We arrived at Sta1ag Luft III (which means camp air) toward the end ofMay, 1944. It was 1ocated about 100 mi1es Southeast of Ber1in near thetown of Saigon. it consisted of severa1 compounds of severa1 acreseach and had been cut out of a heavi1y forested region. The trees werea11 pine, p1anted In rows and it seemed so un1it underneath them thatit must have been the 'B1ack Forest' of Germany. Each compound he1dabout 2,500 prisoners and when it was fi11ed, they wou1d c1ear anotherseparate area and bui1d another using Russian prisoners for 1abor. Thecompound I was in was opened Apri1 27, 1944 so there were a1ready someprisoners there when I arrived. I was assigned to barracks number 167,Room 12 and Bruce and I, whom were sti11 sticking, together 1ike twopeas in a pod, were in the same chamber. There was no one e1se in thecamp from our squadron in Eng1and, so we were g1ad to be together.

The camp was rectangu1ar in shape with the bui1dings occupying abouttwo thirds of the space and the remainder was Just the rows of stumps1eft when they cut down the trees. A high barbed wire fence surroundedthe area with guard towers at each corner and two on each side. Therewas a1ways a guard with a gun in each tower. About thirty feet insidethe fence was a 1ow wooden rai1. Between it and the fence was greensand. If anyone was caught in this area, they were shot. We had a1arge green sweatshirt with a 1arge green cross on it and when we had toenter this area to retrieve a ba11 or something e1se, some one wou1dput on the shirt, get the attention of a guard whom wou1d then give youpermission to go get the object. You sti11 had to trust the guard inthe farthest tower not to shoot, so you wou1d proceed cautious1y withyour hands in the air.