# Polish POW Records: Research a WW2 Prisoner of War Source: https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/military/polish-prisoner-of-war-records/ Last updated: 2026-10-12 Summary: Trace Polish POW records and WW2 prisoner of war histories through camp cards, Red Cross files and service papers. Commission research with an English report. Publisher: The Polish Genealogist (professional Polish genealogy research, polishgenealogist.co.uk) --- **Polish POW records** can help trace a WW2 prisoner of war from capture through camp transfers to release and later life. Prisoner cards, camp lists, Red Cross documentation and service papers may reveal a birthplace, rank, unit, prisoner number and dated movements. Our [Polish military research service](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/polish-military-service-records-research/) follows these clues across the relevant collections and brings the findings together in an English-language report for your family. > **Searching for one prisoner of war by name?** A camp name, a prisoner number or a letter home is enough to begin. We search prisoner cards, camp lists, Red Cross records and service papers for a named person and explain the evidence in English. [Search a named soldier’s records](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/polish-military-service-records-research/) ### What can Polish POW records reveal about a WW2 prisoner of war? POW means **prisoner of war**. In Polish documents, *jeniec wojenny* is a prisoner of war and *jeńcy wojenni* is the plural. For a Polish soldier, personal captivity records can connect the person in your family papers with a military unit and a sequence of camps. Different documents add different parts of the story. #### Identity and earlier life A full name, date and place of birth, rank or unit can connect a prisoner with pre-war military and family records. These details help distinguish people with similar surnames. #### Capture and registration A capture date, location or prisoner number can establish a point in the wartime timeline. We read each entry alongside the document’s issuing authority and date. #### Camp movements Camp designations, transfer entries and work-detachment references can help reconstruct the route through captivity. Several dated records may show stages remembered only briefly in family stories. #### Release and the next chapter Release, repatriation and later service papers can connect wartime captivity with a return home, further military service or a new life in Britain. The wording on a document helps identify the right research route. Military captivity, civilian imprisonment, forced labour and displacement each have their own records. Establishing the person’s recorded status lets us follow the relevant collections and explain how the stages of their wartime experience fit together. ### How to find a WW2 prisoner of war by name A **WW2 prisoner of war search** begins with the person’s name and the details that identify them: birth date, birthplace, military branch, rank or unit. British family papers may use a shortened first name or a surname without Polish diacritics. We compare those variants with the original entries and use additional identifiers to establish the connection. - **Family documents:** camp letters, photographs with inscriptions, identity cards, discharge papers and later British records can supply names, dates and camp references. - **Personal records:** a prisoner registration or named camp list may add details that lead to another collection. - **A dated timeline:** we compare capture, registration, transfer, release and later service entries to follow the person through successive stages. - **A report for your family:** the investigation explains the records found, the connections between them and the next leads, with source references and copies where available. ### Ex-prisoner of war identity cards: connecting captivity and later life An identity card marked **Ex-Prisoner of War** can connect the holder’s wartime experience with the period after release. The issuing authority, issue date, birth details and any camp or prisoner-number entries help place it in the timeline. Comparing the card with discharge and resettlement papers can reveal which later records to investigate. ### German POW camp records for Polish prisoners of war For a Polish prisoner held by Germany, registration documents, camp lists, correspondence and transfer entries can help reconstruct captivity. We retain the complete camp designation, including its Roman numeral, letter and suffix, and compare every dated entry. A camp stamp on a letter can give a useful location and time to investigate alongside the personal record. Depending on the surviving document, **German POW camp records** may record personal and military details, capture information, the prisoner number, camp movements, health, work assignments or release. The Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War holds relevant archival material and conducts searches into individual prisoners’ histories. Its collections include both official documentation and other evidence of captivity. ### Stalag and Oflag records: identifying a WW2 POW camp **Stalags** generally held enlisted soldiers; **Oflags** were camps for officers. A **Stalag Luft** designation points to a camp for captured airmen. These words, together with the full camp number and date, help identify the institution that produced a record and the military context of the person’s captivity. A main camp could administer prisoners working elsewhere or record a transfer to another camp. We therefore use the designation as part of a sequence: where the person was registered, which movements are recorded and what the next document adds. This approach can turn several letters or cards into a clearer account of the route through captivity. ### POW numbers, camp names and transfer records A **POW number** is one of the strongest clues in a prisoner’s documents. We record it together with the camp and issuing authority, then compare it with the name and birth details in other records. A prisoner number, an army service number and an archive reference identify different things; keeping them separately makes the investigation more precise. Transfers can appear as dated entries, stamps or changes of camp address. Comparing these with letters and service papers can reveal when a person moved and which collection may hold the next stage. If your family has only one camp reference, it still gives a focused starting point for investigating that part of the wartime story. > **Have a camp name or prisoner number?