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 Sgt. Toomey R.E., R.C.A.F.  P.O.W. 683

THIS BOOK WAS PURCHASED FOR THE SUM OF 12 AMERICAN CIGARETTES FROM A GERMAN GUARD AT III-A  [POW camp Stalag III-A, Luckenwalde, Germany] ON THE 7-4-45

Landed on Sejero Island, Denmark

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Evacuation of Silesia and of "Luft 7" Due to the rapid sweep of the Russian Army in January of 1945. 

During the Christmas & New Year season, we had heard rumours of our camp moving from various sources, but ignored them and thought no more about it 'till the morning of January 17 – 1945. 

During the night of the 16th Marshal Stalin, in his order of the day, stated his main objectives would be Breslau and Cracow [now Wrocław and Kraków in Poland].

He sure didn't waste any time, 'cause on the morning of the 17th the Germans gave us 1 hr. to be ready to march. What an hour that was with sharing up the little food we had left and getting clothed mostly with towels, and such like.

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The camp was a total wreck in about half an hour; everyone had sports equipment, musical instruments, and books of all descriptions to take along. We took as much time as possible with the idea that "Joe" might liberate us. Nothing happened. All that morning and afternoon we just hung around, scrounging what we could and making barley soup and hot brews for [sic]we would be full when we had to venture out into the cold.

Finally word came around that we could go to bed 'till 3 AM, when we would be moving off.

 At 3 AM we had a brew and laid around all day. There were hundreds of types of rumours going around that we couldn't get out, that "Joe" [the Russians] had us surrounded. At 6 PM another German order came around that we were leaving immediately [indecipherable, 3 or 4 words].

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Again we slung our blankets and kit. After standing out in the cold for about two hours we started trickling back to our billets to get warm 'till finally we were all back indoors. The temperature started dropping and a very sharp, strong wind came up. Everyone was hoping and praying that we wouldn't move 'till morning.

About 10 PM the camp siren blew and the lights went out and almost instantly a stick of bombs bursted about 200 yds from our billet. Everyone scrambled to the floor and to cover as good as possible. The raid lasted about 2 hrs. F1's [type of Russian grenade] fell close by and we really thought we had our time.

At 3 AM the morning of the 19th [January, 1945] the game was over. We were all out of our billets and moved off at 6 AM.

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There was a real blizzard blowing and we weren't clothed for winter weather. We were told at the last moment that transportation couldn't be had and that we would have to march to Sagan [now Żagań, Poland], approximately 250 Kilos. We started marching and the highways were iced from all the evacuees and the wind made it very awful.

I never thought we would [make it] that day. We marched from the camp at Bankau through Kreuzburg [now Kluczbork] and stopped at "Winterfeld" [now Zawisc], a distance of 32 Kilos where we were put in barns and cow sheds.

No lights, no food and half frozen to death. We arrived at 5:30 PM. 

The boys couldn't carry the books and suit cases they started out with so all along the road they threw away their gear. Never have I witnessed such a sight. 

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Morning of the 20/1/45, we were back on the road at 4 AM and had a real frosty night. No supper or breakfast. We marched via Karlsruhe [now Pokoj] to Staberthal where we were put into a brick factory. The Germans got orders to stop, ’til further notice, so we again thought that there was still a chance of being liberated. 

It was about 10 AM when we arrived and only marched about 9 Kilos. The building was cold and really dusty. In a short while we had fires going in thousands of places and everyone drying out and brewing up. We burned everything we could get our hands on. 

About 6 PM we were told we would move off in a few hours so everyone was cheesed off ‘cause we were quite tired and hungry and fatigued.

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At 8pm we were back on the road and really in a hurry were those Gerry's 'cause "Joe" was right on our track, not more than 6 hrs behind us. We marched all that night and all the morning of the 21-1-45. 

The boys were dropping out like flies; some with frostbites, spinal trouble, dysentery was bad, some with appendicitis, blisters and broken limbs.

The Gerry’s had to get us across the Oder river by 8 AM, as they were to blow the main bridge at 8:15. This proved to be a real forced march. It was deadly. We lost about 40 men that night. Several boys stayed or escaped from the brick works.

