The book Whispers from an Empty Coffin recounts the story of Donald W. Schuman who was held as a POW in Stalag IX-B. The author was kind enough to share the following documents from the National Archives related to Stalag IX-B.

Report: February 9, 1945 [enlarge]     NCB-668 // PLAIN // Bern // Dated February 9, 1945 // Rec'd 3:55 p.m. Secretary of State, // Washington // 915, February 9, 2 p.m. AMERICAN INTERESTS - GERMANY - PRISONERS OF WAR. International Red Cross official telephoned afternoon of February 8 that four thousand capture cards dated early January received from American prisoners of war detained Stalag IX B at Badorb West of Frankfurt which previously not (repeat not) known to be large American camp. HUDDLE WTD Report: February 15, 1945 [enlarge]     AS-473 // PLAIN // Bern // Dated February 15, 1945 // Rec'd 9:25 pm Secretary of State, // Washington // 1015, Fifteenth AMERICAN INTERESTS GERMANY POWS Given below is substance Swiss note February 13: Inspector Swiss Legation Berlin January 24 visited Stalag IX B at Bad Ord strength 5 protected personnel 1263 noncoms 2807 privates all captured Western Front arrived Bad Ord end December and during January camp well situated but not prepared receive these POWS Necessary premises not available internment conditions most inferior especially with respect sleeping accommodations food clothing and sanitation commandant stated POWS only in transit at Bad Ord non coms departed January 25 Swiss Inspector insisted that indispensable improvements be made he informed Intercross of complete lack food parcels and clothing and pointed out POWS in urgent need thereof James Amcross Geneva and SHAEF informed. HARRISON MRM Report: March 2, 1945 [enlarge]     No. 11044 // Via Airmail Pouch // Bern, March 2 1945. American Interests - Germany Transmission camp report No. 1 - Stalag IX B. The American Minister at Bern has the honor to refer to the Legation's telegram No. 1015 of February 15, 1945, which transmitted to the Department preliminary information concerning a visit made on January 24, 1945, to Stalag IX B at Bad Orb, Germany, by an inspector of the swiss Legation at Berlin. In accordance with the Department's telegraphic instruction No. 720 of March 20, 1942, the Legation now submits a copy of camp report No. 1 concerning the above-mentioned visit to Stalag IX B by Mr. Werner Buchmuller of the Swiss Legation at Berlin. The Legation received the attached report under cover of a note dated February 28, 1945 from the Swiss Foreign Office Which stated that the special report mentioned under section VII entitled "Medical Attention and Sickness" was not received from the Swiss Legation at Berlin which has been instructed to forward it without delay. It may be observed that the information contained in camp report No. 1 concerning Stalag IX B confirms that transmitted with the Legation's telegram under reference indicating that the conditions at this camp are deplorable. The Legation has made available a copy of the attached report to Mr. Francis B. James, the Special Representative of the American Red Cross at Geneva, and in accordance with the Department's telegraphic instruction No. 3824 of November 9, 1944, to the appropriate officer assigned to SHAEF. Enclosure: Camp Report No. 1 Stalag IX B with original of despatch only. File No. 711.4 // GMG/mak // In quintuplicate to Department Report: March 5, 1945 [enlarge]     EBJ-389 // PLAIN // Bern // Dated March 5, 1945 // Rec'd 9:08 pm Secretary of State // Washington // 1413, Five. AMERICAN INTERESTS GERMANY Legation's 1015, February 15 and airmail 11044 March 2nd. Foreign Office note March 2 received today states Swiss Legation Berlin reported February 9, 4075 American POWS captured Western Front arrived Stalag IXB. HARRISON DU Report: April 7, 1945 [enlarge]     EEB-1358 // PLAIN // Bern // Dated April 7, 1945 // Rec'd 6:36 p.m. Secretary of State, // Washington. // 2054, Seventh. AMERICAN INTERESTS, GERMANY. Legation's 2025, April 7, 306 to Paris. Swiss report inspector Swiss Legation, Berlin March 23 visited Stalag IX B at Bad Ord. Strength 3,333 American noncoms, enlisted men and 2,047 British noncoms and other ranks. American and British sections of camp greatly overcrowded; some sleeping on ground, suffering from undernourishment owing lack Red Cross parcels and heavy reduction German food rations. Inspector reports lack of medicaments and urgent need, of vitamins A, B and C and sulphonomite tablets. Camp conditions unsatisfactory. Germany authorities apparently unable effect any improvements whatsoever owing