Remarkable photographs of high-ranking Nazis awaiting the Nuremburg Trials as they relax in a British POW camp after World War Two are unearthed after 70 years
- A huge collection of photographs and documents from prisoner of war camp in Wales has been unearthed
- They feature images of 160 Nazi generals, admirals and field marshals kept at Island Farm camp in Bridgend
- Among them was Gerd von Rundstedt, commander-in-chief of the German Army in Western Europe
- It was also the site of the 'Forgotten Great Escape' when 86 Nazi officers escaped via a tunnel in March 1945
- The collection was kept by interpreter Captain Ted Lees and could now fetch £5,000 at auction
A remarkable collection of images of high-ranking Nazi officers at a British prisoner of war camp in the aftermath of the Second World War have been unearthed after 70 years.
Senior figures including Gerd von Rundstedt, who was commander in chief of the German army in Western Europe, were held at Island Farm POW camp near Bridgend, south Wales, while awaiting the Nuremburg Trials.
The authorities had to find suitable accommodation for a large number of POWs captured in Europe and Island Farm, with its concrete huts surrounded by open fields, fitted the bill.
The fascinating collection of photographs, documents and letters were compiled by the camp's intelligence officer, Captain Ted Lees.
Among them are notes from Captain Lees who recalls a conversation with Rundstedt, to whom he became a confidante despite being Jewish, where he criticises Hitler for his infamous 'halt order' which allowed the Allies to escape from Dunkirk.
In one image, Rundstedt is seen being greeted like a VIP at Bridgend train station by a British officer due to his rank and status as former commander of the German Army.
Island Farm was also the scene of the 'Forgotten Great Escape' on March 10, 1945, when 86 prisoners got out through a 70ft tunnel dug under Hut 9, the only surviving building at the site today.
Some of the escapees made it as far as Southampton and Birmingham after stealing cars, but they were all eventually recaptured.
Images of high-ranking Nazi officers being kept in a prisoner of war camp, pictured, in Bridgend, Wales have been unearthed after 70 years and will go up for auction and could fetch around £5,000, experts believe
Among the prisoners being kept at Island Farm Camp was Gerd von Rundstedt, left, former commander-in-chief of the German Army in western Europe, who is pictured here being given a 'VIP'-style greeting at Bridgend Station due to his rank and status. Rundstedt had returned to Bridgend after appearing at Nuremberg as a defence witness. The elderly army veteran was deemed unfit for prosecution due to problems with his health. He was released in 1948 and died in 1953 in Hannover.
Field Marshal von Rundstedt was one of the most high-profile prisoners at the camp and was treated with respect by both the British and his fellow German inmates, pictured here giving him a salute. But the commander admitted during his time at the camp that he 'wanted to annihilate the 400,000 Allied soldiers at Dunkirk' but had been ordered to halt by Hitler, whom he derogatorily referred to as 'the little corporal'
Another high-profile inmate was Heinrich Eberbach, pictured here helping an older prisoner of war onto a transport vehicle at Bridgend station. He was captured in August 1944 after a battle with British forces near Amiens in northern France
Another image shows the field marshal being saluted by the other prisoners upon his return from Nuremburg.
Capt Lees documented one conversation he had with von Rundstedt who said he had wanted to annihilate the 400,000 Allied soldiers at Dunkirk but Hitler had spared them by ordering a halt to the Panzer tanks.
The German field marshal then derogatorily referred to Hitler as the 'little corporal' and slammed him for the 'incredible blunder', claiming if he had his way he would 'never have allowed a single man back from Dunkirk'.
However, this claim was later discounted by a number of historians and even his own biographer who claimed he had advised Hitler to tell the 1st Panzer Group to wait for the infantry before attacking the stranded British Expeditionary Force. Allowing the Allies a 48 hour window to fortify their position and evacuate thousands of troops.
Pictured: A panoramic view of the camp taken from a watchtower in the 1940s. It is one of several photographs saved in a collection made by chief interpreter Captain Ted Lees, who was actually a German Jew who fled his homeland with his family in 1934 to escape persecution by the Nazi regime. Island Farm was deemed a suitable site to incarcerate the POWs as it was surrounded by open farmland and had empty concrete huts discarded by munitions factory workers earlier in the war
Hut 9, pictured today, is the only remaining building still standing at the site, which was decommissioned in 1948. The building has been preserved by a local historical society and is now a tourist attraction. It is also the site of the 'Forgotten Great Escape' in March 1945 when 86 German prisoners fled through a 70ft tunnel beneath the building. They were all subsequently recaptured
WHO WAS GENERAL GERD VON RUNDSTEDT?