** We can investigate those identifiers alongside your relative’s service history and explain the evidence in English. [View POW and military research packages](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/polish-military-service-records-research/) ### Soviet captivity records and Polish prisoners of war For Polish prisoners held in the USSR, the person’s military status, identity and dates guide the investigation. POW documentation, arrest or imprisonment records and civilian deportation accounts can describe different stages. We read each source according to the event and status it records, building a timeline from the evidence. The Polish Red Cross describes holdings concerning Polish prisoners at Kozelsk, Starobelsk and Ostashkov, as well as other wartime tracing material. For someone who later joined [Anders’ Army](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/military/polish-anders-army-records/), personal index cards and accounts of their time in the USSR can provide further identity, place and movement clues. We connect those sources with later military records where the evidence supports the link. ### Red Cross prisoner of war records: Polish Red Cross and ICRC **Red Cross prisoner of war records** are an important research route for WW2 captivity. The Polish Red Cross’s National Bureau of Information and Searches describes original Polish POW records and wartime tracing material. Those holdings can add evidence about the person’s recorded fate and the enquiries made on their behalf. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has a separate request procedure for information about people held during the Second World War. Access depends on its current request windows and capacity. We consider this route alongside other collections and check the requirements relevant to the enquiry. The ICRC’s searchable First World War index covers a different conflict. ### Where are Polish POW and WW2 prisoner of war records held? - **Central Museum of Prisoners-of-War (CMJW):** archival collections and individual searches relating to prisoners’ histories, using identity details such as the name, birth date and birthplace. - **Polish Red Cross and ICRC:** wartime tracing and captivity documentation, with separate procedures and access requirements. - **The National Archives in the UK:** British and Commonwealth POW lists and liberation questionnaires can be relevant when the person’s service and collection coverage fit. We check that scope before applying a British record series to a Polish serviceman. - **UK-held Polish service files:** for subsequent Polish service under British command, the [MOD Polish service-record route](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/military/ministry-of-defence-mod-polish-service-records/) can add another part of the individual’s military history. - **Arolsen Archives:** relevant when Nazi persecution, civilian forced labour or displacement forms part of the story. Its holdings contain very few records of non-civilian POW forced labour, so we select this route according to the person’s documented experience. ### What information helps us search Polish POW records? - Full name and spelling variants, including the versions used in British papers. - Date and place of birth, with approximate dates clearly marked. - Camp designation, prisoner number and dated entries from letters or cards. - Military branch, rank, unit and service number where known. - Copies of family papers and a specific question about the person’s captivity or subsequent service. These details help us select a focused research route within the agreed time. A birthplace may lead towards earlier family records, while a camp number or unit can guide the military investigation. The report brings the findings and the sources checked together, so your family can understand both the discoveries and the leads they supply. ### From a POW camp clue to a family story in Britain In an illustrative research scenario, a camp letter and a British discharge document refer to the same name and birth details. The camp address and prisoner number guide a captivity search; the discharge paper gives a later service route. Comparing the dated evidence can connect wartime imprisonment with the person’s subsequent military and family life. This is an example of the method, rather than a reported client case. For a relative who settled in Britain, we can follow the later evidence through [Polish Resettlement Corps records](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/military/polish-veterans-resettlement-in-britain/), [displaced-person documentation](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/records/displaced-persons/) and British family records, according to the recorded history. These sources can help connect a camp or hostel address with the community where the family’s life continued. ### Can Polish POW records and WW2 POW lists be searched online? Some **WW2 prisoner of war records**, catalogue entries and named lists are available online. Others require a targeted archive enquiry. We use digital material and archive-held records together, checking the nationality, military branch, dates and camp coverage of each collection before matching an entry to your relative. A published list can identify a person at one stage of captivity; a personal card, letter or later service file may add the next stage. Our [commissioned Polish POW research](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/polish-military-service-records-research/) brings these pieces together, reads the original entries and explains the discoveries in English. Where a commercial database or copying service charges for access, the relevant costs need to be considered alongside the research scope. ### Sources for Polish prisoner of war research - [CMJW: individual prisoner-of-war searches](https://www.cmjw.pl/en/zbiory/kwerendy/) and [museum collections](https://www.cmjw.pl/en/zbiory/). - [Polish Red Cross: National Bureau of Information and Searches](https://pck.pl/en/co-robimy/kbiip). - [ICRC: current Second World War tracing procedures](https://www.icrc.org/en/document/request-information-about-individuals-detained-during-second-world-war-or-spanish-civil-war-quota). - [The National Archives: British and Commonwealth POW records](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-prisoners-second-world-war-korean-war/). - [Arolsen Archives: scope of its holdings](https://arolsen-archives.org/en/archive/inquiry/). - [CWGC: Stalag, Oflag and other WW2 POW camp context](https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/blog/prisoners-of-war-ww2-facts/). ### Related guides - [Displaced Persons (DP) Records](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/records/displaced-persons/) - [Anders' Army Records: How to Trace Your Ancestor in the 2nd Polish Corps](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/military/polish-anders-army-records/) - [A guide to Polish military records](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/military/tracing-polish-military-service/) > **Research service:** Trace a relative’s captivity and military service · One person and one defined research question · [Explore military research packages](https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/polish-military-service-records-research/) --- Research help: The Polish Genealogist researches Polish family history, military service and citizenship evidence in Polish, British and international archives, with reports in English. Services and prices: https://www.polishgenealogist.co.uk/services/