route of escape passed through Emilianowo. It was a covert trail leading across Pomerania toward the Baltic ports, mainly Gdańsk. For many escaped POWs, this was the first secure stop along their journey. In Emilianowo, they could rest safely, receive new clothes and false documents, get food supplies, and obtain crucial information to help them reach the coast. Among those who passed through Emilianowo were Allied officers such as T. Cullen , J. Grieg...

Stalag XXA in Toruń, also known as Stalag 20A, hides many untold stories. One of them belongs to a Royal Navy sailor captured during a daring special operation on the rivers of France. On our blog wartimeguides.blogspot.com, we share real accounts of POWs who were imprisoned in camps like Stalag XXA in Toruń. This time, we tell the story of a sailor involved in one of the first special missions of its kind – destroying German river infrastructure using floating mines launched from French territory.  After being captured, he was sent to the POW camp in Toruń, where he spent the remainder of the war. Thanks to the visit of his son, who travelled all the way from New Zealand, we were able to reconstruct this extraordinary story.  Together, we visited key places connected to the Stalag, including the forts that formed part of Stalag XXA, to better understand daily life in captivity. The son revealed that his father never spoke about the war. This made the journey not only emotiona...

The story of RAF Sergeant Peter, second pilot of a Manchester bomber, is a powerful example of the fate of Allied airmen who were captured and endured the hell of German POW camps – including Stalag XXA in Toruń. Recently, we had the honor of welcoming his son to our city. He came to Poland to visit the places connected to his father’s wartime captivity and to understand his experience more deeply. This emotional encounter reminded us how much there is still to discover about the prisoners of war held in Toruń . Peter was shot down over the Netherlands and taken into German captivity. His journey led him through several POW camps: Heydekrug in Lithuania, Toruń (Stalag XXA / Stalag 20A), Żagań, and Fallingbostel . Near the end of the war, he endured the brutal evacuation march – one of the most harrowing chapters in the history of Allied POWs. Stalag XXA in Toruń was a key stop in his captivity. Thanks to his son's memories and our joint efforts to reconstruct Peter’s path, we ...

  A story that has come full circle — 80 years after a New Zealand soldier became a prisoner of war, his family visited Toruń to follow in his footsteps and honor his memory at the former German POW camp, Stalag XXA. The journey of their ancestor was nothing short of extraordinary. He traveled from distant New Zealand to fight in Europe during World War II. Captured after the Battle of Crete , he was transported — like many Allied POWs — by train for eleven days , arriving in Toruń in February, where he was held in Stalag XXA , the German prisoner-of-war camp. The details of his captivity in and around Toruń remain incomplete. However, from the surviving records, we know he was held in several forts, worked on a local farm, and was later forced to join an evacuation march deep into Germany. During the march, he suffered severe frostbite and lost both legs. Remarkably, thanks to the intervention of the Red Cross — and reportedly a bribe — he was transferred to an American milita...

Some journeys go far beyond sightseeing — they become personal pilgrimages into family history. This was the case for Wayne , who came to Poland to discover the places where his father, a British soldier and prisoner of war during World War II, was once held captive. Wayne’s father was a gunner in a tank crew . He was captured following the British retreat at Dunkirk and later interned in Stalag XXA in Toruń , and then transferred to Stalag XXB in Malbork . These details were uncovered through preserved wartime records. The most extraordinary moment of the visit happened in the Malbork City Museum , where Wayne saw something unimaginable — his father’s Bible from captivity , discovered by a local woman and donated to the museum. Such moments are incredibly rare and deeply emotional. Wayne was joined by his daughter, representing the next generation. Together, they experienced a moving journey through history — exploring Polish cities, landscapes, and cuisine, all while gaining a deepe...

This was a truly extraordinary and moving visit. All the way from Ireland, three generations of the same family — the son, grandson, and great-grandson of Corporal David Hann — came to our museum in Toruń. It is not often that we have the privilege of welcoming such a multigenerational group, united by a shared desire to learn about their ancestor and understand the legacy of the Stalag XXA POW camp in Toruń. Corporal David Hann served in the 1st Gordon Highlanders regiment. On June 12, 1940, during operations in France, he was captured by German forces at St. Valéry . After being held in a transit camp (Dulag), he was transported on July 10, 1940, to Stalag XXA (Stalag 20A) in Toruń , where he remained until May 17, 1944, before being transferred to Stalag III A . During their visit, we used the documents and details shared by the family to guide them through key locations associated with Stalag XXA POW camp in Toruń . We aimed to share as much knowledge as possible, helping them und...