Gerd von Rundstedt served in the First World War before leading the German Army into Poland, France and the Soviet Union during the Second World War
Born in Aschersleben in 1875 to a noble family, Gerd von Rundstedt grew up to follow his father's footsteps and entered the Prussian Army.
He served in the First World War, rising to the rank of major by its end in 1918. He stayed in the army after the war and became commander of the 3rd Infantry Division.
However, by the late 1930s, Rundstedt had become unhappy with the growing power of Adolf Hitler's Nazi party and resigned from the army in 1938.
In 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War, Rundstedt, aged 64, was recalled to the army.
He led forces into Poland, France and the Soviet Union.
It was on his advice that Hitler issued the order not to annihilate stranded British troops on the beaches of Dunkirk.
Despite his blunder at Dunkirk, Rundstedt was promoted to field marshal and helped plan Operation Sealion, the invasion of Great Britain. An attack that would never take place due to the RAF's historic victory at the Battle of Britain.
After France he led 52 infantry divisions and five Panzer divisions into the Soviet Union and in 1941 fought in the capture of Kiev, taking 665,000 Russian prisoners.
Later that year Rundstedt suffered a heart attack but refused to leave the field of battle. A Red Army victory at Rostov in Russia infuriated Hitler and later saw him sacked by the Fuehrer.
However, Hitler recalled Rundstedt in 1942 and he was sent to France to defend the Atlantic coast. Here he organised the building of fortifications and the placement of naval guns to protect 1,700 miles of coastline.
Rundstedt was captured by the U.S. 36th Infantry Division on May 1, 1945. He suffered another heart attack and was later taken to Bridgend in Wales, where he was kept at Island Farm prisoner of war camp.
The US wanted Rundstedt to stand trial for war crimes but the army veteran was deemed not fit to be prosecuted on the grounds of his health.
However, he was called to the Nuremberg trials as a defence witness.
Gerd von Rundstedt was released in July 1948. He lived in Hanover until his death on February 24, 1953.
Life appears to be a far cry from the brutal conditions of German prisoner of war camps, for the prisoners in Bridgend.
Despite being responsible for the mass killing of 33,000 Jews at Babi Yar near Kiev in September 1941 and various other atrocities, Rundstedt escaped execution because he was deemed too old and frail to stand trial.
However, he was summoned to Nuremburg to give evidence as a witness where he claimed as a soldier it was his duty to obey orders.
The camp housed 160 officers holding the rank of general, admiral or field marshal, including a number of Hitler's closest advisers, and many of them can be seen smiling and posing for group photos.
Other notorious prisoners included Field Marshal Erich von Manstein who established the operation plans for Hitler's successful campaign in the west and the former commander in chief of the German army Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch.
Capt Lees was in fact a German Jew who was born Erhard Wilhem Wolf and fled Germany in 1934 with his family to escape persecution.
The camp housed 160 officers holding the rank of general, admiral or field marshal, including a number of Hitler's closest advisers, and many of them can be seen smiling and posing for group photos, pictured
Island Farm was initially designed as a general POW camp but the War Office eventually decided it was 'too comfortable' for enlisted men and ruled that only officers, pictured, should stay there as it befit their status
The first officers kept at the camp arrived in November 1944 and many were kept at the site until it was closed in 1948. Pictured are a group of high-ranking Nazi officials
He was initially held as an 'alien' before joining the Special Operations Executive where he undertook missions in Italy. He was redeployed to Island Farm in 1945.
Lees' notebook lists all the German 'General' prisoners of war between January 1946 and December 1948, with their date and place of capture.
There is also a five page handwritten account by Lees of recollections of statements by Rundstedt through his dealings with him as camp interpreter.
In the statements Rundstedt refers to Hitler as 'little corporal' - an insulting nickname he was given by some generals due to his limited military acumen - for issuing the Halt Order which forbade him from spending any troops within six miles (10km) of Dunkirk.
