Norm was captured on Anzio beachhead, in Italy, on January 30, 1944. His Ranger unit was six miles behind the German lines and the promised help was not forthcoming. They ran out of ammunition and some of the men had to surrender. Orders then came down from on high for his unit to lay down its arms in order to save our captured men.

At Oflag 64, he spent a lot of time playing softball, boxing and taking boxing lessons, reading and playing cards. He reports also spending time "figuring how to make a million when I got back to the farm, thinking about getting back to my folks and about Betty, the girl I was engaged to." Norm worked very hard, too, at the complicated art of cooking on those "smokeless heaters"

Joe was captured on December 23, 1942, at Longstop Hill in Tunisia. He was with Co. A, the 1st Bn., 18th Infantry of the 1st Infantry Division. As a prisoner, he was held in German camps in Sicily and Italy, then escaped for about three months, was recaptured and came to Oflag 64 in January 1944.

At Oflag 64, he served as a cook in the hospital until December 1944. "At that time," he says, "I volunteered for the job as cook for the EM mess. Well, as you know, that was a big mistake. I left with everybody else when the camp pulled out and marched back to Germany, and the hospital stayed behind.

Red was captured on March 25, 1943, while on a reconnaissance mission at El Guettar, Tunisia. He and Lt. Burghardt were with the 701st TD Bn. of the 1st Armored Division and were sent out to reconnoiter about 10 miles in front of the division lines. While observing the enemy from a hill, they found our troops had withdrawn and the two of them were captured by the Germans.

While at Schubin, Red played "a few small parts" in several plays, taught a class in "unarmed combat," ran the camp commissary along with Ed Speicher, and did a lot of work on the big escape plans. He was in charge of getting rid of all the dirt from barracks 3A-B's tunnel in late 1944. Quite a job. Red finally got away during the march in January 1945.

Bus was with the 318th Infantry in the 3rd Army when he was captured after crossing the Moselle River at Pont a Mousson on September 14, 1944. It was a counter-attack by the German 3rd Panzer Grenadiers that did him in.

He describes his activities at Oflag 64 as "increasing optimism and staying alive!"

Jim was captured in Tunisia, along with many others, in February 1943. His battery of howitzers was being moved across country when it was approached on both sides by tanks of the Afrika Korps and found itself out-gunned and looking down the barrels of many 77's.

At Oflag 64, he became the artist-in-residence for The Oflag Item and "Daily Bulletin," a forger of escape documents, and actor with the Theater Group, a set designer, a teacher of art classes, and expert craftsman of "smokeless heaters", and a "man-about-lager."

Billy was captured at Kasserine and Faid Pass in North Africa. He was a member of Col. Drake's regiment, the 168th Infantry of the 34th Division, which was overrun by the German 15th and 17th Panzer Divisions.

While at Oflag 64, Billy was inclined to give humorous evening lectures about life in Arkansas. Otherwise, he reports no special activities, but he "stayed hungry all the time." He went out through Poland and Russia.

Jim was captured just ten miles off the beach during the course of the invasion of Salerno, Italy. The landing was made on September 9, 1943, and four days later, his battalion, unreinforced and unsupported by artillery fire, was overrun by one of Rommel's tank and infantry units.

While at Oflag 64, he worked with Lou Otterbein on the theater props, did a 10'x10' garden in the summer and fired both of the so-called room heaters in his end of the barrack during the winter.

Fred was one of the few Air Corps pilots to wind up at Oflag 64. He was giving air support to ground troops advancing toward the Belfort Gap in Germany when anti-aircraft fire downed him. A head wound gave him a concussion and he doesn't remember how he landed safely or even being captured. This was on September 8, 1944.

When he arrived at Oflag 64, Fred was still suffering from the concussion and he remembers very little of what happened until near the end of '44. He adds, "I do remember many individual events after that, but there are gaps. Two old kriegies, Carl Hansen and Red Banker, had been classmates of mine at Yale and I did see them occasionally."

Brad was with a detachment of the 1st Field Artillery Observation Bn. attached to the 17th F.A. and was captured near Sidi Bou Zid, west of Faid Pass in Tunisia in February 14, 1943.

While at Oflag 64, he worked with LeRoy Ihrie and Jack Rathbone in getting the library set up and later was appointed the librarian. He worked there in the White House until the "big hike" in January 1945.

Charlie was captured at Salerno, Italy, on September 12, 1943. His armored unit was on a recon mission 35 miles behind the enemy lines when his tank was destroyed in a fire fight with German Tiger tanks. Altogether, nine of our tanks were lost in that one.

At Oflag 64, he served as aide to Father Brach and as his barrack's laundry officer. Charlie was also involved in sports, cards, reading and the theater.

Tuck was captured on September 12, 1943, near Alta Villa, Italy. He was an artillery battery commander, ordered to go up and support Lt. Col. Barron of the 142nd Inf. On the way, he and two companions were pinned down by German fire. They held out for about two hours, when both of his companions were killed and he was captured. It was then that he reported to Col. Barron, but by that time, they were both POW's.

At Oflag 64, Tuck acted as lookout for "the Bird" on some occasions. He took notes for Lt. Col. Waters when he inspected barracks. (It seems that Colonel Waters had been Tuck's tactical officer at West Point for three years.) And he was shower officer for a couple of months, turning the water on for one minute, off for three and on again for three. He was also in charge of some dirt disposal from the tunnel, storing it in the attic of Barracks 3. He played bridge and chess in his spare time.

"Curly" Bustad was with the 7th Infantry of the 3rd Infantry Division when he was captured at Anzio, Italy, on January 30, 1944. He was caught five miles behind the German lines on a night attack, in a canal without an operative rifle, trying to get back to his own lines.

At Oflag 64, he spent most of his time attending classes in German, Spanish, literature, the humanities, social sciences and music appreciation. Curly also played a bit of volleyball, gardened and went to chapel every day for private devotions. He even attended Ed Batt's lecture on bees -- and has had an interest in bees ever since!

Craig was captured in Tunisia, at the battle of El Guettar. He was on detached service with the 47th Infantry Bn., from AFHQ Headquarters in Algiers, where he was an aide to General Eisenhower.

At Oflag 64, he sang in the Camp Glee Club and worked with officers in the attic of the "White House" who controlled the camp's clandestine radio. Craig says, "We would listen to BBC on progress of the war and then I would meet each day with representatives from each of the barracks to spread the word.

Cannon Ball was captured at Salerno, Italy, on September 9, 1943, when the Germans counter-attacked with four tanks and 40 men. He had stopped on the side of the road to cut some German wire lines, leading five other officers to our regimental CP. They were all captured but one, he reports.

While at Oflag 64, he served as a dental assistant to Dr. Thornquist, played basketball and played in the famous tackle football game on Eddie Berlinski's team against John Shirk's team. Cannon Ball also participated in the group game "Carnival," and modestly admits that he won the a three-legged race with his partner, Red Banker.

Al was captured on February 17, 1943, about 10 miles southwest of Sidi Bou Zid, Tunisia, while leading a group of about 40 riflemen from the 3rd Bn., 168th Infantry on a break-out march through a German reserve area. Crossing an open desert plain, they were suddenly surrounded by DAK tanks and self-propelled artillery units. Attempts to "disappear" under the scrawny cactus failed when the Germans mounted self-propelled artillery at point-blank range. They were captured about 30 miles behind the German lines advancing toward Kasserine.

