Dulag Luft (DL)
Oberursel, Frankfurt and Wetzlar, Germany
The camp in Oberursel began in 1936 as a school for agriculture under the auspices of the University of Frankfurt. During World War II, the lower fields became an interrogation centre for the German Air Force. In July 1942 the camp was greatly enlarged with many of the buildings fitted with secret listening devices. By the autumn of 1943 Oberursel was to be only an interrogation and evaluation centre. Prisoners were no longer to be held here pending a move to a permanent camp.
The entrance to "the cooler"......a large number of solitary cells where a captured airman would initially be accommodated.
A wider view of 'the cooler' blocks and the Taunus hills behind.
In September 1943 the transit camp element of Dulag Luft was relocated to the Botanical Gardens in the centre of Frankfurt. There was much consternation about this location which was less than 2km north of Frankfurt's main railway station.
After many fruitless complaints to the IRCC and two very heavy air-raids in March 1944, the heavily damaged transit camp was abandoned.
After interrogation at Oberursel, POWs would now be sent to Wetzlar which was a transit camp approximately 60km to the north.
The location of the Wetzlar Transit Camp
The Wetzlar transit camp
Post War
After World War II, the United States Army used the Oberursel site known as 'Camp King' as an interrogation centre and intelligence post.
The above image is by kind permission of Maria Shipley from her Pension-Sprachschule Blog.
Today it has been rebuilt as a German housing area but only two of the original American accommodation blocks remain. However, the street names tell their own story!
Modern German housing built on the site Camp King (formerly Dulag Luft Oberursel)
A tranquil housing area built on the site of Dulag Luft Wetzlar.
The following 49Sqn aircrew were based at Dulag Luft:
The following website gives more information (the website opens in a new window)
This Merkki website gives more details of both Oberursel and Wetzlar