DURCHGANGSLAGER (DULAG) 376
The Wehrmacht established Dulag 376 on September 1, 1942, in Defense District (Wehrkreis) VIII, from the staff of Oflag VIII H in Oberlangendorf (map 4e).1 The camp then deployed to Rogavka (today in Finëv Lug, Novgorodskii raion, Novgorodskaia oblast’) (9a) and was subordinate to the Eighteenth Army Rear Area Commander (Kommandant rückwärtiges Armeegebiet, Korück, 583). In October 1943, the camp deployed to Pleskau (today Pskov, Russia) (9a), where it replaced Stalag 372, and was subordinate to the Army Group North Rear Area Commander (Befehlshaber des rückwärtigen Heeresgebietes Nord, Berück Nord). In March 1944, the camp relocated to Kauen (Kaunas, Lithuania) (9b), where it replaced Stalag 336.2 While in Kauen, the camp was under the Commander of Prisoners of War of the Military Commander Ostland (Kommandeur der Kriegsgefangenen beim Wehrmachtbefehlshaber Ostland). The unit received the field post number (Feldpostnummer) 41 014 between March 1 and September 7, 1942. The number was struck on November 23, 1944.
The camp commandant was Major Weber until March 1944, when he was replaced by Oberstleutnant Sieber.3 The deputy commandant was Hauptmann Schäfer, the adjutant was Hauptmann Schmidtborn, and the head of the office was Stabsfeldwebel Seidel. The camp headquarters consisted of five groups.
Group I (Stabsgruppe—Staff Group) included five sections: Ia, Ib, Ic, Id, Ie. Section Ia, led by Hauptmann Schäfer, was in charge of the guard and security service. The guard subunit was headed by Hauptmann Klein. Section Ib, led by [End Page 119] Hauptmann Schmidtborn and Hauptmann Langner, was the personnel section. Section Ic, also headed by Hauptmann Schmidtborn and Hauptmann Langner, managed the weapons and ammunition. Section Id, led by Hauptmann Langner and Rittmeister von Enkevort, was in charge of antiaircraft defense, antichemical protection, and fire protection. Section Ie, led by Sonderführer Matschke, was responsible for the investigation of various kinds of misconduct among the German personnel in the camp.
Group II (Lagerführung—Camp Leadership) had four sections: IIa, IIb, IIc, IId. Section IIa, headed by Hauptmann Langner and Oberleutnant Jenkner, was responsible for accounting for the prisoners and maintaining order inside the camp; the camp police force was subordinated to this section. Section IIb, led by Rittmeister von Enkevort and Oberleutnant Karlos, was in charge of the deployment of the prisoners as a workforce both inside the camp and outside its boundaries. Section IIc, led by Stabsfeldwebel Zahn and Stabsfeldwebel Seidel, managed the vehicle fleet. Finally, Section IId, under Feldwebel Tarks and Unteroffizier Günther worked on building, expanding, and refurbishing the camp.
Group III (Abwehr—Counterintelligence) was also made up of four sections: IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IIId. The group was headed by Rittmeister Scholz, whose deputy was Sonderführer Lenz, and it dealt with all counterintelligence issues and also was responsible for cooperation with the Sicherheitsdienst, Gestapo, local police, and military police (Feldgendarmerie). The group had its own agents among the prisoners, and with their help it brought to light the “unreliables” among the prisoner population in order to prevent escapes, sabotage, and diversionary activities.
Group IVa (Verwaltung—Administration) was the camp’s bookkeeping department. This group also was responsible for supplying the German personnel and prisoners with food and clothing. The group was headed by Oberzahlmeister Krause, and his deputy was Oberzahlmeister Malecha.
Finally, Group IVb (Sanitätsoffizier—Sanitary Officer) was in charge of medical services for the German personnel and the prisoners. This group was headed by Oberarzt Dr. Franz.4
Dulag 376 held Soviet prisoners of war (POWs). The conditions in the camp were similar to those in other camps for Soviet POWs. The camp was severely overcrowded, and the prisoners suffered from malnutrition and inadequate medical care, exacerbated by deliberate abuse at the hands of the guards.
The Germans disbanded the camp on November 9, 1944.
SOURCES
Primary source material about Dulag 376 is located in BA-MA, WASt Berlin, and BArch B (162/19279: Verfahren VI 319 AR-Z 118/70: Proceedings against K. Sieber, accused of killing Soviet prisoners of war in Dulag 376 in Kauen).
Additional information about Dulag 376 can be found in the following publications: Gianfranco Mattiello and Wolfgang Vogt, Deutsche Kriegsgefangenen- und Internierten-Einrichtungen 1939–1945. Handbuch und Katalog: Lagergeschichte und Lagerzensurstempel, vol. 2 (Koblenz: self-published, 1987); and Georg Tessin, Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939–1945. Vol. 10: Die Landstreitkräfte 371-500 (Osnabrück: Biblio, 1975), p. 18.
