Friesack Camp

Friesack Camp or Camp Friesack was a special World War II prisoner of war camp where a group of Irishmen serving in the British Army were promised to be held, "among their own people" and to have provision made for their Catholic faith.

The camp was designated Stalag XX-A (301) and located in the Friesack area, Brandenburg region. The Abwehr attempt at recriuting from the 80 or so Irish men was almost entirely unsucessfull. A tiny faction of half a dozen volunteered for further selection by the Abwehr. Only two or three of these were actually selected and there were no successful actions carried out.

The British Army sent a senior officer Cnl McGrath RA to assess the camp and the risk of defections. He was met there by an Irish priest Fr O'Shaughnessy, who had been sent by the Vatican to minister to his countrymen and also report on their situation. Although suspiscious of each other at first Fr O'Shaughnessy was able to assure McGrath of the loyalty of the vast majority of men and indicate the few "hot heads" to be watched. The the lack of success led to the camp being dissolved, and its attendees were sent to other camps

or in Cnl McGrath's case interned in concentration campd after 1943.