# Oflag XXI-C

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World War II German prisoner-of-war camp

Oflag XXI-C Ostrzeszów, German-occupied Poland Norwegian prisoners of war in Oflag XXI-C Site information Type Prisoner-of-war camp Controlled by Nazi Germany Location Oflag XXI-C Ostrzeszów, Poland Coordinates 51°25′34″N 17°55′57″E / 51.4262°N 17.9325°E / 51.4262; 17.9325 Site history In use 1942 – 1945 Battles/wars World War II Garrison information Occupants Norwegian, Dutch, Italian, Serbian and Soviet officers

**Oflag XXI-C** was a [German Army](/source/German_Army_(Wehrmacht)) [World War II](/source/World_War_II) [prisoner-of-war camp](/source/German_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_World_War_II) for [officers](/source/Officer_(armed_forces)) (*[Offizierlager](/source/Oflag)*) located in [Ostrzeszów](/source/Ostrzesz%C3%B3w) in [German-occupied](/source/Occupation_of_Poland_(1939%E2%80%931945)) [Poland](/source/Poland). It held mostly [Norwegian](/source/Norway) officers arrested in 1942 and 1943, but also [Dutch](/source/Dutch_people), [Italian](/source/Italians), [Serbian](/source/Serbs) and [Soviet](/source/Soviet_Union) POWs. Originally most Norwegian soldiers and officers had been released after the end of the [Norwegian campaign](/source/Norwegian_campaign), but as resistance activities increased, the officers were rearrested and sent to POW camps.

## Camp history

Memorial plaque to Norwegian POWs at the local high school building, which was occupied by Oflag XXI-C

The camp was originally established in June 1942 near [Skoki](/source/Skoki) 30 km (19 mi) north of [Poznań](/source/Pozna%C5%84), in what had previously been Oflag XXI-A, opened in September 1940 as a camp for Polish officers.[1]

In March 1943 it was moved to [Ostrzeszów](/source/Ostrzesz%C3%B3w) (renamed *Schildberg* during the German occupation)[1] taking over buildings previously used as a camp for wounded and sick [British](/source/Great_Britain) non-commissioned officers and designated [Stalag XXI-A](/source/Stalag_XXI-A). This camp was unique in that it comprised several buildings in the centre of the small town, from which the remaining Polish inhabitants had been removed. These buildings were not adjacent to each other and were surrounded by barbed-wire fences.

In 1944 the Norwegian officers were located as follows: 630 in the Seminary; 290 in the high-school; 100 in the primary school; 80 in the Richter house; 30 in hospital.[2]

There was also a sub-camp (*Zweiglager*), designated Oflag XXI-C/Z established at [Gronówko](/source/Gron%C3%B3wko%2C_Greater_Poland_Voivodeship) near [Leszno](/source/Leszno), between September 1943 and January 1945.[1]

### Escapes

The Dutch organized two successful escapes from the camp, most likely in cooperation with the [Polish resistance](/source/Polish_resistance_movement_in_World_War_II), as two officers escaped on 17 September 1943 and 15 officers and an orderly on 2 November 1943.[3]

Two Norwegian POWs escaped during the evacuation in January 1945 and first hid in an abandoned prison building in Ostrzeszów, and then were received by a local Polish family.[4]

### Liberation

In January 1945 the officers were marched out westward towards [Odolanów](/source/Odolan%C3%B3w),[4] finally arriving at [Oflag III-A](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oflag_III-A&action=edit&redlink=1) in [Luckenwalde](/source/Luckenwalde), south of [Berlin](/source/Berlin). On 21 January 1945 the [Red Army](/source/Red_Army) liberated the abandoned camp. On 5 May 1945 the Norwegians were transported east to a camp near [Legnica](/source/Legnica) in Silesia, then travelled for several days by train to [Hamburg](/source/Hamburg) and [Aarhus](/source/Aarhus), [Denmark](/source/Denmark), finally arriving in [Oslo](/source/Oslo) on 28 May 1945.[5]

## Commemoration

[Ostrzeszów](/source/Ostrzesz%C3%B3w) Town Hall, which houses the [Regional Museum](/source/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Golus_Regional_Museum_in_Ostrzesz%C3%B3w) with an exhibition dedicated to Norwegian POWs of Oflag XXI-C

A permanent exhibition devoted to the history of Norwegian POWs of the camp was established in 1996 within the [Władysław Golus Regional Museum in Ostrzeszów](/source/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Golus_Regional_Museum_in_Ostrzesz%C3%B3w).[6]

## See also

- [List of prisoner-of-war camps in Germany](/source/List_of_prisoner-of-war_camps_in_Germany)

- [Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany](/source/Occupation_of_Norway_by_Nazi_Germany)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-moosburg_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-moosburg_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-moosburg_1-2) ["List of Kriegsgefangenenlager"](http://www.moosburg.org/info/stalag/laglist.html). *Moosburg Online* (in German). 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Map of Oflag XXIC in Ostrzeszow"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110723101007/http://oflag21c.ovh.org/index.php?option=com_mapa&task=mapka&Itemid=75&lang=en). *oflag21c.ovh.org*. 2012. Archived from [the original](http://oflag21c.ovh.org/index.php?option=com_mapa&task=mapka&Itemid=75&lang=en) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Rusak, Stanisław (2011). "Obozy Wehrmachtu w okupowanym Ostrzeszowie i polsko-norweska pamięć o nich". *Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny* (in Polish). **34**. Opole: 86. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0137-5199](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0137-5199).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGraf199217_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGraf199217_4-1) [Graf 1992](#CITEREFGraf1992), p. 17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Oflag XXIC - Prisoner of War from the Mountain Country"](http://oflag21c.ovh.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=54&lang=en). *oflag21c.ovh.org*. 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Oflag XXI-C Exhibition"](http://oflag21c.ovh.org/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=41&catid=2&lang=en). *oflag21c.ovh.org*. 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.

## Bibliography

- Graf, Władysław (1992). "Ostrzeszów: obozy jenieckie okresu 1943–1945". *Zeszyty Ostrzeszowskie* (in Polish). No. 18. Ostrzeszowskie Centrum Kultury.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Oflag XXI-C](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oflag_XXI-C) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oflag_XXI-C?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.