Photo By Bryan Gatchell | USAG BAVARIA - HOHENFELS, Germany -- Two Polish soldiers of 11 Lubuska Dywizja...... read more read more
USAG BAVARIA-HOHENFELS, Germany – Members of the Polish military and the Hohenfels chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars held two ceremonies honoring Polish prisoners of war Feb. 5, 2025.
Soldiers and leaders from 11 Lubuska Dywizja Kawalerii Pancernej (11th Armored Cavalry Division) were on hand to take part in Combined Resolve with the Joint Multinational Readiness Center.
The first ceremony took place at the Polish prisoner of war cemetery in the training area, and the second took place at the memorial at Camp Nainhof.
The cemetery is just outside the garrison cantonment in the training area. There are no bodies there – they were exhumed decades ago – but the site endures as a remembrance of Stalag 383, where allied prisoners of war were interned during World War II. Polish prisoners comprised the majority of the camp population, and many remained after the camp’s liberation.
Tim Ostrand, an active member in the Hohenfels chapter of the VFW, coordinated the cleaning of the cemetery Nov. 2, 2024. Several organizations on post offered their help, including Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, an on-post Polish-American friendship group. The on-post scouting organization, BSA Troop 303 contacted Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego (the Polish scouting organization), who brought 30 scouts to help clean.
VFW Post 10557 commander Adam J. Moore and Ostrand represented the VFW at the event, and Staff Sgt. Shane Manes, Hohenfels BOSS president, represented BOSS at the event.
“We have about 240 Polish who perished and were buried here,” said Moore. “We continue to honor that legacy, reaching out to the community, educating them on the sacrifice that Poland made to freedom in Europe.”
Divisional Gen. Piotr Fajkowski, commander of the 11th ACD, performed honors at both ceremonies. Both ceremonies involved the laying of wreaths to commemorate the prisoners of war.
Following the ceremony, the Polish soldiers returned to the Combined Resolve exercise.
| Date Taken: | 02.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2025 05:17 |
| Story ID: | 491198 |
| Location: | HOHENFELS, BAYERN, DE |
| Hometown: | HOHENFELS, BAYERN, DE |
| Hometown: | ZAGAN, PL |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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