complete lack of materials. Feared that undernourishment will increase number of sick. James, Amcross informed, repeated to Paris for General Barker and for Widewing B, to Spaatz for MeDonald, attention Bradford. HARRISON JT Report: April 10, 1945 [enlarge]     GEM-23 // Plain Bern dated April 10, 1945 // Rec'd 10:05 a.m. Secretary of State, // Washington // US. Urgent // JMB // 2104, Tenth AMERICAN INTERESTS - GERMANY Legation's 2025, April 7, 1006 to London 306 to Paris. Foreign Office note April 6 states according communication dated March 29 from Swiss Legation Germany American and British POWS hospitalised Lazaret Elsterhorst transferred Lazaret Hohenstein Ernstthal those from Schmorkau to Leipzig-Wahren annex and those from Koenigswartha to Leipzig-Wahren. Second Foreign Office note April 6 states representative Swiss Legation Germany informed by OKW that Dulag Luft closed and POWS moved by rail to Nuernberg-Langwaseer no (repeat no) information as yet received regarding arrival at destination. Note further states POWS detained Stalag IX B Bad Orb not (repeat not) yet transferred however Stalag IX B work detachments situated west said to be already moved. Repeated to London for Murphy to Paris for Widewing to Spaatz for McDonald attention Bradford and SHAEF for General Barker. HARRISON JMB Report: April 19, 1945 [enlarge]     International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland Delegation to the United States of America 1645 Connecticut Ave. N. W. // Washington 9, D. C. April 19, 1945 MEMORANDUM To: Colonel Howard F. Bresee // Prisoner of War Division // Office of the Provost Marshal General // War Department // Washington, D.C For your information I am herewith enclosing two copies of cables we have received from the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva:        No. 1564 Report on Camps Wehrkreis IX.        No. 1566 Camp strengths of American Civilian Internees in Germany. for THE DELEGATE IN THE UNITED STATES // of the // INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS Report: April 19, 1945 [enlarge]     Ref. C/x // COPY OF INCOMING CABLEGRAM: INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS // DELEGATION IN THE UNITED STATES Cable received from: Intercroixrouge // Geneva, Switzerland Date sent: April 17, 1945 // Date received: April 19, 1945 Translation 1564 GENERAL VISIT WEHRKREIS IX FROM 6TH TO 2IST MARCH FOLLOWING CAMPS OFLAG IX/A/H/Z STALAGS IX/A IX/B IX/C LAZARETTS STADTRODA HILDBURGHAUSEN BADSODEN OBERMASSFELD MEININGEN SCHLEITZ TREYSA SITUATION CRITICAL FOR THOSE THERE SINCE BEGINNING AND PRISONERS EVACUATED UNDER VERY BAD CONDITIONS FROM CAMPS IN THE EAST CONSIDERABLE LOSS OF WEIGHT DYSENTERY DIARRHEA HEMORRHAGICA GENERALIZED PNEUMONIA HYGIENE NONEXISTANT VERMIN SWARMS DANGER TYPHUS CLOTHING IN SHREADS STOP BARRACKS AND TENTS OVERCROWDED PRISONERS SLEEP ON BARE FLOORS OR UNCLEAN STRAW STOP EXTREMELY SMALL PORTIONS OF FOOD STOP STALAG IX/B WITHOUT SALT FOR WEEKS STOP NO SHIPMENTS SINCE SEVERAL MONTHS SUPPLIES EXTREMELY URGENTLY NEEDED FOOD CLOTHING SHOES DRUGS IN PARTIOULAR SULFOGUANIDINE SOLFOPYRIDINE OPIATES DISINFECTANTS SUCH AS IODEMERFEN ("SWISS PREPARATION ZYMA MERCURY-BROMAT WITH IODINE") ANTIDYPTHERIA SERUM TYPHUS VACCIN PENICILLIN MATERIEL FOR DRESSINGS BLANKETS UTENSILS STOP GRAVE DANGER OF EPEDEMCS SANITARY INSTALLATIONS ALTOGETHER INSUFFICIENT SOAP TOILET PAPER COMPLETELY LACKING STOP GENERAL APATHY REPRESENTATIVES HARRASSED WITH QUESTIONS HIGH PERCENTAGE DEATHS STOP OFLAGS RELATIVELY BETTER NO NEW ARRIVALS OF PRISONERS FOOD CONDITIONS BETTER BUT NO SHIPMENTS OF FOOD RECEIVED NECESSITY CONSTITUTE RESERVES FOR FORESEEN ARRIVAL EVACUES STOP LAZARETTS NOT IN AS POOR CONDITION AS STALAGS BECAUSE PRISONER LESS NUMEROUS MEDICAL CARE STILL SUFFICIENT BUT SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE CAUSED BY UNDERNOURISHMENT INTERCROIXROUGE H9746 Red Cross Visit: September 1943 [enlarge] [enlarge]     COPY // dmh Enclosure No.2 to Despatch No.6205, dated September 25, 1943, from American legation, Bern. June 10, 1943. STALAG IX-B. On arriving, I met the Deputy Commandant, Major Osterhagen and the Security Officer, Capt. Brünger. The great majority of the prisoners here are French, and they almost overwhelm the Belgians and Serbians. The Serbs in the main camp are all disabled and can do only light work. They have a special hut. Some hundreds of Serbs are in ten working detachments, three of them being engaged in industrial work and the rest in agriculture. Today, only five Belgians were in the camp. Two hospitals belong to this