WARTIME GUIDES

For years of exploring prisoner-of-war (POW) stories, we have encountered many guests whose relatives decided to escape from captivity. Although the entire plan, transfer, and security were massive operations, from a purely human perspective, I was always curious about the exact moment when the escapees boarded the ship.   I came across a fairly detailed description of a transfer POW from Stalag XXA to Sweden. The operation was meticulously planned and required cooperation between members of the underground, port staff, and the ship's crew. It is easy to write about it now, but at that time, even the smallest mistake could cost these people—and their families—their lives. The first step was to enter the port area—according to sources, the kitchen served as the entry point. Next, it was necessary to change into work clothes, apply a "coal makeup," and blend in with the workers. The most stressful moment was boarding the ship. The vessels were heavily guarded, so it was cru...

In December, we had the extraordinary privilege of accompanying Elizabeth in her search for traces of her father, a prisoner of war who had been held at the  Stalag XXA in Toruń. Thanks to preserved correspondence, we managed to reconstruct a fragment of his wartime history and embark on an extraordinary journey together. We visited places that were once his prison but also offered him hope for survival. Stalag XXA in Toruń - A Prison and a Symbol of Hope In Toruń, there was Stalag XXA, one of many German prisoner-of-war camps located in occupied Poland. Thousands of soldiers from various countries were held there under harsh conditions. One of them was Elżbieta's father, who arrived in Toruń along with soldiers captured at Dunkirk. Long hours spent studying documents, gathering memories, and connecting facts allowed us to determine exactly where he stayed and what he did in the camp. However, it took us almost a year to piece everything together. Such knowledge is always a valuabl...