The Final Marches

By early 1945, Russian and Allied troops were moving rapidly towards Germany. In a move to keep prisoners from being liberated, the Germans evacuated the camps on short notice, and marched tens of thousands of POWs around the German countryside. This final stage of their journey came in the midst of one of the coldest winters in memory, with temperatures dropping as low as -25 at times. The men were already weakened by years of inadequate diet, dysentry, and disease, and many subsequently died during what became known as the "death marches."

Chub's diary recounts the start of the marches, but then there is a gap of about five weeks in his recordings of his experience. Here are some of the most telling entries in his diary:

Feb. 2, 1945 - Back in the Stlag this morning. We were given 1 hr to get ready to leave. We left at 9 am, started out with our packs on our backs and all our grub in a wagon. We had the best team and teamster in the place. We were passed by team after team of evacuees, all in a panic to get away from the Russians who were five kilos behind them with tanks. We took back roads to get away from them and marched 43kilos that day and got to the Stalag around 7 pm. We were pretty tired + leg weary. We were the first party to come in. Everything is in an uproar. Our old farm was supposed to be in Russian hands the day we left. At present, the Russians have given our guards two hours to give up and a jerry officer said they were going to defend Stargard so we are not out of the woods yet.

Feb 22, 1945 - On the road. We left Stargard this morning of the 6th, marched 3 days, rested one, marched 3 more, rested on, marched 2 more + have been here ever since. Its a hell of a life. We were issued one full parcel each before we left + two days German rations. Our packages were pretty heavy to start with but they soon got lighter. A lot of the boys threw blankets and overcoats away but have regretted it since. We have to sleep in straw barns without lights. The first two days of the march were really the worst. We circled Stettin and are now somewhere north of Berlin, but are still in (illegible). We were pretty hungry for a few days, no rations of any kind. One day there was 7 loaves of bread for 200.

April 1, 1945 - Easter Sunday - Off the road at last... Things got pretty tough on the road. We never knew whether we were going to get anything to eat or not. We would march for three days and possibly stay in one place for a week then on again. They don't seem to have any definite place to take us. The roads are full of evacuees and civies. I had been bothered with my stomach for a few days + it really got bad after were were on the road for a day. It turned into dysentry. The third day I got so weak I had to fall out + go on the wagon. I laid over for a day + 20 of the sickest were sent by themselves. We were taken into (illegible) +put into a railway coach on the siding for the day. The French prisoners working around there treated us good, brought us milk, bread, coffee + spuds. The next morning we started off by coach but at the first stop we had to get out + make room for civies + were put into an open coal car. At (illegible) we spent all PM shunting around with the yard engine. We were on our way to the stalag at Lucknow. When we got there about 10 PM no one knew anything about a stalag. We slept on the floor in the station that night + next morning were taken to a French commando 3 km away. We stayed there all the day till noon the next day when we left for Schwerin. We got there around 11 PM that night. We thought it was going to be a big stalag, but it was just a small one, mostly French and Russians. It's a regular death hole. I was never in such a dirty place in my life, overcrowded, men sleeping on the floor, no medical care, no red cross or anything.

April 9, 1945 - My third wedding anniverary! Becky wasn't very far from my thoughts all day. I'll bet she has been doing a lot of thinking about me this last while. Wondering where I am and what's been happening.

I was into the civie Dr. on Wed. He gave me some medicine for my stomach, which seems to be helping a lot. No sign of getting any Red Cross yet, although we have been given lots of promises.

April 15, 1945 - A very eventful week. On Wed. we were taken 12 km to be de-loused as several of the boys had lice. Spent a good day with the rackets. Could have bought the town if we'd had cigs etc. There were a lot of American fighter planes flying around on Friday + we could hear them strafing + machine gunning all afternoon. The noise was terrific. The front is only about 60 km from us at present + moving fast. We got a full parcel last night and what a difference it makes to have a meal and a decent cig to smoke.

April 22, 1945 - A very good week. Lots of planes! There has been 5 or 6 Spitfires partolling the main roads in this area all week + straffing anything that looks like it might belong to the army. There has also been quite a few troops come past, they are all ready to call it quits and will sell anything they own for a few cigs. A full parcel each on Tues. and a 1/2 parcel each on Friday so we are getting filled up again.

May 2nd, 1945 - The end is in sight. Jerry troops have been pouring past all day retreating from the front. At present, the British + Canadian troops are 8 or 10 km away + are just followng up the retreating troops. The Jerries are just as glad as we are and are just waiting for a chance to give themselves up. We are on a kind of stand-in at present + will have lookouts posted all night to give us warning that our troops are coming ...