While at Oflag 64, Al was a member of the security group screening incoming POW's and covering clandestine escape preparations. He also served as a BBC newsreader at the "White House" and read a lot -- an average of one book a day for sustained periods, which involved, early on, reading some books more than once, he says.

Marv was captured on November 7, 1944, at Schmidt, Germany. He was with a third artillery cannon company, for the 112th Infantry of the 28th Division. He says simply, "We were cut off and overrun by German armor."

As a late comer, he was only at Oflag 64 for about a month.

Bob was captured at Kommerscheid, in the Hurtgen Forest of Germany, on November 7, 1944. After seven or eight days of resistance, his rifle battalion and that of Maj. Bob Hazlett suffered heavy losses and were completely overrun by German tanks and infantry.

At Oflag 64, he attended the law classes taught by Wilcox and Fergusen, walked daily, and read a lot.

"Cip" was captured at El Guettar, Tunisia, on March 28, 1943. As a platoon leader of the 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, he moved up under cover of darkness to about 50 yards from the German position, in preparation for a joint attack with the 9th Division. When a truck carrying Italian troops was halted by his squad leader, Cip was called to interview the Italians and find out if there was an opening in the concertina wire that ringed the German position. He did. Then one of his men confronted an Italian sentry and called for Cip again. When he was trying to talk the sentry out of his position, it suddenly began to rain hand grenades. Then the Germans attacked the platoon members who were pinned down. They were out numbered, outgunned and captured.

While at Oflag 64, he taught Italian at the camp school, sang in the camp choir and chorus, and was an end man in the camp minstrel show.

Bill, as executive officer of Co "A" 805 TD BN II Corps was captured near Kern's Crossroad just west of Faid Pass, Tunisia when his TD Half-Tracks took total distruction from German 88s in the breakthrough by the enemy. The date was February 14, with Bill and five of his men being captured three days later by a German reconnaissance unit.

At Oflag 64 he spent the majority of his time digging in the tunnel in which he, Bill Fabian, "Spud" Murphy and Harvey Robinson hid out January 20, 1945, for an easy escape.

John was captured near Anzio, Italy, in February 1944. As he describes it, "My platoon was attached to a battered company whose Bn. HQ was in 'the caves' and eventually ahead of the front lines. I was at the rear of the column during a night escape attempt. The column was cut and those in the rear were captured."

At Oflag 64, he helped rebind much-used books in the library. He also made a number of sketches of the buildings in the camp, which were later published.

Henry was captured on January 22, 1944, in Italy. His outfit, the 36th Division, was attempting to cross the Rapido River when his unit was stranded on the German side of the river and the Germans surrounded it.

While at Oflag 64, he worked in the shoe repair shop, which was managed by Ormand Roberts and his chief assistant, Art Bryant.

Doc DiFrancesco was captured in the Rhineland, was transported to Oflag 64, and escaped during the march out 96 days later. After four days, he was picked up by a Russian tank column, brought to their headquarters and later repatriated through Odessa.

Dudley was captured in August 1943, near the end of the Sicilian campaign, when his battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division landed one night behind two withdrawing German armored divisions, one of General Patton's less brilliant ideas. Diggs' platoon, aided by Martin Keiser's self-propelled howitzers, cut the coastal road and held up the German withdrawal for 12 hours, but was eventually overrun. He was wounded, captured, taken to a camp near Naples, then to one near Berlin for lengthy interrogation, and moved by boxcar to Oflag 64.

At Oflag 64, young Lt. Diggs, who had been a newspaperman in civilian life, served as editor of The Oflag Item, the monthly camp paper printed in the local Polish printshop -- 15 issues of which are reproduced in this book. He also wrote and hand-lettered the everyday wall newspaper, "The Daily Bulletin," which reported the news from outside as extracted and sanitized from German newspapers and magazines, plus items from letters from home.

Captured on September 1, 1944, George was leading a reconnaissance patrol near Maximeau, France, when he became cut off by German forces withdrawing from the Normandy area. Captured, he was taken to Stalag 12 at Limburg, Germany, and arrived at Oflag 64 on November 10. Later, he got away from the column on January 31, hid out with a Polish family in Torun, then got out through Russia.

In Schubin for only two months and 11 days, he says, "I guess I spent my time around the stove, wishing for plenty of good food." After the war, he stayed in the military, retiring in 1973 with the rank of Brigadier General.

Our host at the Las Vegas reunions, Alan was captured on December 19, 1944, at Bleiluff, Germany. Trying to reach St. Vith with his communications platoon, Alan found a reinforced tank battalion blocking the road. The resulting fire fight lasted two days, during which he lost four of his men. He says, "We had only small arms, but we fought until it was useless. I didn't want all the men killed."

He didn't arrive at Oflag 64 until early January 1945, just before the camp was evacuated, so he reports, "My activities were somewhat restricted to meeting the kriegies there."

Another of the old-timers, Pluto was captured at Sidi Bou Zid in Tunisia on February 15, 1943. His tank, along with other 1st Armored Division tanks, was blown up from under him by German 88mm guns of the big Tiger tanks. Then flown to Italy; he became a "guest of Adolph" for two years.

At Oflag 64, he spent his time learning German, preparing maps for escapees and for "The Daily Bulletin," helping John Creech raise plants in the greenhouse, reading books in the library, playing bridge, and participating in stage skits in which Carl Hansen was the U-boat commander and he was his pet mascot, "Pluto.

Les was captured at Rodalbe, France. His battalion was pursuing a German force when flank support bogged down, leaving them vulnerable. By afternoon the six Sherman tanks with them withdrew, so when the German 11th Panzer attacked, the battalion was cut off and suffered 200 casualties. Thus Les was captured on his daughter's first birthday.

He arrived at Oflag 64 in December 1944, and so had little time to adapt to the Camp routine. But he played some bridge, enrolled in classes held in the library, saw the Christmas play, and visited Lt. Danielson in the hospital. He recalls the radio news reports in the evening as being very important.

Ells was one of the few airmen who wound up in our camp. As a B-17 navigator, he had been shot down near the Po River in northern Italy on November 10, 1943. He evaded capture for two and one-half months, but was caught after walking most of the way to Rome.

At Oflag 64, he played on the "All-Star" volleyball team and on Eddie Berlinski's team in the famour "All-Star" football game. He helped store dirt in the tunnel escape project until it was discontinued, and later successfully feigned insanity in a committee-approved project, so that he was scheduled for repatriation through Sweden in March 1945. Being marched out of camp in the big evacuation of January 21 changed all that, however.

John was captured on September 18, 1944, near Stolberg shortly after crossing the German border. As an artillery forward observer, he was with an infantry unit of the 1st Infantry Division when it was outflanked by a superior German force. He and the infantry commander were captured. John had been with the 391st AFA Bn. of the 3rd Armored Division.

John suffered a stroke two years ago and as a result has lost much of his memory of those happy, hungry days at Oflag 64.

Russ was captured near Sfax, Tunisia, on March 26, 1943. As Commander of Co. B of the 60th Infantry, he ordered a patrol to meet him and his orderly behind the German lines. The patrol failed to show up, but a German force of 30 soldiers did. They were captured after a fire fight and marched back under a single guard. Russ and the orderly jumped the guard, got away and circled back toward our lines. But then they ran into other Germans with machine guns who were waiting for them. Bagged again, they were interrogated at length and wound up in Schubin.

