January 1945: The Long March from Stalag XXA Toruń

The end of January marks a crucial and tragic moment in the history of Stalag XXA in Toruń (Stalag 20A Toruń) and Stalag XXB Malbork (Stalag 20B Malbork).

At this time in 1945, German authorities issued evacuation orders to POW camps and labor detachments across the region. The advancing Soviet army forced the German command to move prisoners westward.

The Departure from Stalag XXA

Prisoners from Stalag XXA Toruń began their march on January 21st at around 3:00 AM.

This marked the beginning of what later became known as the “Long March” or “Death March”—a dramatic and painful episode remembered in the memoirs of Allied prisoners of war held in northern Poland.

Thousands of POWs left the camps around Toruń and began marching in freezing winter conditions. Many of them would walk hundreds of kilometers across occupied territory.

Parallel Marches: POWs, Forced Laborers, and Concentration Camp Prisoners

What is less widely known is that the POW columns from Stalag XXA Toruń and Stalag XXB Malbork were not the only prisoners moving along these routes.

At nearly the same time—and often in the same direction—another tragic evacuation was taking place. Columns of prisoners from the Stutthof Concentration Camp and its sub-camps were also forced to march westward.

These prisoners had previously been brought to the region as forced laborers, many of them working on fortifications constructed in preparation for the approaching front.

For brief moments during those winter marches, prisoners from different camp systems—POW camps and concentration camps—found themselves walking along the same roads.

Similar Memories from Different Prisoners

Memoirs written by survivors from these different groups—Allied POWs, concentration camp prisoners, and forced laborers—describe strikingly similar experiences:

extreme winter weather
exhaustion and hunger
long columns of prisoners guarded by German soldiers
encounters between prisoners from different camps along the roads

The tragedy of these events largely speaks for itself and requires little additional commentary.

Remembering the History

To commemorate this difficult chapter of history, our local library has organized an exhibition dedicated to the evacuation marches of prisoners from the Stutthof concentration camp and its sub-camps, including those located in the Toruń region.

Many families researching relatives held in Stalag XXA Toruń or Stalag XXB Malbork have discovered references in memoirs describing encounters with these other prisoners during the march.

This is a lesser-known but important aspect of the history of the Long March of 1945—the moment when prisoners from different types of camps were brought together on the same roads of northern Poland.

graph: poster of exhibition

Just few hours to understand life in Stalag XXA(20A) in Torun

"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...

Thanks this trip we've discovered new facts about POW from Stalag XXA in 1945

That was wonderful trip. During three days we saw couple of places connected with POW path of Jack Stansfield. Moreover thanks his son Michael we saw notes with memories of last days in Stalag XXA in Torun. In opposit to all facts which says that prisoners left camp in late december 1945 Jack wrote that they started to march on 21 january! That means that lasts groups of POW left camp in 10 days before Torun was liberated. Fortunatley Jack survived afeter he escaped from march. He met russians army and polish partizants. Below we presents you short memories about Jack and trip to Poland... My father was called Jack Stansfield, he was born in August 1918. He was brought up in the market town of Malton in North Yorkshire where his parents were publicans. He joined the Territorial Army in March 1939 and was mobilised on the declaration of war. Jack enlisted in his local regiment joining the 5th Battalion of the Green Howards. After a short time at the Regimental HQ in Richmond, North...

Living conditions in Stalag XXA

Monthly bath in Stalag XXA Living conditions Lawrence Travers Dorins a former POW describes „fort XI was surrounded by a high bank and the fence around it with gates across the entrance road, on one side there was also a dry moat with a bridge on it. The bridge led to a tunnel” The fortress was covered with trees, bushes and earth so that the fortress could not be visible from the bird's eye. Prisoners slept in caponiers where initially were supposed to sleep Prussian soldiers. Yet PoW describes the rooms as if there were designed as rooms in the concentration camps. Rooms looked as semi tunnels. “The perpendicular walls were about 3m high and the height of the arched roof was about 5 m, wooden bunks provided sleeping spaces. Each room had only two small windows which obviously allowed no ventilation. Due to the end of the night the air was solid and everyone would have a headache due to oxygen starvation” .In those rooms kept approximately 32 men. There were three shelves whe...

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