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 ...
This blog is dedicated to people who were imprisoned in Stalag XXA in Thorn in 1939-45. We would like to show you that in the shadows of the beautiful gothic city there is also forgotten history.