At Oflag 64, Russ helped start the little theater group and the glee club. He appeared in a number of plays and performances. His glee club performed at religious services on Christmas and Easter. Along with Don Waful and Frank Maxwell, Russ also had a jazz trio which performed at several camp shows and with Bob Rankin's jazz orchestra. Through it all, he took a lot of good-natured kidding from other kriegies for the female roles he played in several of the plays.

Thurston was captured on November 15, 1944 in the Battle of Metz when German armor and infantry overran the isolated house that he was using as an O.P., with eight able-bodied soldiers, three wounded, and five German prisoners who had been wounded by 20-mm cannon.

He describes his activities at Oflag 64 as "none," as he was just there for a few weeks.

Herb was captured in Normandy just south of Valogenes and Montebourg on June 10, 1944. His unit had landed about 25 miles north of its objective and they were marching south to rejoin elements of the 101 Airborne Division when they were attacked by a German force. Outnumbered and outgunned, they were finally overrun and the survivors captured. These were marched to an old French cavalry post in Rennes where they remained until early July; then they were moved by rail to Limburg and on to Schubin.

At Oflag 64, he reported every afternoon to the "White House" to copy the just-received BBC news broadcast from the secret radio in the attic. This he read to his barracks nightly. Herb also read a lot from the 5,000 volume library and participated in the concerts given by the church and musical support group.

John was captured on the morning of October 6, 1944, leading a combat patrol to knock out German pillboxes in the Siegfried Line. This, he says, was near the town of Ubach, Germany. "German forces cut off our escape route during their counter-attack."

He was in Oflag 64 from December 3 until the camp was moved out in January. During this period, he tried to read and keep active by walking. He made the long march from Schubin to Moosburg.

Bill was an Ordinance Officer inspecting some damaged ordinance equipment in Salerno, Italy, when he crossed the Sele River, ran into a German tank column, and was taken prisoner on September 13, 1943.

At Oflag 64, he played the doctor in The Man Who Came to Dinner. Then he came down with jaundice and was transferred to the German hospital in Posnan in November 1943. There he was released by the Russians in January and came out through Odessa.

As CO of the 1st Bn. of the 141st Infantry, 36th Division, "Hank the Yank" was nabbed on September 28, 1944, while carrying out the mission of crossing the Moselle River and capturing the high ridge east of the river. After an hour of advance single-file on a moonless night, the guide lost his way and Kermit took over, leading by compass sighting to the river. He had waded across with 30 men when the Germans opened fire and pinned them down. He radioed the Bn. to head elsewhere while he tried to pull out of the trap. But his orderly was killed, he was wounded, and seven of the group were captured. As a POW, he spent seven days in isolation and intensive interrogation at Limburg, then was moved to Schubin by cattle car.

At Oflag 64, he served as G-1 and Adjutant for the camp, and as part of the escape crew for tunnel number 2, gave some music appreciation classes with the YMCA's 78mm records, sang in the chorus, and helped produce "The Messiah" at the 1944 Christmas program. He wound up making the complete march from Schubin to Hammelburg.

George was captured on October 4, 1944, at Sevry, France, between the Moselle and Rhine Rivers, due east of Port-o-Moisson. He was an artillery fire director with a front-line infantry company. "The company," he says, "suffered high casualty losses and was out of ammunition when we were surrounded by German forces with no route of escape."

A late arrival, he was at Oflag 64 from November 1944 until the march-out in January 1945, so had little time to join in camp activities.

Orm reports that he was captured on or about February 17, 1943, in the vicinity of Sidi Bou Zid, Tunisia, in the company of Lt. Col. Jack Van Vliet. Enough said.

He served at Oflag 64 as a lookout for the Big Tunnel Project. Orm also took the role of the deaf mute in the very successful play Brother Orchid.

Another of the first arrivals, Boomer was captured at Sidi Bou Zid February 19, 1943. Attacked by an overwhelming German tank force, his was next to the last Company to be knocked out. (Lt. Durgin's was last.) Holder's group stayed with his wounded men hoping to get away after dark, but a German infantry team got there first.

At Schubin, Boomer was the voice of the news, reading what BBC had to report on our clandestine radio every evening at various barracks. He was also directed and acted in plays in the little theater, taught Spanish in our Kriegy Kollege, played records, made up ridiculous commercials over the public address system twice a week, and was "Mr. Interlocutor" in the camp minstrel show. Boomer planned many escapes and wrote a "My Day" column for The Oflag Item.

An airborne type with the 82nd AB Division, Nat parachuted down during the Normandy invasion, and landed 40 miles away from his target. Surrounded by German troops, he was captured on June 9, 1944.

At Oflag 64, he served as his barrack's agent for the "evening radio news." He also volunteered for the unusual jobs of repairing shoes at the camp shoe-repair shop, and cutting hair at the barber shop. Then he was fortunate enough to be repatriated by the Swiss medical Commission just a week before the camp was evacuated and everyone marched out on January 6, 1945.

Milt was captured on February 19, 1943, at Kasserine Pass in Tunisia while "trying to get out of a surrounding position with four volunteers after holding back the Germans while the remnants of my platoon made a successful escape."

At Oflag 64, he served as a sand carrier for the tunnel project, worked with Tony Lumpkin, Maynards Files, and Bob Erie in running the "tin store," took courses in art and law, and read a lot.

A member of the original group to reach Oflag 64, Charlie was captured at Faid Pass, Tunisia, on February 17, 1943, when his unit was encircled by vastly superior numbers of Rommel's Afrika Korps for three days and nights.

He worked as a clerk under Col. Drake and Maj. Meacham in a small office at Oflag 64 for the first year. There he kept track of the camp roster, and typed letters to the Swiss Protective Power, on a typewriter provided by the YMCA, for two or three hours a day. Later on, he became active in the theater group, the chorus and played some baseball. He also did some investigative work on the new POW's against a possible "plant."

He was captured on March 10, 1943, at Kef el Amar, Tunisia, a member of C Co., 133 Infantry of the 34th Division. His unit was the point in a mission to move toward Sfax to cut Tunisia in half. As Curtis tells it, "We went forward. The rest of the regiment went back. We were surrounded and captured."

At Oflag 64, he played a lot of soccer, touch football and softball, did some boxing, and kept watch when the evening radio news was read. He also helped in the operation of the famous still which produced a kind of potato whiskey for the Christmas bash one year.

John was captured between Sid Bou Zid and Djebel Lessouda in central Tunisia. His company of the 1st Armored Division was attacked by Rommel's Afrika Korps and counter-attacked "without noticeable success." Then, he says, "My tank burned up, but the entire crew got out -- a bit singed, but OK."

He occupied himself at Oflag 64 by being the radio news reader for the outer barracks, the "goon watcher" for the camp G-2 section, a gardener for barracks No. 8 an occasional cleaner-upper for John Creech, a dog robber for Jim Alger when needed.

Jonesy was one of the "new boys," captured on November 27, 1944, at Frenzerberg Castle near Weisweiller, Germany. His tank battalion was attached to the 9th Infantry Division. At about 2:30 a.m. he was awakened and ordered to get his platoon up to Co. F, as German tanks were moving around to their front. They first started across a large open field and had not gone far when his tank hit a mine, breaking one of the tracks. So his tank was out of it. Fearing further mines, Jonesy took off on foot to locate Co. F. This was in darkness, over terrain that he had not seen in daylight. Unfortunately, he ran into Germans instead of Americans. He arrived at Oflag 64 on December 18, 1944.

