Treskau training camp in Poland
The Treskau barracks was located 20 km north of the city of Posen in the western part of Poland. In the 1800s, the town was called Owinsk and was part of Germany until 1919. From 1919–39 Poland was an independent state. From 1939, a troop training area, “Warthe Lager,” was established along the Warta River and renamed Treskau (after the local large landowner). From around 1250 there had been a monastery here, later converted into a welfare institution. The military maintained its presence in the area, and German troops again took over the military facilities (originally built by Germany prior to WWI) in 1939. The monastery was evacuated and converted into barracks and administration buildings. From 16 September 1941 the camp became the training barracks for the independent Danish horse-drawn battalion “Frikorps Danmark.” From 1 October 1942 the camp was converted into an SS NCO school, part of which moved on 15 October 1943 to Radolfzell. In spring 1944, students from the bombed SS Junkerschule Braunschweig were transferred to Treskau. It functioned as an NCO and officer school until 23 January 1945, when the area was taken by Soviet forces. Further information can be found in the book “Die letzten Junker aus Treskau” by Rudolf Kuntzsch.
The daily life of the camp is shown here in a photograph. Frikorpset with Per Sørensen (later company commander and battalion commander in Regiment 24 “Danmark”) in front of his compatriots.
Photo from the battalion office, where initially two Germans handled the duties (attached from “Der Führer”), but later Danish personnel were also assigned. This is where daily administration took place, including document processing, fair-copying of orders, and the war diary.
The Warta River runs through the training area and was frequently used for exercises.
The Treskau barracks in the winter of 1941/42. During this winter, a disaster occurred when the stored potatoes and cabbage froze, forcing the troops to subsist on starvation rations for the remainder of the winter.
In the monastery’s large halls beneath the building, a dining hall had been set up, which was decorated for a Christmas event in 1942.
Military training was what it was all about, and the young Danish men soon learned military discipline and endurance. During the breaks, however, there was always room for a little Danish camaraderie, while the officers (including Ejgil Poulsen) planned the next advances.
An SMG group sets up, gets ready, then takes off again and moves 10 meters to set up the rifle again – and that’s how the day goes.
The medical service was and remained a serious matter for many. By the standards of the time, they were extremely well trained and equipped, which would save the lives of many Danes.
A shed at the main entrance to the camp. A cozy place, just not in winter when it was 30 degrees Celsius.
Even though there wasn’t much free time, there was still time for cozy living and there was always great joy when there was news from home. New newspapers have just arrived here from the publishing house Fædrelandet.
Finally, on the early morning of May 7, 1942, the crew can pack and load aboard a freight train to finally get to the front. The train rolls over Rogassen to Lithuania and on to the DNO airfield. Here, the crew is reloaded into Junker aircraft and transported to Demjansk to be deployed to the front line.