 So that night we marched from Staberthal to Dairy Farm on the west side of the Oder river 43 kilo's.  [Farm in Buchitz or Dom Waldhaus (now Buszyce) according to other reports. The river was crossed by a bridge between  Popielów  and Mikolin. C.L.]

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We were put into one of those communal barns. What a hole. The cattle and pigs were housed and fed better than we. Hunger was bad and the boys took everything they could get their hands on. e.g. potatoes, sugar beet, cattle and pig swill. The Gerry's wouldn't let us light fires to brew up, so we just had to do without. Most of the boys had no grub at all.

Our M.O. Padre and Pete Thomson, our Camp Leader did good work with the wounded, sick and in general. 

The Gerry's were inhuman in every way. They attempted to move us but our M.O. managed to prevent it ‘cause we couldn't stand up, we were all so weak, mostly from lack of food. We got 1/6 of a loaf of bread the following day. [The nearby town was Gros Jenkwitz (now Jankowice Wielkie) or Schönfeld  (now Obórki)  according to other reports.] 

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So we got as much rest as we could and on Jan. 24-1945 at 2:45 we started marching to Wansen [now Wiązów], passing through Zurnden. We marched a distance of 25 km.

 Left Wansen at 4:30 Thursday 25-1-45, passing through Cushlau, Strehlen [Strzelin], Petrowitz [Piotrowice], Karzen [Karczyn], and arrived at Heidersdorf  [Łagiewniki, Dzierżoniów County]  at 2 PM where we were put into another barn. We hardly had room to lay down and some had to sleep out in the snow on some straw. My mate, Len Wilson got sick. What a day, it was so cold we couldn't lay down. [J.L. (Len) Wilson (1675969), a glider pilot with the RAF was in Toomey's combine and is mentioned elsewhere in this website.]

The Gerry's gave us 1/5 of a loaf of bread and 1/20 of a block 1 lb. of margarine. We met the Lamsdorfe boys who were on the march. They had been strafed by Russian planes and 150 got killed. They also were starving but had only marched ½ of our distance.

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Friday 26-1-45 we rested, got ½ cup of soup and 1/5 of a loaf. It was just like Xmas.

Sat. 27-1-45 left at 11:30, passed through Langseifersdorf  [now Jaźwina] and stopped in Pfaffendorf  [now Książnica]. Marched a distance of 21 Kilo's; had ½ cup of soup at 7:30 pm. By this time about another 150 lads dropped out, some were sent to local hospitals and some sent by train to Sagan. The temp was 10 below F.

Sunday 28-1-45  We're again on the march at 5:30 AM. Passed through Pilzen [now Boleścin, Świdnica County] & Schweidnitz [now Świdnica]arriving at Standorf  [now Stanowice, Świdnica County ] at 1 PM. It snowed very heavy all day and we and our blankets were all wet. We were put into horrible barns, hardly any straw. Our blankets and clothing remained frozen...[last line of page indecipherable] 

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We remained there till Tuesday 30-1-45. The Poles on the premises gave some of us soup and spuds. Tuesday evening we left there at 5:30 PM and were issued 8 biscuits each on the road.

We ran into a blizzard that nearly blinded us. The traffic was all held up and German troops were all stuck along the road. Saw some dead, frozen Germans along the highway. After a slow and difficult march we arrived 4 miles west of Jauer [now Jawor], making the trip 27 Km.  

[Stopped at Peterwitz, according to most accounts, which is now named Piotrowice k Jawora.]

We were put in barns, shivering cold and wet like dogs, where we spent the night. Stayed there Wednesday 31-1-45.

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Thursday 1-2-45 left at 8:30 AM and marched till 2:30 pm, a distance of 14 Kms. One Gerry guard got cheesed off and called Hitler a bastard, and said he was packing it in. He asked another guard to shoot him and then walked off across a field; haven't seen him since.

Orders came around that Sagan had evacuated and that there was transport ahead to take us to Bavaria. "God help us if we don't get to a camp soon" was the chief saying that day. So we arrived at a small farm, filthy mud & shit to the ankles, 7 Km East of Goldberg [now Zlotoryja]. Got 1/6 of a loaf of bread and ½ cup of soup daily Fri. 2, Sat. 3 & Sun. 4. 

