1963, page 28-29 |
A former agricultural school at Grande Ligne Quebec,
housed 500 German P.O.W.s during World War II.
The Captive Years
by Flight Lieutenant W. J. Lemmex, R.C.A.F.
This article is reprinted from the
August, 1962 issue of THE LEGIONARY. The
writer is now stationed with No. 4 Wing, RCAF, at Baden Söellingen in the
On the wind-whipped North Atlantic somewhere
off Newfoundland, high drama was being enacted on October 16, 1942. The
German submarine U-353 was engaged in a running gun battle with a British
destroyer. The U-353 lost. As the submarine slid beneath the waves for the last
time, its crew abandoned ship. Another group of German sailors would soon be on
their way to Canada as prisoners of war.
Among the 39 survivors of the ill-fated U-353 was
Oberleutnant Rolf Holtz, who is today a successful bank director in Baden-Baden.
On that epic day, however, he was but one of 6,000 German submariners who were
to end their service in captivity. Oberleutnant Holtz’s long period as a
prisoner of war began when he was picked out of the stormy waters by the British
destroyer which had sunk his sub. On October 20, 1942, Herr Holtz and his fellow
mariners docked at Liverpool and were taken to a small British hotel in the town
of Shap which served as a marshalling point for German POW's destined for
Canada.
The following spring, April, 1943, Oberleutnant Holz along
with approximately 300 German officers and men from the three services, (Wehrmacht,
Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe), arrived at Halifax under armed guard aboard an
Allied merchant ship. From there they were put aboard a heavily-guarded train
bound for Internment Camp No. 44 at Grande Ligne, just south of St. John's,
Quebec. The POW camp at Grande Ligne consisted of two distinct and separate
parts - one for the guards and staff and the other for the POW. The POW area
containing the living quarters was roughly 600 feet square. In this area were
nine buildings and three small houses for senior German officers. In one of
these houses, (THE PRINCIPAL'S RESIDENCE), lived General Schmidt, former
commander of a Panzer Division who was captured in North Africa with the
remnants of Rommel's Afrika Corps.
The entire domestic area was enclosed on all four sides by an
"apron" fence. This consisted of two rows of fences six feet apart and
topped by barbed wire. Along the inside Perimeter some twenty feet back was the
warning wire. Any POW seen between this wire and the apron fence was to be
stopped by a bullet and, if found alive; was then asked questions. To the
south of the domestic and working area was the "Yard" in which the
prisoners were permitted to hold sports contests or simple exercises. This area
was roughly 400 feet square and was also surrounded by an apron fence and
warning wire. The Yard was connected to the main grounds by an elevated catwalk
some 35 feet in length with stairs at both ends.
To prevent night escapes, the entire Area housing the POW's
was illuminated with floodlights all along the outside fence facing inward. Of
course, the inevitable trademark of a prison camp, the guard towers, were spaced
at regular intervals along the apron fence. Grande Ligne POW camp was different
in one respect from all the others in Canada in that it was a former
agricultural school (sic). This, of course, explains why many of the buildings
were of a permanent nature. Also, being a former agricultural school, it
naturally had its own piggery, cow and hay barn, dairy building and assorted
sheds. The produce derived from these sources qelped to feed the camp occupants.
The other side of the fence contained the quarters, messes,
canteens, etc., of the guards arid house- keeping staff. The guards and staff
had their own camp parade ground and sports field separate from that of the
POW's.
The uniformed guards and staff at Grande Ligne, as with all
other POW camps in the country, were members of the Veterans' Guard of Canada.
These were older men who voluntarily gave up homes and businesses to don the
khaki uniform for the second time in their lives. In a POW camp the size of
Grande Ligne there were approximately 350 to 400 guards and staff under the
command of a lieutenant-colonel.
The German POW's in Canada were lucky in having members of
the Veterans' Guard as their custodians. All of them had seen action in the
First World War and many had sons or close relatives fighting in the Second
World War. Most also realized that ill or harsh treatment could be accorded to
POW's on both sides. The vast majority of them were not trigger-happy youngsters
but rather a group of sensible, patient and fair-minded men. They could be tough
and firm when faced with obstinate and unruly prisoners but they were willing to
understand and help those who obeyed the rules of the camp. For those POW's who
disobeyed rules, punishment was usually swift and to the point. The Canadian
C.O. was empowered to impose disciplinary measures extending from loss of
certain privileges up to and including solitary confinement in the camp
"cooler." But normally, strong disciplinary measures were not
required.
In December, 1944, Herr Holz and some of the other prisoners
were moved from the POW camp at Grande Ligne to a camp at Seebee, Alberta.
The transfer took four days and five nights and here probably for the first
time, the German officers and men realized the immensity of Canada. Lacking any
escape routes in this vast strange country, the German POW knew he had pretty
well "had it."
*
The Canadian military
authorities and education institutions... provided the German POW's with the
opportunity for a very broad level of education.
Study time (in Grande Ligne and at Seebee) was designated
each year from September to April. During these months, each POW was expected to
attend 28 hours of formal instruction per week. ...Some of the courses
offered included English, French, Latin, Spanish, Mathematics, Chemistry, Common
Law and World History. The instructors were recruited from the ranks of the
POW's themselves and many of them were well equipped for the task. For example,
Herr Holz recalls that one instructor of English and Spanish was a former
professor from Heidelberg University who had been captured as an officer in the
Afrika Korps.
*
Herr Holz remembers that at both Grande Ligne and Seebee the big libraries were well stocked with the best books available; a large part being donated by the YMCA. Later, as the POW's became more involved in their studies they were allowed to receive and read books from Germany. Not all prisoners became inspired with advanced educational opportunities, but they were the exception and not the rule.
*
The period from April to September was better known as the sports season. Then the POW's had the opportunity to play soccer, tennis, basketball and other outdoor sports within the confines of the barbed wire fence, of course.
*
The Canadian military authorities continually stressed constant activity for the POW's in order to counteract boredom and discontent. Even in the realm of messing, the authorities knew that an adequate and balanced diet was needed if the prisoners were to cope with the heavy program of studies and sports. Holz remarked that "the normal fare was adequate but not overdone." Food was prepared in the camp kitchens by German POW cooks who knew, of course, the type of food and its preparation best suited for the German male.
*
On September 4, 1947, almost five
years to the day that 0-353 slid to a watery grave, Oberleutnant Holz was
released.