camp: Dieburg, with its branch, Kleinzimmern, four kilometres away, and Soden/Salmünster. In Diesburg, there are only Frenchmen. Kleinzimmern, Section "B", has seventy-five Serbs, of whom thirty-five have tuberculosis of the lungs. In Soden/Salmünster there were two Serbian Jews, one Polish Jew, and one Belgian. I had a long conversation with the Senior Serbian Prisoner, Lukovic Demitric, No. 35834, with the help of the German interpreter. He is the man through whom all correspondence with the Serbs is carried on, and he gave me a full account of the special requests of his fellow-countrymen. The representative of the disabled Serbs is a lawyer, Dr. Bratitsch Dusan, No. 35838. Another outstanding Serb is an engineer, Todorowitsch Miloch, No. 35817. He recently sent me a request list, and today, I was able to give him some of the material he wanted; the rest will be sent later. I found that the material for book-binding and sports ordered from the Y.M.C.A. had arrived. As the French have plenty of athletic goods, and the Serbs nothing at all, an arrangement has been made that sports material, especially footballs, should be given to the Serbian working detachments. A burning problem at present is that individual prisoners often order and receive materials privately without the knowledge of the Senior Prisoner. Thus the leaders are no longer able to judge what the resources of the camp really are, This is important for the whole camp; for when it is seen that certain prisoners have plenty of material, one is apt to think that the general... [illegible] often that is not the... [illegible] [illegible] ...grateful. More are, however, wanted. At Easter a new request was made for an Orthodox priest to be permanently attached to the camp, or at least to visit it regularly. If this is not possible, it is requested that two, or at least one of the capable school teachers in the camp, should be given the right to conduct Orthodox religious services. The most suitable man for this is the teacher Miroslaw Neditsch, in working detachment 324. In order to do this service properly he needs an Orthodox church handbook called "Trebnik". The Serbs have ordered uniforms from the International Red Cross, two hundred of small size and three hundred of large size. The clothes of the Serbs are very much worn. Three weeks ago food parcels came, so that each prisoner was able to have one. The men would be grateful if it could be arranged for them to have such parcels at definite intervals. I read over my report of my last visit to this camp (22.5.42) with the Security Officer. He agreed that it gave a good summary of the conditions of leisure activities in the camp. There are now 24,000 books in the camp and 350 circulating library boxes. It is reckoned that there are two books for each French prisoner. There are about seventy field chaplains, of whom each has six to eight working detachments to serve. A plan was worked out according to which I shall later be able to visit the hospitals and working detachments of this camp where there are Serbs and Belgians. (Sgd.) GUNNAR ORLANDER. n m k j Red Cross Visit: August 1944 [enlarge] [enlarge] [enlarge] [enlarge]     RT TRANSLATION BY THE LONDON DELEGATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS COMMITTEE RESERVELAZARETT, STALAG IX B. Visited By Dr. Landholt and Mr Wyss, // 25th AUGUST 1944. British Camp Leader BEDDING Major Geoffrey, No.23923 British Doctor. CHARTERS Major David., No. 23911 Strength. total officers N.C.Os privates Ophtalmological Post. British 24 3 10 11 Australian 4 - 3 - New Zealand 4 1 1 2 Canadian 2 - 1 1 South African 2 - - 2 Indian 1 - - 1 American 14 6 8 - Total; 64 11 31 22 1 Doctor, 6 members of the medical personnel. 1 Sports instructor 2 Australian teachers for the blind. General remarks. This hospital is composed of two large buildings.      The upper building is used as the ophtalmological post, and prisoners with face wounds or who have had their faces burnt are also treated here. At the time of the Delegate's visit, there were no cases of trachome; but if there are any, they receive hospital treatomont here as long as they are in the first stages. Situation and Accomodation.      The hospital is in a lovely district situated on the edge of a wood.      Accomodation is excellent, especially at the ophtamological post. There are about 4 beds in each room. Ventilation, lighting and heating have given no grounds for complaints, even in the winter. The beds are large comfortable hospital beds. Food.      