As he was only in the camp for a month before we evacuated he says, "The only activity I remember taking part in was attending a class, the subject of which I don't remember." He stayed with the main group on the long march until they were liberated at Moosburg.

Young Jimmie was a medic who had just been commissioned a month and a half before being captured near Belmont, France, in October 1944. He was taking a group of American wounded who needed immediate attention to a medical center some two to three miles away through an area full of German patrols. Another officer who was wounded led the column carrying a Red Cross flag; German POW's were helping to carry the litters. When they were within 500 yards of our lines, they were surrounded and captured by a company-size German patrol.

At Schubin, Jimmie says he "just stood around, always hungry, shivering and looking to the next meal."

Marty was captured on August 11, 1943, on an amphibious operation behind the German lines at Brolo, Sicily. His outfit, the 58th Armored FA Bn., part of 1st Armored Corps, was supporting the 3rd Infantry Division in a battalion landing to cut off two withdrawing German divisions near the end of the Sicilian campaign. They landed at dawn, but were limited to positions near the beach with their self-propelled howitzers. By mid-afternoon, they had lost all of the howitzers and many men were killed or wounded. The German force then broke through and picked up those who were still breathing. Marty was then introduced to the just-captured Lt. Frank Diggs and Capt. Richard Rossback, and the three of them were taken to Italy, then to Luckenwalde and to Oflag 64.

At Oflag 64, Marty says he excelled at cribbage, pretended to be a gardener, and walked endless miles around the perimeter of the camp. He shared a cubicle, and enjoyed arguing at length, with Yarock, Hughes, Frazee, Kennedy, and Monks.

Duane was one of many officers captured in Kasserine Pass on February 22, 1943. After being held in Tunis for a couple of weeks, he was flown to Palermo, Sicily, and then to Capua, Italy. Duane was moved by rail to Stalag VII A, and finally to Oflag 64. He was on the long march in January 1945, to Stettin, Germany, then marched to Luckenwalde. Liberated by the Russians, he walked to freedom in the American zone with Paul Karnes, and spent VE Day with his original unit.

At Schubin, he assisted in the camp watch-repair shop and spent a lot of time reading, exercising and playing cards.

Harry was one of the few airmen who wound up at Schubin for a brief stay. He was a bombardier on a B-24, shot down by German fighters on September 2, 1943, near Sulmona, Italy. He had completed his combat tour with the 98th Bomb Group, but volunteered for one extra mission: "One too many as it turned out." He was injured, easily captured by Italian ground troops, sent to various camps in Italy, Austria, and Germany, before arriving at Oflag 46 in mid-October 1943. Later he was transferred to Stalag Luft 1 for airmen, in Barth, Germany.

While at Oflag 64, Harry directed the orchestra, played with Bob Rankin's "dance" band, and sang with the glee club and choir.

An HQ Company officer in the 44th Infantry Division, Paul was captured on Thanksgiving night, November 20, 1944, at Raweiler, France. Thirteen Tiger tanks surrounded the corner building he was in and exploded two rounds of cannon fire in the side of the building, so that those inside were forced to surrender.

Paul arrived at Oflag 64 just two weeks before the big march, so he spent the whole time preparing for the evacuation.

Marty was with the 5th F.A. Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division in Tunisia when he was sent out on the evening of December 28, 1942, to locate Col. Stout, the Field Artillery C.O. who was on recon. Marty caught up with Capt. Joe Frelinghuysen and Capt. Len Warren and they all set out to find the Colonel. But they ran into a German trap and all three were captured on the outskirts of Djedeioa. Later, he got loose from a POW camp in Italy and was free in Italy for several months, but got caught again and was sent, after several stops, to Oflag 64.

So he was a late arrival at the camp after all, though he did get there before the POW's from the "Bulge" came in.

Tom was captured near Triflisco, Italy, after crossing the Vulturno River on October 13, 1943. He served with Co. G, 30th Infantry Reg. of the 3rd Infantry Division.

He arrived at Oflag 64 on January 24,1944, on a work detail. There, he was assigned to pick up food and other supplies at various towns and places around Schubin and deliver some to the camp. He also did general maintenance inside and outside of Oflag 64.

Royal was captured on February 18, 1943, southeast of Sidi Bou Zid, Tunisia, at the Kasserine Pass fiasco. His platoon was attached to the 168th RCT and at the time of capture was with Bill Kleysteuber and his company of the 17th Engineers of the 1st Armored Division.

At Oflag 64, Royal was nicknamed "Leapin Leebo" by one irreverent colleague. Shortly after his arrival, he started working with Tony Lumpkin and others in the Tin Store, handling all of the incoming food parcels and private parcels that came into the camp, including the contraband material. After we reached Stalag III-A at Luckenwald, Royal worked with Maj. Robertson and several others in food distribution.

Bob was with the attacking platoon of the 36th Division crossing the Rapido River at Mt. Cassino in Italy on January 22, 1944. "The company was completely wiped out," he tells us, "and those of us who were captured were all wounded. I was brought to northern Italy, then by train to Germany to a number of transit camps, to Stalag IV B, to II B and finally to Oflag 64."

At Oflag 64, Bob served as an orderly in Maj. Jack Dobson's barrack, then in Lt. Col. Doyle Yardley's barrack. Yardley asked Bob to go with him to help start up Oflag 64Z at Schokken, Poland. He was liberated by the Russians on January 29, 1945, in Wugartin, Germany.

Herm was captured during the invasion of Sicily when he blundered into the defense position of the Hermann Goering Division headquarters.

While at Oflag 64, he formed a weight-lifting class with cement weights he made himself. Herm also boxed a little, was in a couple of Little Theater productions, and played a lot of cribbage.

Fred, as he was called in camp, was captured on September 13, 1944, at the juncture of the Sele and Calore Rives, near Salerno, Italy. He was pinned down by artillery fire and surrounded by about 100 Germans of the 16th Panzer Division. His battalion of the 36th Infantry Division was subsequently wiped out. He reports: "While belly-down in a small drainage ditch just off the road, watching a German tank moving in my direction, I heard the words 'Hands op!' Looking over my shoulder, I saw a German soldier some six feet away, holding a rifle that looked very large indeed aimed at my head. Thus did I become a kriegsgefangener."

While at Oflag 64, he played basketball, football, horseshoes, bridge and poker from time to time. He attended church, plays, other camp activities, and served as a security officer, having been briefed beforehand on ways of getting messages out via letters.

Don was bagged on August 3, 1943, just west of Tronia, Sicily. In the course of a flanking move to take the city from the north, heavy fire forced him and his platoon sergeant to take cover in a ravine to wait out darkness. A company of Germans approached and was about to pass their spot when American artillery spotted the Germans and opened fire on them. As a result, the whole company jumped in Don's ravine and after the initial shock, treated the whole thing as a big joke and Don became their prisoner.

At Oflag 64, Don became famous as the camp "Gnome," setting up a shop to repair books for the library and to bind other volumes. He reports: "Shortly after we set up shop, Willie Kricks, the German guard who had taken over the Polish printing shop in Schubin, arranged for me to spend two weeks in his shop learning the skills of repairing and rebinding books. Later, my newly learned skills were used to set up a method to conceal documents which were received from our S-2, Lt. Col. Algers, in some of our book bindings. This was so that evidence of mistreatment of POW personnel could be preserved and turned over to authorities at the RAMP locations. I continued binding books until we marched out."

Jim was captured at Faid Pass in Tunisia, along with Capt. Bucky Walters. He was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division and then attached to the 168th Infantry for one of their operations.