On the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Toruń paid tribute to the victims of Nazi occupation. The central ceremony took place at the obelisk on the Square of the Artillery Officers’ School, where both the tragic fate of the city’s inhabitants and the joy of the May 1945 victory were commemorated. Part of the commemoration also took place at the monument honoring the former prisoner-of-war camp. City officials laid flowers there, paying their respects. fot. torun.pl

On the anniversary of the end of World War II, Toruń became the setting of a deeply moving encounter with history. Linda and Barbara – the niece and daughter of British POW Jack Bird – visited the city to pay tribute to his memory and trace the locations connected to his imprisonment in Stalag XXA. The visit, carefully prepared since autumn 2024, was a powerful reminder of the legacy of prisoners of war in Stalag XXA, which Toruń continues to honor and preserve. Since the autumn of 2024, we had been working to establish precise historical facts and identify the exact places where Private Jack Bird was held during his captivity in the Stalag XXA prisoner-of-war camp in Toruń . Our goal was to prepare a meaningful and historically grounded journey for Barbara and Linda — one that would lead them as close as possible to the real sites their father and uncle once knew. Their visit was based on verified archival data, including valuable documents shared by the guests themselves. Together, w...

During visits to Toruń, stories often resurface—stories that, although from the past, still stir strong emotions. One such story is that of escapes by prisoners of war from Stalag XXA, a German POW camp located in the city of Toruń. Over the years of guiding the families of former POWs, we have noticed that there are two most commonly repeated types of escapes from the camp. Spontaneous escapes – impulse and hope for freedom The first type involves spontaneous escapes—prisoners slipping away from work assignments, most often from farms, taking advantage of guards' carelessness or sudden opportunities. Unfortunately, these attempts usually ended in failure. After a few days, exhausted and hungry, the escapees were brought back to the POW camp under escort. Planned escapes – the power of cooperation and courage The second type involved carefully planned escapes, which required time, trust, and cooperation from many people. A key element was a well-prepared route and a convincing ...

Bryan and Emma traveled to Toruń with one very personal goal – to uncover the fate of Bryan’s father, William, who was a prisoner of war in Stalag XXA from 1940 to 1945. Like many from his generation, William rarely spoke about his wartime experiences. That’s why this journey felt like assembling a puzzle – complex, demanding, but deeply meaningful. Through the analysis of archival documents and fragmented memories, we were able to reconstruct a highly detailed timeline of events that led to William’s capture. It all began near Dunkirk, where he was taken prisoner by the Germans and transported to the POW camp in Toruń. Further research led us to the people he was interned with, including Sam Kydd – a post-war actor who later recounted his experiences in Stalag XXA. The journey to Toruń was not just about visiting the former camp site. We wanted to show Bryan and Emma the broader context – what the city was like under occupation, the living conditions in the camp, and how the fate of p...

Stalag XXA in Toruń remains one of the most historically significant POW camps of World War II. This prisoner-of-war camp housed thousands of Allied soldiers, enduring the harsh realities of captivity. One of the most intriguing, albeit propagandistic, portrayals of the camp comes from 1945 a Soviet film that captured the so-called "liberation" of Toruń and Stalag XXA. "In the Lair of the Beast"  The Soviet film "In the Lair of the Beast" (В логове зверя) was produced to showcase the Red Army's advance through East Prussia. The film was created by Central Studio of the Order of the Red Banner of Documentary Films, a Moscow-based film studio specializing in documentary production. During the war, this studio documented the progress of military operations, producing films with enormous propaganda significance. These films depicted the "heroism" of Soviet soldiers, the "cruelty" of the Nazis, and the "liberation" of cities an...

This is a translation of an article from the Nowości newspaper from 2016, which I wrote about the evacuation of the camp and the first days after the liberation. Operation Roland In late January 1945, the sounds of Russian artillery were already audible in the center of Toruń, signaling the approaching Red Army. During this time, Franz Jakob, the mayor of Toruń, implemented the pre-prepared 1944 plan "Roland," which entailed the evacuation of civilians, prisoners of war, and forced laborers from the city. The operation was divided into three stages: "Roland Erwartung" : Propaganda activities. "Roland I" : The evacuation by train of children, women, the elderly, the sick, and those requiring care. "Roland II" : The remaining population was to be evacuated from Toruń. In reality, residents sought safety by any means possible. Panic on the Roads Accounts from that time mention crowded roads, panic, and uncontrollable chaos. Years of propaganda abou...