[Rested here Febuary 2nd to 4th. According to other reports the town was named Prausnitz - now Prusice. While here the farmer complained to Oberstleutnant Behr that  five of his chickens were missing. Behr warned the men not to steal chickens, but the following day the rest of the chickens disappeared along with a small shed that reappeared in the form of firewood.]

Sunday morning we gathered all the R.C. together and Fr. Berry gave us a little sermon and we said the Rosary. Nearly froze my fingers.

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 The Germans on the transport threw off his case with his altar stone relics and chalice. 

We heard Sunday night we had transport on Monday; everyone was so glad. The boys were so hungry they sold watches and rings for 1 & 2 loaves of bread. I sold a bar of soap for a cig. [cigarette] and 1 for an onion. First smoke for days.

Monday 5-2-45 left at 6 AM. Marched 7 Km to Goldberg [now Zlotoryja]. Ate sugar beet along the road and got a belly ache from the frozen beet. We were put into boxcars. 55 in our car, hardly standing room. 

They locked the doors and left one little window open to throw out our waste. What a grim day. Some of the boys had dysentery and some awful frost bites.

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We used a small litre can for a lavatory and had no water for the first 2 days. We got 1/16 of a loaf and 3 of us missed out. It didn’t go around.

We started about 2 PM and went through or from Goldberg  [Zlotoryja, Poland], Leignitz [Legnica], Sagan [Żagań], Klinge, Cottbus, Calau, Falkenberg, stopped over each night in marshalling yards and air raids were continuous. 

We finally reached Luckenwalde on Feb. 8-45 at 11 AM.

After being without food for 3 days everyone was so weak they could hardly make the 3 Km march to the Camp at Stalag IIIA. We had a hot shower and had a cup of soup and 4 spuds about 7 PM and an issue of 1 cig. per man. Boy were we happy.

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We were put into billets and given wood shavings to put under us on the floor, where I’m now sitting, writing this. 

I’m very happy today ‘cause we got issued our first ¼ of a Red Cross parcel last night. 

If it wasn’t for the fleas everything would be bang on ‘cause the war news is really good. Bye now.

Bob Toomey

I left England [RAF Middleton St. George Airfield in County Durham] on the morning of August 16-1944 on an operation to bomb Stettin, Germany [now Szczecin, Poland] in a Lancaster X.

We were attacked by a Ju 88 over a Danish Island called Victory Island. After being shot down in flames with 3 motors and the controls u/s [unserviceable], I woke up in the water below, the Baltic. [The aircraft actually went down into the Kattegat Sea, which the Baltic drains into.]

I managed to swim ashore in my Mae West and was taken prisoner at 10:30 AM on the 17-8-44.  [1]

I spent 3 days on the island and helped bury my skipper [William C. Fairgrieve]. On the morning of the 20th I was put on a boat and taken to Denmark then by train to Copenhagen to a Luft guard house, and the following day, 21-8-44 was taken to a prison in Copenhagen. 

On the morning of 23-8-44 was taken to the train where I met F/O Durfee, a Canadian bomb aimer. [2]

Then taken to a Danish port and boarded a ship for Rostock.  Arrived there at 6:30 and was put on a train for Frankfurt. Stopped and changed trains in Hamburg.

Arrived in Oberursel for interrogation on the morning of 24-8-44. Was put into solitary confinement and contracted tonsillitis. 

Spent 3 days of hell.  Morning of 27-8-44 was taken to Wetzlar Dulag Luft, where I had my first wash and received my first Red Cross issue. [3] 

Taken from Wetzlar to Bankau in Silesia by train.  Arrived in Stalag Luft 7 on the 30-8-44.  Spent 4 ½ months there.

Left Bankau on the morning of the 19th-1-45 and walked 256 Kilos to Goldberg where we were taken by box cars to Luckenwalde. 

Marched another 5 Kilos to Stalag IIIA 8-2-45 after being without food for 3 days.

