WARTIME GUIDES

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...