Just wondering if anybody has information on this area or is near the location. I am looking for a POW Work Camp that was located in this area. My uncle escaped from it and described it as:

A large barn outside the barbed wire with a dirt road leading into the camp area with fields around it. The building that housed the POW's was an Inn or Dance Hall. It had a stage area inside with rooms off to the side, small kitchen, etc. There was a ravine close by that he ran into with several other POW's. Near the base of the small ravine was a Cave/Air Raid shelter that they hid in. I located a website:
Homepage der Stadt Naunhof

This describes an Inn that was used. I emailed the site but no reply. (Maybe not responded due to English!)

I looked at Google maps and images and it appears to be the area that I am looking for.

From my Research Notes:

Postmarked April 1945- Return address on envelope; Capt. Dale S. Jones 0340313, HQ 953 FA BN APO230; “Germany April 18, 1945. Dear Mother, Daddy & Jerry, That red letter day is here at last. The American Army liberated me at 10:30 this morning. I had escaped and was hiding up. Believe me they shure looked like a million. I am eating “K” rations and smoking like a fiend. I will be home as soon as possible. It may take a little time but look for me soon, so buy another case of peanut butter. Believe me you have the best army in the world working for you. So long for now; more later, Love Walter. P.S. Home for Jerrys graduation. Love again, Walter.” From this envelope, a search was made on “HQ 953 FA BN” and on April 18th, 1945 the Unit was in Naunhof, which is further south and east of Liebertwolkwitz. Information was located that in a small village called Erdmannshain, just north of Naunhof there was a work camp “In the hall of the Inn Erdmannshain there is a camp for prisoners of war (French prisoners for the most part in farming activities.” Dates are from 1939 – 1945. It further states in 1945 that the prison house was confiscated by Americans and that a barn in the field was on fire. Information on the Inn is trying to be located.
Any help or suggestions to see what I can find would be much appreciated.

Jo Ann

Have you tried contacting anyone at Nuanhof?

Translated version of http://www.naunhof.de/

Erdmannshain appears to be little more than a wide spot in the road, I doubt you will be able to find anyone in an official capacity there. At least that is how it appears after googling it.

__________________
Best Regards,
JW

JW,

Yeah, I tried but English is my only Language (daughter going to take German in college, but that means I have to wait )...no answer to my email.


Google maps helped me a lot figuring out the terrain and such. Had my uncle on the phone describing everything to me and the direction he took. Doesn't look like the area changed much from his descriptions.

I need to look for a WW2 historian in Leipzig which may help.

Jo Ann

Well, we have some German speakers in the forum, any of y'all willing to help this person get in contact with someone from Nuanhof?

__________________
Best Regards,
JW

JW,

Worth a try! I sent an email to a museum in Leipzig, I even tried a translation through Babelfish.

Guess when I make my trip to Belgium, France and Germany someday, I will have to find that area. I want to find that Inn, ravine and the air raid shelter!

Thank you.....