Zemke's Stalag [Hardcover]

Hubert Zemke (Author), Roger A. Freeman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Shot down over Germany on his last mission in October 1944, Colonel Hub Zemke ( Zemke's Wolf Pack, LJ 12/89) spent the rest of the war as a POW. A regular army officer and a full colonel at 27, he was appointed senior Allied officer in charge of 9000 American and British prisoners. The go-between for the prisoners and the German administration, he was responsible for the safety, health, and discipline of the inmates of the notorious Stalag Luft I. This prison, like all German POW camps, was not remotely similar to that in Hogan's Heroes . Here everything was in deadly earnest. Hunger, cold, boredom, and brutal guards made life miserable and dangerous. Zemke kept order and discipline in his camp by preventing premature escapes and by protecting the prisoners from the guards, the SS, former slave laborers, and the advancing Soviet Army. This well-written memoir is not an essential purchase, but libraries with a strong interest in World War II should buy it.
- Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park,
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 148 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press; 1 edition (February 17, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560980184
• ISBN-13: 978-1560980186
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,354,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The fighter Ace Hub Zemke's war after being shot down., August 25, 1995

By A Customer

This review is from: Zemke's Stalag (Hardcover)

Mr. Freeman along with Hub Zemke detail Hub's war fromthe period he was shot down to the end of the war. Thereis good information here on the German camp at Barth, which is a camp I find to be overlooked. The story of Hub being shot down alone is worth the price of admission. Its all here. The interogation, the camp, life as a POW, and liberation by the Ruskies. Good stuff!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Zemke's POW leadership, February 18, 2010

By 

Matt Anderson (MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Zemkes Stalag (Hardcover)

Zemke's Stalag was a pleasure to read. Zemke was a terrific wartime leader. It is obvious he inspired confidence from his men that was enduring. The only way that can happen is if the leader cared for and respected his men. It is obvious that Zemke had the grudging respect from his captors.

The book follows the disintegration of his P-51 from being overstressed in flight to his adventures in staff work after the war which led to an experience that hurt his chances for promotion to general officer. What separates this account from others in the POW genre is that Zemke was the Senior Allied Officer in Stalag Luft I near Barth Germany.

There were many interesting parts of this account. One being Zemke's reasons for his decisions he made. It is clear that Zemke wasn't willing to be a POW victim but maintain standards in his men so that they could survive with their own integrity intact. Zemke's book is not only a POW account but an example of leadership. The book was easily read and flowed as if Zemke was telling the story over a cup of coffee. Zemke's Stalag is recommended to anyone interested in leadership, the air war in Europe and the European POW experience.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Father's war-time Friend & fellow Stalag inmate, December 4, 2010

By 

oldcorp - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Zemke's Stalag (Hardcover)

- After my Father read this, he knew this was perhaps the best account
of actual life as an American Airman POW (prisoner of war) in WW2 Germany
(if not, it's certainly the best of the books on Stalag Luft 1) My Father
knows this because he was there with "Hub" (and many others) at Stalag
Luft 1, Barth, Germany (1944-45). Col. Zemke was a great Fighter/Leader
(56th FG)& Friend to my Father (B-24 Navigator - 445thBG/703BS). "Hub"
Zemke also earned the respect of other 2nd Lt's, and those "up the ranks"
(to include the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Camp guards & Officers. Though never one for "Chicken S--t", the Col. nonetheless led his fellow POW's in surviving a bad situation, often at the expense of their captors (1 German
CO was releved for actually be too "nice" to the POW's !
- If you want a real story of WW2 POW life, skip "Hart's War" & read
this book.