Pow Christmas Card To Germany

I have just got this from a local stamp fair. Could someone please tell me what the German writing says



AQ

"Warm Christmas greetings from our dear home"?

Robert

nearly.

...to our dear home(land).

from Canada to Germany, see imprint.

I should have said that this is from Canadian POW camp 20 dated 3rd December 1943. These cards were usually drawn by POWs and then printed by the YMCA. I have seen this same card from other POW camps in the past.

AQ

Any chance of seeing the reverse side?

Camp 20 you say? Very interesting as this camp was located only 14 miles South of where we live. It was located in the outskirts of the town of Gravenhurst.

This P.O.W. Camp opened on (??) 7, 1940 to October 15, 1941 as "Camp C". Opened October 15, 1941 and closed on June 11, 1946 as "Camp 20"

Nice card.

Chimo

Bujutsu

I thought that I should add that this site was located next door to the Sanitarium grounds on what was known as the "Calydor" estates. Both the POW Camp C / #20, plus the Sanitarium both have postal history significance.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Sure



Nothing realy special about it. Although there is no Canadian censor cachet - I assume as there is no message. A couple of similar ones I have seen have been the same.

So far I have not been able to find anything about the sender Leutnant Karl-Heinz Haas. I wonder if Kathe Haas was his wife or mother and if they all survived the war.

AQ

Is there anything left of it or is it all built over ?

This was one of the smaller camps with only about 500 POWs.

If you have not seen it this web page is interesting
https://legionmagazine.com/en/2012/...t-prisoners/

AQ

The last time I was at the site has to be at least 30 years ago and at that time some of the lower bunkers were still there. I was told that they were used for solitary confinement, but, I cannot prove or disprove this.

Today, there is nothing left of the POW camp that would suggest anything of that nature had ever been there. Today, it is now a sub-division of homes. There is nothing left of the Calydor estates as well. However, the sanitarium building still standing but is deteriorating fast and there isn't any access to it because there is a 24-hour security crew there all the time.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Thanks for that article AQ. It is quite informative.

Chimo

Bujutsu

For further information on these cards produced by the YMCA you might be interested in Mike Street;s article in BNA Topics:

http://www.bnatopics.org/journals/a...o.%20416.pdf

Nice article Jarnick and thanks for that.

Chimo

Bujutsu