Were you at Stammlager IVB or XIB?
Do you have knowledge regarding the deaths of these prisoners?
— NICKEL, Charles B. Private First Class Company B, 393d Infantry
— CARMICHAEL, Herbert N. Technician Third Grade Medical Detachment, 394th Infantry
— MORGAN, Floyd B. Technician Fifth Grade Medical Detachment, 394th Infantry
Nickel died of diphtheria on Jan. 1, 1945, while in the Lazarett (hospital) at Stalag IVB, Muhlberg. Carmichael was at Stalag IVB but died on March 10, 1945, at Stalag XIB, Fallingbostel. Morgan died on March 31, 1945, at Stalag IVB.
The remains of these three men have never been recovered or positively identified. Does anyone who was a prisoner at IVB know about the deaths of Morgan and/or Nickel? Does anyone recall the location of the prisoner's cemetery at IVB? Does anyone recall Carmichael's death at XIB?
It is quite possible that all three men rest in unmarked graves at or near the camps where they reportedly died.
If you have information, please contact Bill Warnock. With a few facts about how and where they disappeared, a search could be started. Do not think what you remember is unimportant. A little bit from you matched to a small piece from someone else might complete the puzzle.
Bill Warnock
26101 Country Club Blvd. #1105
North Olmsted OH 44070
E-mail: wcwarnock@earthlink.net
History
Mannschafts Stammlager IVB, Muhlberg
(Enlisted Men's camp IVB, Muhlberg)
The camp was located near the Elbe River, about 30 miles northwest of Dresden. It was built during the 1939-41 period and encompassed roughly 80 acres.
According to German figures, more than 46,000 prisoners were interred at the camp during its history. They came from almost every Allied nation. The first ones arrived in1939. The greatest number were Soviet soldiers. By early 1945, the facility contained more than 5,000 U.S. Army enlisted men (ground forces). The American head count rose significantly following the Battle of the Bulge. Additionally, prisoners evacuated from camps in the east increased the population of IVB just prior to its liberation in April 1945.
Soviet troops, most likely the 5th Guards Army, reached the Muhlberg area on April 23, 1945. Most U.S. Army prisoners remained in Russian custody until May 4, when evacuated by the 69th Infantry Division. Some American captives remained under Soviet control until mid-May. Others escaped to U.S. lines beyond the Elbe. From 1939 to 1945, more than 3,000 Allied prisoners died at the camp.
After its liberation, the camp was utilized for the repatriation of former slave laborers and captured members of the "Vlassov Army" — Red Army prisoners who switched sides during the war and formed an anti-Bolshevik army.
In September 1945, the Soviet NKVD (precursor to the KGB) took control of the dilapidated camp, built it up and operated it until 1948. The former Stalag became known as Soviet Special Camp Number 1. During its three-year history, countless political prisoners and other unwanted people were detained under inhuman conditions. Camp records indicate that 6,765 inmates perished. They were buried unceremoniously in mass graves at the edge of the camp.
