Secret Communication Channels in Stalag XXA in Toruń

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 information, documents, food, and even clothing for escapees made their way inside.

Historical accounts describe several fascinating methods of delivering messages. Poles working in the camp, performing maintenance or repairs – for example, on electrical installations – carried such messages in and out. We also know that near one of the forts, there was a designated point by the side entrances where correspondence was passed during the night.

One of the most intriguing and well-documented accounts tells of a tunnel used to transport parcels, documents, and warm clothes. The tunnel had to be long enough to pass under double rows of barbed wire and ensure the safety of those involved. This form of support was especially significant in the early years of Stalag XXA’s operation, before Red Cross aid began arriving regularly.

Local youth, often connected with the resistance yet unaware of the true importance of their actions, also took part in this communication. Messages were smuggled inside loaves of bread or milk cans, left at workplaces or near the camp itself.

Another chapter of this story involves reports from labor detachments, which were delivered to Toruń through a network of couriers, who hid them in special drop points in the very heart of the city – right under the noses of the Germans.

How much courage and trust must such actions have required? These people often did not know each other, nor did they share a common language, and yet they risked so much. If caught, the consequences would have been severe – both for the prisoners and for those who helped them.

I am glad that in today’s times, so often weakened by a lack of true role models for the youth, we can still draw upon such examples.

In the photo: the railway bridge in Toruń being rebuilt by the Germans, soon to be crossed by one of the couriers carrying messages for the prisoners.

Many of you also visit Warsaw, where in the very center of the city stands the Monument of the Little Insurgent, paying tribute to the youngest who took part in the fight for a free Poland during Warsaw Uprising in 1944. I encourage you to take notice of it.

Source: Collections of the District Museum in Toruń and Wikipedia.

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"I will always be grateful to Pawel for helping me understand better what happened to my father when he was captured by the German army after the fighting at Dunkirk. Like many former British POWs, Dad was reluctant to tell his children very much about what he had endured during the war. We knew he spent most of the war in German POW camps, in particular one in Poland. From his army records we discovered that camp was Staleg XX-A. I contacted Pawel at very short notice recently when I was in traveling with my husband in Europe. Pawel was able to meet me in Torun to walk me through the history of Staleg XX-A and some of the forts of Torun. My father, John Wilkinson, was with the British Expeditionary Force, serving in the Light Tank Regiment of the 1st East Riding Yeomanry. We believe he fought at Cassel in France before being captured. It was extraordinary for me to walk with Pawel at Torun where the British POWs disembarked, knowing my father would hav...

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