He writes: 'On one occasion the FM (field marshal) mentioned that if he had been allowed his own way, he would never have allowed a single man back from Dunkirk.
Some of the officers managed to escape on March 10, 1945, through a tunnel beneath Hut 9 and were able to make it as far as Birmingham and Southampton after stealing cars. They were eventually all recaptured and never officially punished. Pictured is a group of officers, some with walking sticks due to age and injury
Island Farm Camp was originally built as a hostel for workers employed at the munitions factory in Bridgend and was designed for women, whom managers felt would 'not want to travel 30 miles home each day'. However, most of the women rejected the camp and so the barracks were converted for German officers, pictured
More than 1,600 German officers were taken out of the camp in late March 1945 after it was designated a 'special' camp and welcomed the 160 generals, admirals and field marshals, pictured, awaiting their trials at Nuremberg
The collection of photographs, pictured, stayed in Capt Lees' family for generations but eventually passed on to a private collector, who has now decided to sell it on at auction
'He wanted to bring his Panzer forces right down on us, but the 'little corporal' ordered that the tanks be held back.'
The collection stayed in Capt Lees' family for several generations but has more recently belonged to a private collector who has decided now is the right time to pass it on.
Tim Harper, specialist at C&T Auctioneers of Ashford, Kent, which is auctioning off the collection of photos, letters and documents for an estimated £5,000, said: 'The camp certainly was very civilised and it does look very comfortable - I don't think British prisoners of war would have got the same treatment at a German camp.
'At the Nuremburg Trials, Rundstedt tried to paint a particular picture of himself as an honourable Prussian soldier who was led astray by Hitler but one suspects the reality was different.
'The relationship between Rundstedt and Lees is interesting because Rundstedt seems to see him as a friend and confidant even though he had to flee Germany because he was a Jew.'
Capt Lees, pictured front right with other British officers, served as chief interpreter at the camp and so had in-depth conversations with many of the prisoners, learning many secrets such as Field Marshal von Rundstedt's dislike of Hitler
The camp, pictured here in the 1980s years after it had been closed, was described as 'very civilised' with experts doubting British officers would have received 'similar treatment' in German POW camps
Capt Lees' collection of photographs includes pictures of gardens made by prisoners, and pictures of the camp taken in later years by his children
As a German and chief interpreter, Capt Lees, right, could speak freely with the prisoners and even kept in touch with them in later years via letters, left
He also kept detailed logs on the prisoners, pictured, including their ranks, where they commanded, when they were brought in and what eventually became of them
The overall collection includes a range of photos and official documents, pictured, amassed by Capt Lees during his time at the camp
Island Farm, on the outskirts of Bridgend, was originally built as a hostel for workers employed at a local munitions factory.
However, the women preferred to travel than stay there, so the camp remained empty until 1943, when it was used to accommodate American troops for the invasion of France.
The authorities had to find suitable accommodation for a large number of POWs captured in Europe and Island Farm, with its concrete huts surrounded by open fields, fit the bill.
The first officer prisoners arrived in November 1944 but POWs soon turned their efforts to escape.
They dug a 70ft long tunnel which breached the perimeter fence and on the night of March 11, 1945, 70 prisoners escaped, although all were eventually recaptured.
Only three weeks after the escape, the authorities transferred all 1,600 officers out of Island Farm so senior German officers, many who were captured in France, could be kept there ahead of the Nuremburg Trials.
Island Farm was closed in 1948 with the last prisoners returning to Germany.
The auction takes place on March 15.
Most watched News videos
- Moment terror suspect in 'bomb-vest' gunned down by police
- Police officer appears to lay motionless on ground after attack
- Finland: People flee as 'attackers' go on 'stabbing rampage'
- Mother and daughter swept to their death after bridge collapses
- Moment shots fired in Spanish coastal town Cambrils
- Judge Judy lets dog find its real owner inside court room
- 'Suspect' arrested after shocking stabbing spree in Finland
- Panic after truck ploughs into crowds in Barcelona's tourist area
- Father and daughter kicked off flight after argument with crew
- Policeman cradles infant at van-attack scene in Barcelona
- Pedestrians treated on ground after truck crashes into crowd
- Moment man saves baby after pushing pram out of the way on van