Hitler's Secret Army of POWs INSIDE Britain

Where do you put your most hardline fanatical Nazi POWs? Not talking about your run-of-the-mill Wehrmacht soldier. I'm talking about those dedicated to the cause. The SS. The Nazi Party's personal fighting force. The paratrooping Fallschirmjäger. Members of the U-Boat crews. And most importantly, where do you put the men who concocted the devices plot? Hitler's directed mission to break out of POW camps across Britain, free a quarter million other prisoners from other camps, march on London from inside its own borders, assassinate Winston Churchill, all coinciding with a German invasion from across the Channel. All with the help from a group of British fascists who were expected to help their cause, including an acting member of Parliament. In the minds of many of these prisoners, the war was not over. They were simply waiting for their next order. The answer to the question of where do you put these hardline Nazi fanatical, now POWs, is here, at Camp 21. Kultibragen. Just outside Comrie in Scotland. POWs who arrived in Britain were sorted based off several risk factors. The least of concern were classified as white. Those that pose a risk, grey. But those who had yet to truly give up the fight, those who were still outright dangerous, were classified as black. Kultibragen was a black camp. 4,000 of Germany's most loyal fighters were housed here. Not all were classified as black, though, with separate areas for white and grey prisoners, though the different groups were not allowed to mix. But all were under the watchful eye of expatriated Polish guards, men who hated the Germans for their brutal blitzkrieg across their country. Despite this, it was a far cry from the brutality of the POW camps that they faced if caught by the Soviets. Sure, if you were to act up, there would most certainly be repercussions. But for the most part, life here was fairly benign. White and grey prisoners had a choir you could sing in to pass the time, and classes teaching English were given to those interested. Many of the younger Wehrmacht conscripts, who were at least somewhat delusioned with the cause, were done fighting. Like in the United States, low-risk prisoners were even allowed into the local area to assist in farming and manufacturing duty, left vacant since the local men were off fighting the war. Many of the Scots here were happy for the help, treating the prisoners kindly, certainly in hopes that if their son or friend was in a similar situation, they would also be treated well. With some prisoners spending four or five years here, you could find something to do, or for those with the black patch sewn on their uniform, you could keep up the fight. Due to its status as a black camp, only the slightest of outside news was permitted. As the war raged on, communication with the fatherland was almost impossible. Despite an overall tentative calmness, spurts of tension and violence would bubble up, including escape attempts and even murder. Escape attempts were to be expected, especially from a camp that housed the most fervent and dogmatic Nazi sympathizers. An escape attempt here was almost guaranteed to be a life-or-death endeavor. According to a Red Cross log, a Polish guard had shot a German prisoner in the head just for getting too close to the fence line. Any escape would have to be planned to as much detail as possible. It would most likely involve overpowering the network of security, and would most definitely require swift and aggressive violence. Polish guards with itchy Tringer figures weren't going to be the easiest to overcome. Camp 21 wouldn't be where this plan would come to fruition, but that didn't mean it would not be involved. In the south of Britain, outside the town of Devices, was the Le Marchand camp, and this is where Hitler's plan would be put into place. In December of 1944, the Germans would launch their bloodiest offensive of the war in the Ardennes Forest, meant to split the Allies, allowing some to be encircled and destroyed. Hitler hoped this would allow him to sue for peace, on much better terms than his current situation allowed. This would come to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. It was intended to coincide with the Devices plot, where thousands of ardent Nazi prisoners, with the help of underground fascist Brits, would overwhelm prison camp guards within Britain and march on London. In one fell swoop, Hitler would reverse and potentially even win the war on the Western Front, with an army that was already staged in the British homeland. This would allow him to turn his attention to the Soviets in the east, who were eating away at his dwindling army. It was a bold, it was brazen, and it was almost a reality. Through underground networks, word got around to almost every POW camp in the UK. There would be a mass breakout, meant to disrupt the British countryside, and eventually London itself. The date was set, 16 December 1944, the same date