One of the long timers, he was mostly involved with sports and worked with Lts. Secor, Glendenning and Sid Thal in operating the famous Trading Store, where points were used for exchange.

As a young field artillery officer with the 90th Infantry Division, Paul's unit was occupying a hill on the west side of the Contentin Peninsula across the peninsula from the Utah Beach during the Normandy invasion, separated from the nearest other U.S. unit by 1,500 yards, when he was attacked by German forces with Mark V Panzer tanks. His reinforced platoon fought them off for over two hours, but was overrun and Paul was captured.

His activities at Oflag 64 included the tricky job of scattering dirt that was removed from the last escape tunnel, serving as "goon-watcher" on assignment, reading, playing bridge and playing one game of football catching passes from Lou Otterbein. Paul was one of the group of wounded who remained at the camp when the main body marched out on January 21, 1945.

Jimmy was captured on June 12, 1944, before the shelling at St. Lo., France. He says: "We had found not too much resistance - and the outfit got surrounded."

At Oflag 64, he read the news from our secret radio each night to three barracks, and taught a class briefly in drafting at our Kriegy Kollege.

After the march back into Germany, however, Jimmy was bombed by one of our B-17s just outside of Nuremberg on April 5. He lost the use of his left arm and hand, plus receiving fragment wounds in the legs and "fanny," so he was hospitalized for over a year. He retired as a captain in 1946.

Clarence was captured on January 30, 1944, at Cisterna, Anzio beachhead, Italy, where he was wounded and picked up by the German's 4th Para Patrol.

His activities at Oflag 64, he says, were confined to reading, playing bridge and engaging in endless bull sessions.

Clayton was captured in France on September 13, 1944. As he tells it, "I drove into a roadblock in the gap between the 35th Division and the 30th south of Nancy, at Suffrais across the Mozelle River." There he was wounded in the left upper arm and picked up by German troops.

While at Oflag 64, he sang in the glee club presentation of "The Messiah" on Christmas, 1944, attended several classes of the Kriegy Kollege, read a lot, played bridge and cribbage, and kept a diary which later became the basis for his book Kriegy - an account of his confinement at Rottweil, Schubin and Luckenwalde.

After two week of fighting in the Hurtgen Forest, his company, the 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, attacked the village of Merode. Sid's platoon and F company were nearly all wiped out by artillery and mortar barrage. With only two men left, he still took a couple of German prisoners and took refuge in a basement when it became dark. But the Germans counter-attacked, blasting the house with a Tiger tank. With no way to get out of the basement, and out of ammunition, he had his German prisoner yell to stop the bombardment and they surrendered.

At Oflag 64, Sid was in charge of tobacco supplies and kept a set of books on deposits and withdrawals. Like almost everyone else in the camp, he said, "The last thing I ever expected was to be captured. It never entered my mind until it happened."

Tom made the first wave landing at Anzio as Company Commander of Company C, 1st Ranger battalion on January 22, 1944. Eight days later, he was captured at Cisterna, five miles behind the German line about 30 miles from Rome.

At Oflag 64, he was active playing much basketball and softball, and was one of the team that obtained all those bed boards used in shoring up the tunnel.

Bill was Commander of the 1st battalion, 422nd Infantry of the 106th Division when they were attacking the Belgian town of Schonberg on December 19, 1944. Hit by tanks on the right flank and rear, most of the battalion was captured. "Several of us got away and found a group in a wooded area near Schonberg. But we were recaptured there on December 21 during the 'Battle of the Bulge,'" he reports.

He was only at Oflag 64 for a couple of weeks before the camp was marched out. With blisters on both heels, he found that he couldn't walk around much.

An airborne officer, Charlie was captured at the town of Best in Holland. He jumped with the 101st Airborne Division on September 17, 1944, and was captured the next day by German troops in the area where his unit was supposed to remove demolition from a bridge over the Wilhemina Canal.

Charlie spent most of his time at Oflag 64 trying to get something to eat. He received no Red Cross parcels or mail while there, after arriving in November '44. The result: he lost about 40 pounds between September and January when the camp moved out.

Al was captured on February 17, 1943, in the vicinity of Faid Pass in Tunisia. His company unit of the 34th Division was attacked and encircled by General Rommel's armored forces. At night they crept down the valley through a German motor park while the German GI's were asleep in their vehicles. At dawn, Al and a runner made for the hills and saw in the distance two figures dressed in Arab clothing. As he tells it, "I shouted 'HALT,' but they kept on walking. I fired, my runner fired and they returned the fire with German machine pistols. We came back down the hill to discover that we had marched into a German strong point and were future guests of the Third Reich."

At Oflag 64, Al played football and softball, studied German and business law, read a lot, played bridge and cribbage, and helped dispose of soil evacuated from our escape tunnel.

Van was captured at 6 a.m. on July 29, 1944, on the bank of the Arno River a mile west of Pisa, Italy, by a four-man German patrol of S.S. troops. Up all night, he was moving between two strong points looking for a sergeant left there the day before. And, of course, his carbine jammed, so he was rushed and captured.

He arrived at Oflag 64 in September 1944, and was not there long enough to engage in much camp activity. Van escaped during the march and came out via Russia.

Red O'Connor was captured near Mortain, France, in August 1944. He had an infantry platoon at a company outpost when the Germans "broke through into our lines."At Oflag 64, he played touch football, took classes in various subjects, and served as altar boy for Father Brock.

Padraig O'Dea was in the 117th Cavalry, and captured at Montrevel, France. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action on September 3, 1944. He directed effective mortar and machine gun fire from his observation post in the window of the upper floor of a building, preventing the enemy from entering the town of Montrevel until our forces could be withdrawn.

Then, enemy tanks and artillery opened fire on his position, systematically attempting to destroy the building. He continued to delay the attacking force until a direct hit by an enemy shell destroyed his observation post, and he was captured and taken to Oflag 64.

Don was captured in France, 12 miles south of Nancy on the east bank of the Moselle. Leading his rifle platoon in hedge row country in a fire fight with bullets zipping overhead, he ran, bent over, down a lane around a corner, and smack into a German tank. Looking into the muzzle of that 88mm cannon and the machine guns above it, he did as he was told and was on this way to Oflag 64.

His activities in camp, he says, consisted primarily of trying to keep warm and clean, and most of all, trying to figure out some way to keep from being hungry. Don also read a lot and saw several of the Little Theater plays.

Bob was one of the victims of the Tunisian snafu, captured on February 17, 1943, at a spot called Lissouda, where his outfit was overrun by Rommel's Afrikan Korps. He says simply, "they didn't kill us."

About his activities at Oflag 64, he says modestly, "I just tried to stay alive."

Pat was captured in September 1944 at Werth, Germany. He was a forward artillery observer from the 391st FS of the 3rd Armored Division, assigned as an infantry company commander after all the officers were killed from companies of the 36th Infantry of the 1st Division. He was wounded in the foot and right chest, passed out, and woke up in the attic of a German hospital in Hannover. He was later moved to the British camp in Fallen Bostle, then to Oflag 64.

At Oflag, Pat was in the camp hospital until mid-December, then moved to a barrack, the number of which he doesn't remember, with Paul Marabel and a Captain Prince. He reports being engaged in no unusual activities, as he remained in a large body cast until February.

Ted was captured in Salerno, Italy. He reports that his unit was marched all night to get into position to engage the enemy when, about daybreak, all hell broke loose. They had come under time fire. He was hit by shrapnel and "knocked out for awhile." The next thing he heard was "Hands up!"

