Question on POW at Stalag Luft IV

[RSwank]

I am trying to help a man in Wisconsin who picked up a home-made plaque at a rummage sale. The plaque has a fork and spoon attached with luftwaffe markings, a handmade mirror and a German POW dog tag for prisoner number 3496 at Stalag Luft IV.

Is there a list anywhere which would match the POW number 3496 to a particular American POW? I suspect the man was shot down around September, 1944 by comparing the number to a few other numbers I am aware of.

[edwest2]

I suggest you try this site:


http://powvets.com/camp-locations/st...ft-iv-details/


Best,
Ed

[JohanSWE]

It might be a long shot but try the archives of:
international Commitee of the Red Cross.
They have POW records according to there website

https://www.icrc.org/en/archives

Regards
JohanSWE

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
I do not know if you have found your man ?
But I have two airmen.

First one -
19th February 1944
100 Squadron.
Lancaster III, ND571.
Crew of seven, all became Pow's.
F/O. Jack MacLean. MASON J/24482, RCAF had pow number 3496. He was at Stalag Luft Sagan and Bellaria.

The second one -
24th March 1944
630 Squadron.
Lancaster III, ND657.
Crew of seven.
Only one survived and became a pow.
He was -
Flt/Sgt. A. S. LEYVA 1395888, RAF. pow number 3496.
He was at Stalag Luft Heydekrug and Stalag Kopernikus.

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=47429

Scroll down to post 8, Leyva's grandson replied to posts.

Alex

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

Something else to consider. Whether there is any connection with the plaque, is anyone's guess:

30/31 March 1944
No.514 Sqn, Waterbeach
Lancaster II LL696:JI-A
Op: NUREMBERG.

T/o 2226 Waterbeach. Believed shot down while on the final leg, by a Ju 88 flown by Fw Emil Nonnemacher, III./NJG2 and crashed near Memmelstedt, 4 km NE from the centre of Bamberg.* Sgt Mackenzie lies in Durnbach War Cemetery.

125519 F/O (Pilot) P J K HOOD - POW - Camp L1 - POW No.4101
1430658 Sgt (Flt. Eng.) H H WICKSON - POW - Camps L6/357 - POW No.3494, may be 3496
1397083 F/Sgt (Nav.) H J COSGROVE - POW - Camps L6/357 - POW No.3493
131993 F/O (Bomb Aimer) R J S WILTON - POW - Camp L1 - POW No.?
1379466 F/Sgt (Air Gnr.) V J ROLLINGS - POW - Camps L6/357 - POW No.3495
2201271 Sgt (MUG) C D F MACKENZIE +
10601612 Tech. Sgt. (Rear Gnr.) Maurice George LANTHIER USAAF -POW - Camp 17B/Barrack No.30B - Branau Gneikendorf, near Krems, Austria 48-15 **

See: BCL5/156

*Claim by Fw Nonnebacher , now disputed:

LL696, JI-A 'Bomber Command Losses 1944 (WR Chorley) states 'Believed shot down while on final leg to target by Ju88 of Fw Emil Nonnemacher, III./NJG2, crashing near Memmelsdorf, which is 6.5 km NE of Bamberg. According to 'Nachtjagd War Diaries' (Dr. Theo Boiten) Fw Nonnemacher, who was actually with 9./NJG2, made no verified claim in that area; however, Lt Achim Woeste, Stab III/NJG3 was credited with an unidentified 4-engined bomber in the Schesslitz area 10 km NE of Bamberg at a time consistent with 514 Sqn aircraft being in the area. It therefore (is) more likely that LL696 was shot down by Lt Woeste.

See:
Striking Through The Clouds The War Diary of 514 Squadron RAF
Hepworth,Simon & Andrew Porrelli.
N.P.:Mention The War Publications, 2014.
pp.138-9.

**
http://stalag17b.com/Docs/Stalag17bc...atermarked.pdf - (see: p.36 of 69 pdf)

Col.

[Alex Smart]

WICKSON, H, H. Sgt, 1430638. at L6 and 357 pow number 3494.
Ref: "Footprints in the Sands of Time", page 433.

And

http://www.rafcommands.com/database/pows/index.php

Rank Name, Number, Trade & Details Date Captured Unit POW No Camp
H H Wickson (1430638) 0000-00-00 3494 Stalag Luft L6 Heydekrug

[RSwank]

Guys, thanks for the suggestions.

It appears to be the case that the Germans assigned sequential numbers at each POW camp. Thus the number "3496" was used at Stalag Luft IV, but also at other POW camps, both those run by the Luftwaffe and at others. I am not sure if at Stalag Luft IV they assigned numbers based on the compound (camp), i.e. could there be a POW in compound A with number 3496 and another in compound B with the same number, etc. I would doubt that is the case. Anyone know for sure?

The US POW lists here:
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/series-...at=WR26&bc=,sl

did try try to record the camp a man was held in, even if in multiple camps, but did they not record the POW number. Using some "advanced search" methods, these records can be searched by month or day of capture and/or by state of residence so they can be of some use.

I have found that in some cases, POW numbers were recorded on the "immigration" records at New York harbor when the returning RAMP (Recovered Allied Military Personnel) ship docked. These records can be found on Ancestry but seem to be "searchable" by name only. It is possible to read through the entire records of a particular ship (some of these are hundreds of pages long).

I am reasonably sure the man I seek was an American Airman, most likely from the state of Wisconsin (possible Northern Wisconsin where the plaque was found, or an adjacent state, i.e. Michigan or Minnesota).

[Col Bruggy]

Originally Posted by Alex Smart

WICKSON, H, H. Sgt, 1430638. at L6 and 357 pow number 3494.
Ref: "Footprints in the Sands of Time", page 433.

And

http://www.rafcommands.com/database/pows/index.php

Rank Name, Number, Trade & Details Date Captured Unit POW No Camp
H H Wickson (1430638) 0000-00-00 3494 Stalag Luft L6 Heydekrug

Re: 1430658 Sgt (Flt. Eng.) Harold Henry WICKSON RAFVR - POW.

Appendix 10 - Prisoners of War 1944.

Sqn - 514 Sqn.
Name - F/S H H Wickson.
Camp - L6
Number - 3494/3496

See:BCL5/Chorley/566

And ...

Air Force POWS - RAFCommands Old Site - Copyright, Ross McNeill (Sept, 2003).

Camp - L6
POW No. - 3494
Surname - Wickson
Initials - H H
Unit - -
A/C Serial - -
Service No. - 1430638 [sic] (See: TNA AIR 78/170/1 - Image 24 of 202)
Force - RAF
Date of Loss - -
Comments - May be 3496

http://www.rafcommands.com/old-site/air-force-pows/ - Check under 'W'.

Two respected researchers had cause to question the Prisoner of War number of Wickson. Ross used TNA AIR20/2336 as his source. Jagan, for whatever reason, has chosen to omit the above information on the query of Wickson's service number from his latest database.

Col.

[Alex Smart]

Hello Col,
None of this in regard to Wickson is relevant to the search now as it ihas been decided that it is a USAAF airman that is being sought.
So as more than one RAF airman had the same pow number it may be the same with the US airmen ?
Alex

[Col Bruggy]

Originally Posted by Alex Smart

Hello Col,
None of this in regard to Wickson is relevant to the search now as it ihas been decided that it is a USAAF airman that is being sought.
So as more than one RAF airman had the same pow number it may be the same with the US airmen ?
Alex

That's why I published the information on Lanthier, thinking he might have been given/owned the plaque.

Col