that would begin the Ardennes Offensive. A la Marchand, with the help of those British fascists, 7,000 prisoners would break out, raid the armories and US hospitals nearby, acquire weapons, allied uniforms, and vehicles, and race through the country supporting other prison break attempts, and eventually a full-on assault. All of the simultaneous prison breaks would convene towards the capital, with a vast majority of able-bodied men on the European continent. Those left in-country would potentially capitulate to masses of battle-hardened German soldiers. The plan was still a secret as of eight days prior to execution. By chance, though, two American officers, part of an interrogation team that questioned newly-arrived prisoners, and who spoke fluent German, were at La Marchand in order to familiarize themselves with the nuances of native German speakers. Walking into an office that was allowed to be used by a German sergeant major, they both heard mention of an arms store, before the men that were gathered inside quickly went silent. They immediately reported this, and an investigation began into the plot. Putting those interrogation skills to work, and in conjunction with planting microphones and listening devices, information was rapidly compiled that spelled out the plan. Even then, the true scale of a countrywide breakout and assault may not have been known, but enough information had been spilled by the Nazi prisoners that something had to be done. Two days prior to execution, on December 14, 1944, soldiers from the 6th Airborne Reconnaissance Regiment, who were back in the country for a rest and relaxation, were ordered to march on the camp and arrest the ringleaders of the plot. 32 Nazi officers and senior enlisted were arrested and immediately sent here to Camp 21, Kultebregen. Meanwhile, across the 600 or so other POW camps across Britain, security was increased. Inspections and surprise searches were conducted, thwarting a vast majority of escape attempts. Tunnels, hidden weapons, and communications revealed the scale of the operation. Few prisoners managed to escape, with one particular exception being 97 hardline Italian fascists, who managed to escape from Dunefoot Camp in Scotland, all of which were rearrested. So that was a close call, but one has to imagine that having a massive operation disrupted like that would lead many to assume that there was someone amongst them who had been given up the plot. A mole, a spy. Rumors spread, especially here at Kultebregen, Camp 21. This fresh group of angry Nazis, all of whom were planning to lead thousands of men into a triumphant attack on London itself, were now stuck at the supermax of POW camps. They had failed to support their countrymen, failed to shift focus from the Ardennes to Britain, failed their Fuhrer, now a second time. They were bitter, paranoid, and extremely suspicious. They were suspicious of one man in particular, Wolfgang Rosterg. At Le Marchand, Rosterg had openly opposed the plan, defied the orders, and refused to participate. Despite this, he was also sent to Camp 21. The other plotters assumed this was intentionally done by the Allies. He must have ratted out their plan. He must have told them everything, and now they were continuing to use him to spy on them in their new home. To them, he was obviously a traitor. Two days after the arrival of the Le Marchand prisoners, Major Willie Thornan had been found hanged, with suspicion it had not been suicide. Blood was in the water, and two days before Christmas, within the confines of Hut 4, Rosterg was seized by a group. And what followed was a vicious beating, followed by a kangaroo court, where Rosterg had a noose tied around his neck while he was accused of and found guilty of treason by his peers. They continued to beat him while dragging him to a makeshift gallows to hang him, by which time he had already died from the blows. Despite an attempt to make it look like suicide, eight men would be arrested and tried for the crime, none of them over the age of 21. Their imprisonment and trial would last beyond the end of the war in Europe, which was only six months away at this point. Its conclusion would see two prisoners go free, one given life imprisonment, and five would be executed. This act would be the last mass execution to be conducted in Britain, carried out in October of 1945. Whether or not Rosterg was guilty of giving information will probably never truly be known, but his murder as a scapegoat for the plan falling apart resulted in six men dying in the end, if not more. Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated case. Similar story played out in America as well. I visited a cemetery, the final resting place for German and Italian POWs in Oklahoma, including one who was murdered by his fellow soldiers. Check out this video about the German POW murders in America. Thanks for watching. Thanks to my Patreon subscribers for helping me get here. As always, until next time, get lost.