Oflag XIII-B
| Oflag XIII-B | |
|---|---|
| Hammelburg, Bavaria | |
A M4 Sherman tank of the 47th Tank Bn., 14th Armored Division, crashes through the fence of Oflag XIII-B, April 6, 1945
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A postcard view of Lager Hammelburg, 1916
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 Oflag XIII-B
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| Coordinates | 50°05′03″N 9°54′09″E / 50.08416°N 9.90249°E |
| Type | Prisoner-of-war camp |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |
 Nazi Germany
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| Site history | |
| In use | 1943 – 1945 |
| Events | Hammelburg Raid |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | Yugoslav and U.S. officers |
Oflag XIII-B was a German Army World War II prisoner-of-war camp for officers (Offizierlager), originally in the Langwasser district of Nuremberg. In 1943 it was moved to a site 3 km (1.9 mi) south of the town of Hammelburg in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany.
Lager Hammelburg ("Camp Hammelburg") was a large German Army training camp, opened in 1873. Part of this camp had been used as a POW camp for Allied army personnel during World War I. After 1935 it was a training camp and military training area for the newly reconstituted Army. In World War II the Army used parts of Camp Hammelburg for Oflag XIII-B. It consisted of stone buildings. Stalag XIII-C for other ranks and NCOs was located close by.
In May 1941 part of Oflag XIII-A Langwasser, Nuremberg, was separated off, and a new camp, designated Oflag XIII-B, created for Yugoslavian officers, predominantly Serbs captured in the Balkans Campaign. In April 1943 at least 3,000 Serbian officers were moved from Langwasser to Hammelburg. Many were members of the Yugoslavian General Staff, some of whom had been POWs in Germany during the First World War.
On 11 January 1945 American officers captured during the Battle of the Bulge arrived and were placed in a separate compound. One of these was Lt. Donald Prell, Anti-tank platoon, 422nd Infantry, 106th Division. By 25 January the total number of Americans was 453 officers, 12 non-commissioned officers and 18 privates.
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