At Oflag 64, he participated in sports, played in the camp orchestra, and attempted to escape, unsuccessfully, under the name of Frederick Ferguson.

Hank was captured in February 1943, at Kef El Amar in North Africa. He says, "I was surprised by three Germans who showed up while I was crouched, unarmed, in a shell hole changing a dressing on my sergeant's upper leg, which was bleeding pretty badly from the jolting he got from my carrying him. My rifle was on the far side of the shell hole, out of reach."

He spent most of his time trying to escape, like everyone else, but didn't make it until the march out of camp. Hank got free on his birthday, January 27th. Meanwhile,he played a lot of softball, taught a class in sailing, had a class in boxing at one time, and worked out on a bar rigged in the attic of the "White House."

Mike was captured at the Carroceto Factory in Anzio, Italy, on February 11, 1944. He says only that in the course of a frontal attack on the factory, Company A came within a few yards of the factory, but got bogged down.

Rocco was captured on February 17, 1943, in Tunisia, when his unit was surrounded by the German Afrikan Korps at Sidi Bou Zid.

At Oflag 64, he engaged in all sorts of sports activities and worked with an escape group.

Nick was the communications officer for the 132nd Field Artillery of the 36th division. They had lost several forward observors so he was sent up to work with his infantry unit in an attack around the back side of Monte Cassino. The Germans had set up very good defensive positions, including fixed lanes of machine gun fire, where they had to jump over obstructions while they fired their machine guns. They did manage to get well behind the German lines but by then the infantry company he was with was badly split up and a group of Germans closed in and captured him and his two radio men.

At Oflag 64, he attended some of the classes, read, and taught some of the guys to read morse code (one of the hidden activities).

Bob was captured at Faid Pass, Tunisia, on February 17, 1943, when his unit was overrun by Rommel's tank divisions.

At Oflag 64, he was the "Music Maestro" of the camp, organizing and directing the camp orchestra and jazz band. He also put on "Swingland" and other shows for the Theater Group. (See Waful's report on "The Theater Group" for details of Rankin's many activities.

Ted was captured at the Anzio beachhead on January 30, 1944. As a 3rd Infantry Division artillery observer, he was attached to a Ranger force of three battalions assigned to take the outskirts of Cisterna. After initial success, they were surrounded by units of four German divisions. When the two infantry regiments which were to link up with them were unable to get through, all of the Ranger battalion commanders were killed or wounded and 700 Rangers killed, wounded or captured. Ted was nabbed, too.

At Oflag 64, he performed lookout duty for "the Bird," helped disperse dirt from the tunnel, read a lot, took daily walks around the perimeter, when he played the ingenue in You Can't Take It With You in a camp Little Theater production and acquired the name "Rosie" from "Rosie the Riveter."

Ormand was bagged in February 1943, in the famous battle of Sidi Bou Zid in Tunisia. "The area we were holding opposite Kasserine Pass," he says, "was semi-desert. We were located on a hill that rose up from the desert floor about 300 to 400 feet. When the Germans knocked out the 1st Armored, they surrounded our (infantry) positions. We tried to escape the trap and were captured trying to do so."

In Camp he did "a lot of reading, throwing the bull and sometime just waiting." But beginning in August 1943, he took charge of the cobbler shop, where he was later joined by Art Bryant and Henry Desmond. That trio used to put in six to seven hours a day, six days a week, repairing kriegies' soles. "It sure helped keep your mind off confinement," Ormond says.

Alvin was captured on September 18, 1944, near Monchau, Germany. He was trying to hold a large hill with two outposts and a platoon of 30 men when they were attacked from the rear and overrun by a larger German force.

He did not arrive at Oflag 64 until October '44, so there was not much time, he says, to get involved in camp activities.

Tom was nabbed near Rouwiller, France, on November 24, 1944, "in a counter attack."

He was at Oflag 64 only briefly, from January 1 - 20, 1945, when he marched with Colonel Goode and the main body all the way to Moosburg.

Young Private Rosenthal was captured early in February 1944, at the Anzio beachhead near the caves. As he describes it, "Our regiment, the 157th Infantry, was surrounded. We tried to break through the German lines at dawn, but were ambushed. I was wounded in the hand and chest. When I woke up, I was in a hospital 20 miles from the front. a nun was looking down at me. My first impression was that I had died and gone to heaven."

After being captured, he was confined to several prison hospitals, then sent to Stalag 2B, one of the largest enlisted men's POW camps. He goes on:

"Because of my wounds, I was placed in a category of limited service, meaning I was not fit to work for the Germans physically. An opportunity to volunteer for work details at an American officers' camp arose, and I did not hesitate to raise my hand.

"Most of my activity at Oflag 64 was as an orderly and kitchen helper. It was definitely a good move for me. In December 1944, I again volunteered to be a part of the cadre team under Lt. Craig Campbell and Lt. Col. Yardley to staff Oflag 64Z at Shocken. This camp needed to handle the overflow of officers captured in the Battle of the Bulge."

A fabulous character, Jerry was commander of a group that operated behind the German lines throughout World War II. While on a sabotage and intelligence mission in Rommel's territory, he did a "daylight job" at the bequest of a British brigadier and was shot and captured. He probably held the record for escapes after that, with nine attempts in two years, some successful. He finally got away during the big march and came out through Russia.

At Oflag 64, he played every sport available, was in charge of a barrack, read, and played bridge with Colonel Gooler. He also taught a course call "Salesmanship" at the Kriegy Kollege.

Eddie was captured on February 17, 1943, near Sidi Bou Zid, Tunisia, while attempting to reach some location where the promised trucks would pick up his unit. Unfortunately, the Germans were in possession of the area by that time and Colonel Drake had already been taken, so they were compelled to surrender. From there he was taken to Sfax, then by boxcar to Tunis, and later by air to Capus. He reached Schubin in June 1943, with the first batch of kriegies there.

At Oflag 64, he spent much time watching for German guards when our secret radio was in operation. He also worked in the garden and read.

Bill was captured in North Africa on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1943, at Faid Pass. He was executive officer of the 155mm Howitzer battery in support of the 168th Infantry Regiment. In the pre-dawn hours, Rommel's tanks drove in and completely encircled their position. The entire 40-gun howitzer section was captured. Before surrender, however, they succeeded in destroying the weapons in order that they would not be used against American forces. After capture, they were marched to Tunis, then flown across the Mediterranean to Capus, Italy. Two weeks later they were moved by rail to Rotenburg to a prison camp already occupied by British officers, who taught the kriegies many ways to deal with the German mentality and ways to attempt escapes.

At Oflag 64, he quickly became a leading light of the Theater Group, appearing in Brother Orchid, a black-face musical revue, a Hooker-Waful musical revue, the Christmas musical show, Russ Ford's choral group presentations, Maxwell's variety shows, and singing vocals with Bob Rankin's band.

"Sherm" was captured on February 15, 1943, at Sidi Bou Zid in Tunisia. After evacuating his position, he marched 25 miles in a northwesterly direction, where a fleet of 2-ton trucks was supposed to be waiting. "After 50 years," he says, "I'm still waiting to find them."

Then, at Oflag 64, he worked along with Bob Aschim as kitchen officer, planning how to supplement the soup for 1,400 officers with a half carcass of an unborn shoat. It's possible. "At least," he adds, "I didn't have to find chips of wood or paper to get hot water for coffee."

