Stalag II-B was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp situated west of the town of Hammerstein, Pomerania (now Czarne, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland) on the north side of the railway line. It housed Polish, French, Belgian, Serbian, Dutch, Soviet, Italian and American prisoners of war. Camp history The camp was situated on a former army training ground (Übungsplatz), and had been used during World War I as a camp for Russian prisoners. In 1933 it was established as one of the first Nazi concentration camps, to house German communists, however, it was dissolved after several months, and the prisoners were deported elsewhere. In late September 1939 the camp was changed to a prisoner-of-war camp to house Polish soldiers from the September Campaign, particularly those from the Pomorze Army. At first they lived in tents, throughout the severe winter of 1939–1940, and construction of all the huts was not completed until 1941. Cold combined with poor sanitary conditions and food rations, resulted in widespead diseases and many deaths. In May–June 1940 French and Belgian prisoners from the Battle of France began to arrive. To make room for them, many of the Poles were forced to relinquish their POW status to become civilian slave laborers, in a violation of the Geneva Conventions, and some were offered to sign on the Volksliste. Faced with poor results, the Germans subjected the Poles to starvation and terror, as well as deportations to heavy labor subcamps. Polish Jewish POWs were assigned to hard and humiliating work. In December 1940, 1,691 Polish prisoners were recorded as being there. Lack of warm clothing and malnutrition resulted in high mortality among POWs from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Sudan, Madagascar and Indochina. In April 1941, Serbian POWs were brought to the camp. Since October 1939, Polish POWs were sent to newly formed forced labour subcamps in the area, to work in forestry and agriculture. Eventually POWs of various nationalities were sent to numerous forced labour subcamps (Arbeitskommando) located in various cities, towns and villages in Pomerania and northern Greater Poland. Many POWs often recalled German abuse in the subcamps. On the initiative of the Polish POWs, a camp infirmary was organized, led by Polish doctor and POW Edmund Mroczkiewicz. The infirmary was also the focal point of the Polish resistance organization Odra, and Mroczkiewicz was its member. The organization was involved in intelligence, diversion and sabotage actions. The construction of