Each building has large kitchen maintained by the Sisters of the establishment. The food is sufficient. Diets are fully provided for, and there are enough stoves for preparing the food from the collective consignments. The patients receive daily, as an extra ration, half litre milk, an egg , and 50 grams Clothing.      Most of the patients are British and American airmen who have been brought down and whose clothing has been burnt. It is most important, both for the patients there are the moment, and for those who will come in the future, to build up a stock of clothing, and it is for this reason that Major CHARTERS has sent the following order to Geneva:- For Americans For British. Sizes: Large medium small large medium small Coats 1 3 1 1 3 3 trousers 1 3 1 1 3 1 shirts 1 3 1 1 3 3 socks 10 10 10 1 6 1 vests 5 5 5 3 10 3 pants 5 5 5 - - - tunics 5 5 5 - - - handkerchiefs 10 20 shoes 1 3 1 1 3 2 caps 10 10 pullovers - - - 1 3 - medical coats 5      This consignment is very urgent.      The doctors have enough doctors blouses and also, there is no lack, at present of pyjamas for the patients. Sanitary Arrangements.      At the ophtalmological post the patients may take as many showers as necessary, and the other sanitary equipment is equaly satisfactory. Medical Care.      Major CHARTERS, an excellent doctor, is in charge of the ophtalmological care of the patients and he is assistod by a gymnastics instructor and by two teachers for the blind, WILLIAMS and MOUNT CASTLE, who are Australians. The arrangements of this institution are satisfactory. There are several outfits of instruments for operations, most of these have been sent from America and England. The only difficulty is that it is not possible to sharpen these instruments, however, there are enough reserves to last a long time yet, and this defect is therefore not notice-able. There are two operation theatres in this establishment. There are sufficient materials for the re-adaptation of the blind. There is also a dentist working in the establishment.      The lower building is, above all, regarded as the radiological centre for the Wehrkreis IX, and patients are sent here to be radio-graphed, from all the other hospitals. The radiologist who worked here was... [illegible] Dental Care.      The prisoners needing attention to their teeth are sent to STALAG IX B. The dental equipment in this stalag are satisfactory in every way Men un-fit for service.      There are four blind at the ophtalmological post, and three of these have been passed as un-fit for service by the Mixed Medical Commission. The fourth one, HORSFIELD, Terence, No. 43800 has not yet been seen by the Commission. Canteen. There is no canteen. Razor blades and beer is distributed to the medical staff. Recreation and Intellectual and Spiritual Needs.      There are no religious services for the British prisoners and they do not ask for them.      There are about 2000 books in the library, sent from the Stalag, the books are both English and French.      There is a theatre in the lower building. Work.      The prisoner doctors consider that the working conditions are good. Walks are arranged three times a week. Pay. This is regular. There are no un-recognised members of the medical staff at this camp. Correspondence.      Owing to current events, this is difficult. Collective consignments.      The reserve of the Ophtalmological Station comprises: 200 food supplies 20 razors 60 invalid parcels 20 combs 4 tobacco parcels 30 shaving soap 50 razor blades 50 tooth paste 20 brushes Both for the American and the British the following have been ordered:- 500 food supplies 200 invalid parcels. Discipline.      The relations between the British doctor and the German Commandant are excellent and could not be better in any way.      Doctors are allowed out for walks three times a week without being accompanied. The British doctor never goes out... [illegible] Final Interview with the German Authorities.      1) It is absolutely necessary that the radiological equipment should be installed in this hospital.      Reply: It will be put into working order in the next few days.      2) When will a radiologist arrive?      Reply: One was asked for some months ago, and one will probably arrive in the next few days. Requests.      Collective consignments ( see above ) 3 games of chess, 3 games draughts, 20 ping pong balls and other games. Conclusion.      The general impression of the camp is good.      The moral of the American and British patients is good, considering the seriousness of their cases.

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