Jim was captured at Sidi Bou Zid on February 17, 1943. When his unit was overrun by German tanks, he says, "I thought that I was pretty safe in the hole I was in, dug with my mess kit lid, just before the Panzer ran over my legs in the soft sand of the cactus patch. Then the Feldwabel's lugar was at the back of my head and a German voice said, 'Come out mit, your hands up!'"

At Oflag 64, he became the technical genius who built and operated the secret radio that was tuned in to the BBC and used the whole time that camp was in business.

"After landing in Algiers in 1943," he reports "we were, as a separate Battalion 805 T.O. Bn., moved to a bivouac area outside of Algiers for a week or so. We were then ordered to the front in time to meet Rommel's forces as they came through the Kasserine Pass area."

"We were then armed with 75's on a halftrack. The Bn. was split up by companies on a very broad front. As supply officer, it was my responsibility to contact each company to ascertain their supply needs in the field. Working out of Bn. headquarters, which also reported from the line companies, information was given as to my whereabouts and I was assigned several additional anti-aircraft machine guns on jeeps to take to one of our companies located outside of the town of Thala not far from Kasserine."

"After leaving Thala on January 21, 1943, at about dusk, and proceeding down the road, we were suddenly greeted by flares and tanks, which turned out to be German. It also turned out that at that moment, I heard the famous and well-used German phrase, 'Fur Ihren drer Krieg ist uber.'"

"We were rounded up by the infantry, who didn't hesitate to push one around. I was also to learn that another small contingent of British soldiers was captured at the same time. They were to have set up a roadblock to prevent the Germans from proceeding further north on the road where we were traveling. Of course, they didn't help us any."

"From here we were marched and transported to the rear. Held in barbed wire areas, we were eventually transported to Sfax and then by boxcar to Tunis."

"Here we were taken to the Tunis airport and flown to various points in Europe. I arrived at Palermo, Sicily. Then by train to a POW camp near Naples. After about a week, we again traveled by train to Stalg VIIA in Moosburg. From Moosburg to Oflag IXAZ in Rotenburg am Fulda. From here to Oflag 64 at Schubin, Poland."

"While at '64,' keeping busy was my main activity. Always an early riser, I would start my day with a hot shower on Sunday, and gradually decrease to a cold, cold shower by Friday."

"Then off to German classes, or running around the track specializing in the mile. From Sept. 1944 to January 1945, I was dining room officer and later was in charge of the kitchen at Moosburg."

"I also kept busy by reading many books for which I was thankful we had a library. The choral group also put up with my off-key voice. Assisting with the operation of the "bird" took some of my night hours."

One of the few enlisted men on the Oflag staff, Vern was captured on May 12, 1944, at Santa Maria, Italy. As he tells it, "I was with the lead assault group. Starting with 300 men with 40-some left after reaching our objective, we were surrounded by the Germans. One officer was left, an artillery officer. I was sent to (an enlisted men's camp) 7A and then to Oflag 64."

He was at Oflag 64 from October 1944, until the forced march. There he worked in the kitchen, cleaned barracks for the officers, and was on detail for "Reel X" parcels. He walked on the big march out of camp until his feet were frozen. Then he was moved to 3A by rail. At 3A, he was wounded in his left leg when the Russians came in.

Smitty was the S-4 for the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment and came in over Normandy in the last phase of the airborne invasion. He dropped not far from Sty. Mere Eglise, rounded up ten more troopers, and headed west. At about 8:00 a.m., he was shot by a sniper, the bullet going through his right wrist and into his right abdomen. "After the troops took care of me, I ordered them to get away at once as truckloads of Germans were unloading nearby. They left me there and after 30 minutes, the Germans picked me up and took me to a medical aid station in a Frenchman's horse drawn cart."

At Oflag 64, he read, played sports and made escape plans, much the same as everyone else, he says.

Matt was regimental S-3 of the 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division when he was captured at Kasserine Pass on February 19, 1943. With communications almost non-existent, he set out to locate the CP of a subordinate battalion by jeep, found them, then tried to return at dusk. On the way, he encountered a German road block, stopped and was quickly surrounded by German soldiers waving machine pistols. He dismounted and wound up at Oflag 64.

At Oflag 64, he read 110 books, was a BBC news reader at the "White House," played a lot of bridge, softball and basketball, walked every day, and enjoyed the camp shows greatly.

Earl was captured late on December 12, 1944, on the outskirts of Selastat, France, serving with Company B, 142nd Infantry of the 36th Division. He was on an outpost with six men, cut off from the main body in a fight that lasted all day until they were overrun by German tanks and infantry just before dark. "Our unit," he points out, "was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for its efforts that day."

He was at Oflag 64 for only six weeks.

Gardner was captured at Mortain, France, in August 1944, when he walked into the rear of a German unit that was containing the Second Battalion on a hill in Mortain. He was with the 3rd Infantry Division.

He was active in the Theater Group and played a mean game of baseball.

Williard was captured during the Battle of the Bulge in Luxembourg, when his vehicle was intercepted by a German squad which blew out the tires and began firing rockets. "One exploded near me," he says, "and put shrapnel in both my legs. We were captured and I was taken to a first-aid station where they dressed my wounds and sent me to some hospital."

Williard was a POW for four months, ten days, and several hours, spending some time at Stammlager XII A, Stalag VII A, Stalg 4-B, Stalag 2E and Hammelberg, as well as Oflag 64. He made the long march to Moosburg and was liberated there by Patton's army.

One of the long-term kriegies, Horace was captured at El Guettar in Tunisia in March 1943. As he tells it, "Our battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. Louis Gershenow, was ordered to penetrate enemy lines at night and attack the enemy from the rear while the balance of the regiment (the 47th Infantry, 9th Division) would make a frontal assault. Half of our battalion was cut off under heavy enemy fire, with high casualties, and Col. Gershenow decided it was best to surrender to the Germans."

While at Oflag 64, he organized a weekly laundry system for the camp in July 1943. This way the laundry was collected, marked with an identifying system, and turned over to the Germans to be laundered in Schubin. Other than that, Horace read books, played cribbage, studied accounting, designed furniture and exercised to keep fit.

Stan was captured, like many others, near Sidi Bou Zid in Tunisia. During the retreat from Sidi Bou, his half-track engine gave out. His group tried hiding in a cactus patch, but flushed out by German tanks overrunning such patches.

While at Oflag 64, he monitored the smuggled-in radio for the BBC news under the guidance of W.O. Carl Coffee. Stan shared the "Bird Room" with Coffee, Bob Langley, and Frank Roy. He also had a hand in the backstage activities of various plays and performances.

Steve was badly wounded and captured in west Germany in late November 1944. He tells it like this: "My platoon was on the extreme left flank of the U.S. Army, with the Brits on the far left. A short advance just to 'straighten out the line' went haywire. We were caught in the open just before dawn by mortar and burp-gun fire. I was hit in the neck and leg, and left on the battlefield for 24 hours, then picked up by German troops who sent me back to a field hospital." Later, he was sent with an old "Home Guard" soldier by various types of transport - mostly rail - to Berlin, then on to Oflag 64.

At camp he spent six to eight weeks in the hospital recovering from his wounds, with his right arm paralyzed and left collarbone fractured. Left behind when the camp marched out, he was carried out on 6x6 trucks by the Russians to Warsaw, then by rail to Odessa and home.

Jack was nabbed east of Nancy, France, on October 14, 1944, when on a night patrol behind an enemy outpost.