I spent 2 ½ months in filth and disease and little food. On April 22-1945 after a week of heavy bombing and shelling in the area, the Gerry’s pulled out and the Russian tanks came into our camp on Sunday morning while I was at mass.

The shouting by all the nationalities was the welcome as each tank rolled by.

The evacuation of Luft 7 due to the rapid sweep of the Russian Army in January of 1945.

During the Xmas season many rumours were floating around of a move to central Germany but we just ignored them, till the morning of Jan. 17-45.

During the 16th Marshal Stalin had published in his order of the day that his next and main objective would be Breslau and Cracow, and he sure didn’t waste any time getting mobile. 

At 11 AM on the morning of the 17th the Gerrys gave us 1 hr. to be ready to move. Little did we know they meant march. 

The rail systems had been wrecked and what was serviceable we jammed with supplies and troops.

What an hour that was, with sharing up what little Red Cross food we had saved up. The temperature was around 0° C, with a nasty wind blowing from the north. We weren’t equipped with clothing for such weather so we had to use our towels & other clothing to bundle up in.

By noon hour the camp was a total wreck, all the stores were ransacked, and practically everyone had extra luggage, mostly musical instruments and sports equipment. The library was a shamble.

Nothing more came of that first order so it gave the boys more time to pack, make sleighs out of bed boards and brewing up was the chief sport. What a day.

[Several pages are left blank following the previous text, and continues with a description of events beginning April 22, 1945 through May 16, 1945. This untitled page is an account of the journey from Stalag III-A in Luckenwalde to Membury, England and freedom.]

After being liberated by the Russians on April 22-45 they made no attempt to evacuate us. On May 1 an American correspondent on his way to Berlin dropped in the camp and took information of our liberation back with him.

On May 6 a convoy of American Red Cross ambulances evacuated the wounded and sick. 

On the following day a convoy of 120 Yank trucks came to get us but the Russians wouldn't permit them to move us.

After a lot of red tape and negotiation, the Russians ordered the trucks to leave our camp empty on the morning of May 8, 1945.  Everyone was panicky and proceeded to leave the camp. 

 I left at 12:30 and was fired at by the Russian armed guards. We got into the woods and headed for Wittenberg on the Elbe. 

The American convoy passed us on the road but wouldn’t pick us up.  

We walked about 38 kilos to ____ where we got the Russians to put us up for the night.

 [Robert Toomey left a space in the sentence above. I believe the town may have been Kropstädt, which is 35.5 kilometres from the city of Luckenwalde and 13.5 kilometres before Wittenberg on the main highway. CL.]

They gave us a lovely house and lots of food. We all ate till we got sick and went to bed.

At 7 AM we started out and walked to Wittenberg. Arrived at 12:30 PM.

Interviewed the Russian Commandant and were permitted to cross the bridge. 

We walked 12 Kilos past Wittenberg on the main autobound and came across a Yanky truck.

He took us to the American lines where we made contact with the army repatriation. First real meal and a glass of beer.

The following morning 10-5-45 we were taken to a repatriation camp at Halle. I fainted twice that day and found myself in the hospital.

Left Halle hospital at 1200 hrs 12-5-45, arriving at Wirsberg Airdrome, had lunch and went to our C-47. Tire u/s [unserviceable] so we had to wait a few hrs.

I was transferred to another C-47 and got aboard.  Just before takeoff the pilot said there were too many aboard so a draw took place and I was one of the unlucky ones. 

Stayed overnight.  Sun. May 13-1945 was put aboard a C-47 at 9:00 hrs. and landed at an airdrome at Mourmelon, near Rheims, France.

Taken by ambulance to an American hospital. First piece of pie and white sheets and spring bed for 10 months.

Mon. May 14-45. Remained in  hospital all day. Movie in the evening.

Tues. May 15-45. Walked around, sat in the sun. Show in the evening.

Wed. May 16-45. Up early, expect to go to England today.

Left evacuation hospital at Mourmelon, France at 2 PM. Arrived at Membury, Oxfordshire, England at 3:30 PM, taken to 256 American Field hospital.

Flew in a C-46 – Sent a cable, wrote to Art. [Robert’s brother, Sgt. Arthur Toomey who was stationed at RAF Croft.]