stalag

[stal-uhg, shtah-lahk]

noun

1. a World War II German military camp housing prisoners of war of enlisted ranks.

stalag

/ ˈstælæɡ, ˈʃtalak /

noun

1. a German prisoner-of-war camp in World War II, esp for noncommissioned officers and other ranks

Word History and Origins

Origin of stalag¹

First recorded in 1940–45; from German, short for Sta(mm)lag(er), equivalent to Stamm “cadre, main body” + Lager “camp”

Word History and Origins

Origin of stalag¹

short for Stammlager base camp, from Stamm base (related to _stem ¹ ) + Lager camp

Example Sentences

Flt Lt Smythe spent 18 months in Stalag Luft I prisoner of war camp in Barth, Germany, before being liberated and flown back to Britain.

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That thumbprint made at Stalag 8b inspired Jacqueline to search for more answers in a Facebook group for relatives of prisoners of war.

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He ended up at Stalag IV-B - one of Germany's largest prisoner of war camps - on what was his 19th birthday.

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Alongside him in Stalag Luft 3 was another prisoner, Talbot Rothwell, who would go on to write many of the best Carry On films.

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However, in Stalag Luft 3, he was an officer and code writer in MI9, the military intelligence agency responsible for organising escapes from prison camps.

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