Lager XIV - Stalag VI C - Bathorn

History (info: Wikipedia)

Camp Bathorn was built in June 1938 as a penal camp for 1,000 justice prisoners and was almost immediately partially dismantled again, because the barracks were needed for the construction of the so-called Westwall. In August 1939, 228 prisoners were housed there. In September 1939, the camp was taken over by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) for the housing of prisoners of war. Bathorn became Stalag VI C Bathorn. It was given Alexisdorf, Dalum, Fullen, Groß Hesepe, Wesuwe and Wietmarschen as annexes.

In the context of the Emslandlager the camp was known as Lager XIV Bathorn. The camp is not listed on the official list of German concentration camps. After the Wehrmacht took over, approximately 5,000 prisoners of war were admitted to the camp. In December 1939, another 571 Poles joined them. All these prisoners were deployed in the county of Bentheim for road construction, digging waterways and in agriculture. From May 1940 onwards, many Dutch prisoners of war joined them, who only stayed here for a few weeks. After the Dutch, 10,000 French followed, who had arrived in a 450 km march from Dunkirk. Compared to other prisoners, especially the Russians, the French were comfortable, because they had their full packs with them. The camps that fell under Stalag VI C Bathorn had a maximum of 27,313 prisoners in total.

Music in wartime

The pastor Werner Koch discovered that quite a few members of a famous French Orchestre Lamoureux were among the Bathorn prisoners. Reason why he founded a camp orchestra. Besides being a pastor, Koch was also an interpreter. After the orchestra, he also set up a studio for artistic prisoners. Much of this artistic work, in drawings, songs, varia and theatre announcements, was donated to the DIZ in Papenburg after his death.

After the war

The Bathorn camp was liberated by the Canadians in mid-April 1945. After the renovation, 1,800 Poles and Ukrainians were housed in the camp. Because they had a German-related past, they could not return to their native land. In the 1950s, the camp was temporarily a prison for the judiciary. It was then demolished. An electricity house still dates from the time of the camp and the remains of a bridge pillar are still in the Coevorden-Picardie canal. Nowadays, the water company and the village of Bathorn are located on the site of the former camp.

https://www.gedenkstaette-esterwegen.de/geschichte/die-emslandlager/xiv-bathorn.html

Monday 22nd July 2024

Info panel and transformer house