The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933-1945

The Wehrmacht established Oflag 52 (map 4c) on April 15, 1941, in Defense District (Wehrkreis) II; it was later transferred to Defense District I. It was deployed to Ebenrode (formerly Stallupönen; today Nesterov, Kaliningrad oblast’, Russia) on June 16, 1941. The Germans disbanded the camp on June 30, 1942.¹ The unit received the field post number (Feldpostnummer) 13 608 between February 1 and July 11, 1941. The number was struck between July 12, 1941, and January 26, 1942; the Germans probably struck the field post number because the camp had become stationary and was located within the borders of the Reich. The camp was subordinate to the Commander of Prisoners of War in Defense District I (Kommandeur der Kriegsgefangenen im Wehrkreis I).

The camp held Soviet prisoners of war (POWs). The conditions in the camp were similar to those in other camps for Soviet POWs. The camp was overcrowded, the prisoners were malnourished, sanitation was completely inadequate, and the prisoners did not receive proper medical care, leading to widespread starvation and disease and a high mortality rate. Abuse by the Germans exacerbated the prisoners’ plight. As in other camps, the Germans screened newly arrived prisoners to “weed out” so-called undesirables (Jews and political [End Page 212] commissars), who were then shot in the woods near the camp. According to data from the Soviet Extraordinary Commission (ChGK), between 5,000 and 8,000 Soviet prisoners are said to have died at this camp; however, figures from the ChGK have often proven to be too high and should be treated accordingly.