While at Oflag 64, he worked part-time in the library and did a lot of reading.

As Platoon Leader in "E" Company, 47th Infantry, 9th Division, Red was captured in the course of a pre-dawn attack at El Guettar in Tunisia. He had been wounded by mortar fragments in the neck and jaw and carried to a German aid station, then by Italian ambulance to a hospital at Sfax, later, by hospital ship to Bari and a hospital in Altamuna, Italy. He arrived at Oflag 64 in October 1944.

At camp, Red says he walked the perimeter regularly and played soccer briefly until a collision with "Big John" Shirke. Then, as a screen for the operation of our secret radio, he practiced playing a piano-accordion in the attic of the "White House." He also distributed tickets to the theater shows, played bridge and cribbage, and read and studied Russian with Jim Bancher, "Mouse" Waldman and Tony Cipriani.

Bob was captured in France on September 19, 1944. He says, "As a forward observer (132nd FA Battalion, 36th Division) I went with a platoon (F Company, 142nd Infantry) to outflank a German roadblock on the approaches to Remiermont. When we reached our objective, I could not see anything to fire on, so in our attempt to go back to the Company, we went the wrong way and ended up about one mile behind the German lines. We ran into a German machine gun position protected by a squad of German infantry. That was it."

He arrived at Oflag 64 on December 1, 1944, when the weather was extremely cold, so his activities were limited to trying to stay warm and finding something to eat.

Len was captured on September 13, 1943, at Persano, Italy. There his battalion was surrounded by the German 26th Panzer Division. This was the fifth day after the landing at Salerno. The Germans, he says, were almost successful in driving the U.S. 5th Army off the beachhead at Salerno.

An old Texan, Len put his talents to work at Oflag 64 by acting in the Schubin theater and playing a lot of baseball.

Col. Van Vliet was captured on February 17, 1943, in the Tunisian desert in sight of Djebel Hamra. He then commanded the 3rd Battalion of the 168th Infantry. The Afrika Korps had come through Faid Pass surrounding and by-passing him. As he tells it, "We had grandstand seats to watch the destruction of two battalions of the 1st Armored Division on the plains below us. On February 16th, we saw our first friendly airplane, a Spitfire which dropped a message: 'Cut your way out to Sbeitla,' a town about 35 miles to our rear. After dark I led the Battalion 22 miles across country. There we could see a glow in the sky where the Germans had already taken our destination, Sbeitla. Daylight found us several miles short of our new destination, Djebel Hamra. Mechanized German units were between us and our goal. They had armor and we had rifles. It was a round-up rather than a battle. By mid-afternoon, we were being herded by German armored cars with machine guns. We were marched another 20-odd miles to reach water at Lessouda."

Before reaching Oflag 64, Col. Van Vliet was exposed to three different all-British officers' prison camps, where he learned much about escape techniques. This he passed on to the senior American officer at Oflag 64. There he dealt with many of the escape projects and helped in receiving French language news from BBC on our radio.

One of the late comers, Garland was captured inside Germany when his platoon of the 84th Infantry Division was cut off by a German counter attack. The Germans, he says, used elements of our counter-attack force which they had captured as hostages to move over our position.

He arrived at Oflag 64 in December, just before the evacuation, and spent some time visiting with hospital patients.

Don was captured near Tebourba, Tunisia, on December 10, 1942. How and why? He says, "Limited intelligence on the mission by the S2, a superior enemy force, radios that didn't work, and MUD."

At camp, he was very active in the Little Theater Group and served as the official press agent to the camp papers, The Oflag Item and "Daily Bulletin." He also played bit parts in various shows, produced several music shows and revues himself, sang in Russ. Ford's glee club, played piano for Paul Carne's church services, played trombone in Bob Rankin's jazz band, and did some vocals. On the side, he claims he cooked exotic recipes.

"Mouse" Waldman was a platoon leader in the 39th Infantry, 9th Division when he was captured at El Guettar, North Africa, on March 30, 1943. In a battalion attack on a hill, communications broke down and his platoon was stranded, along with battalion headquarters, and cut off from the balance of the battalion units. They were ultimately captured by German and Italian troops. He was wounded and treated by the Germans.

The Mouse spent most of his time at Oflag 64 learning and teaching a class in Russian and being involved in escape activities. He also acted in several theater productions, including The Man Who Came To Dinner. And, like everyone else, he read a lot.

"Vic" was nabbed on December 6, 1942, at Tebourba, Tunisia, when his battery (C of the 27th AFA in the 1st Armored Division) was overrun by German tanks. A year later, after being free for 65 days in Villa Vallelonga, Italy, he was captured again. He tells it like this: "Len Warren and I went to Villa for food. A friendly Italian said there were no Germans around and invited us to spend the night. We did. The Germans came in during the night, searched the house and got Len and me out of bed."

He spent his time at Oflag 64 reporting the secret radio news to his barracks, playing bridge and poker, reading, boxing and walking the perimeter.

A member of the 34th Division, Iowa National Guard, Capt. Wilcox was captured at Sidi Bou Zid in North Africa in February 1943. Faced with a formidable German tank force, his unit was ordered to withdraw to a site where they would be picked up by U.S. trucks. This was accomplished only to find that the U.S. rescue force had withdrawn another 25 miles. They were then surrounded by German tanks. A German captain came out of one tank, saluted, and said in perfect English, "Captain, for you the war is over."

While at Oflag 64, he was in charge of all music, phonograph records, and instruments. He played the violin in the symphony orchestra and the jazz band. He also taught a class in business law and torts. As a lawyer, he defended three or four cases of Oflag kriegies in Posnan, Poland courts.

Charlie was captured on January 27, 1944, at Cassino, Italy, when his tank was knocked out of action in enemy territory. Two nights later he escaped and survived in the Italian countryside until the middle of March, when he was recaptured in what he calls a freak occurrence.

At our camp, he worked on the newspaper, helped run the trading store, played softball and soccer, and studied German and Russian.

"Chum," as he was called, was captured near Persano, Italy, on September 13, 1943, when the 2nd Battalion, 143rd Infantry was overrun by the Germans on the flood plain between the Sale and Calore Rivers.

He wasted no time at Oflag 64. Chum got the equivalent of a year of law school by taking classes from lawyer-type kriegies. He took other educational courses, as well, read some 150 books, learned to play chess, and played a lot of bridge with Harold Craft as his partner.

Jack was captured in the vicinity of St. Lo, France, on June 18, 1944, by the German 3rd Paratroop Division.

At Oflag 64, he played bridge, read books and kept a diary.

Irv was caught just north of Medjez-el Bab (Longstop Hill) on the approach toward Tunis on December 23, 1943. He commanded Company A, 18th Infantry of the 1st Infantry Division. The battalion's mission was to replace the British who were on the hill. His company made it; the others did not. The Brits pulled out and Irv ended up with Company strength against what turned out to be a German Battalion. The Germans knew the hill, which was honeycombed with caves. They used these to pop in and out, and killed or captured most of the unit. People at regiment guessed what was happening, but were under British command and the Brits would not send troops to help. By the time the rest of the Battalion discovered the problem, it was too late and they pulled back. So Irv was captured and turned over to the Italians, swept up by the Germans after Italy capitulated, and eventually ended up at Oflag 64.

At Oflag 64, he ran the showers for almost a year, played in the band, served as his mess table's cook, helped plant the vegetable garden, and helped with the tunnel a bit, the cover of which was kept in his cubicle at 3A.