The camps housed Polish, French, Belgian, Soviet, Italian, British, Yugoslav, American, Canadian, New Zealander and other Allied POWs.

By the end of 1940 around 40,000 POW were registered there, although only about 2,500 of these were housed at the camp, with the majority assigned to various Arbeitskommando ("work team") in the area.

[3] This Army unit was composed of men considered too old or otherwise unfit for front-line service, and were commonly used for guard and garrison duties.

[2] In late 1941 the SS separated out the senior officers, Communist Party officials and Jews from the Soviet POW, and sent them to the concentration camps at Sachsenhausen and Neuengamme.

[2] In September 1944 Stalag 357 was moved from Toruń in German-occupied Poland to the site of the former XI-D, with construction being carried out by the Italian POW from XI-B.

Led by the formidable RSM John C. Lord of 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, they set about raising the standards of the camp.

At that time 17,000 POW; mostly British, but also Russian, Polish, Yugoslav, French, and American prisoners were crammed into the camp causing severe overcrowding.

There they were issued with Red Cross parcels,[10] but were then unfortunately strafed by British Typhoon fighter-bombers, mistaking them for German troops.

[11] On 1 May Deans and his guard were sheltering in a house east of Lauenberg when they heard over the radio the news of the death of Adolf Hitler.

[6] They were met at the main gate of Stalag 357 by a guard of Airborne troops, impeccably attired and led by RSM Lord.

Eventually the camp was demolished, and a housing estate now occupies most of the area,[1] with the only surviving structure being the delousing hut.