A brief timeline of the Forced March of January and February of 1945,
from Stalag III in Sagan to Stalag VII-A in Moosburg...
(compiled from information recorded by E.M. Brockmeier,
Vernon L. Burda, and
James H. Keefe)
- Mid-January, 1945
Russians advance toward Sagan.
- January 27, 1945
Russians reach Breslau and Steinau.
Orders given for Forced March. March begins at
midnight in zero-degree blizzard.
- January 28, 1945
March 18 Km to Halbau. Spend
night with 2000 men crammed into church.
- January 29, 1945
March 4 Km beyond Freiweldau
with great difficulty due to prisoners' weakened
condition. Spend night with 500 men to a barn.
- January 30, 1945
General Vanaman talks Germans
into resting one day here.
- January 31, 1945
March resumes with about 30 more
Km to Muskau through hilly country and more bad weather--
snow, rain, and hail. Quartered overnight in crockery
factory and slept on concrete floor.
- February 1, 1945
First food in 5 days. General
Vanaman again talks Germans into staying one day.
Met up with prisoners from West Camp and Balaria,
who walked here without stops--severe frostbite and
generally bad condition.
- February 2, 1945
Rest here for one day.
- February 3, 1945
March resumes at 4:30AM. Sleds
are discarded due to rain and thawing. 18 Km to
Braustein (Graustein?). Bedded in barns.
- February 4, 1945
March resumes at dawn. 7 Km to
Spremburg. Stayed in garages and got hot soup.
Crammed into railway box-cars at night. Made 30-40
Km toward Nurnburg.
- February 5, 1945
Still in rail-cars. Made Dresden
by midnight. Locked in box-cars during air-raid at
Chemnitz.
- February 6, 1945
Arrive at Zwickau at dawn. Given
horrible coffee--first liquid since February 4.
- February 7, 1945
Reach Augsburg by dawn--still
no water. Finally made the bombed-out railyard at
Munich. Arrived at Stalag VII-A in Moosburg in
afternoon.
- February 8-10, 1945
Stay in "snake-pit."
- February 11, 1945
Searched after supper, deloused,
and moved into barracks in East Lager.
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