Paul Priem
Paul Priem (born 11 March 1893 in Posen, Imperial Germany; died 2 August 1943 in Leipzig, Nazi Germany) was a German officer in the Wehrmacht during World War II and a noted member of the German staff at the Colditz Castle POW camp.
Paul Priem | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 March 1893 Posen, Imperial Germany |
| Died | 2 August 1943 (aged 50) Leipzig, Nazi Germany |
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| Service/ | Freikorps Army |
| Years of service | ?1914–1919 1939–1943 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands held | Security Officer, Oflag IV-C (1939–1943) |
| Battles/wars | World War I Greater Polish Uprising World War II |
| Other work | Teaching |
During the Greater Poland Uprising of 1918–1919, he fought against the Polish insurrection as a second-lieutenant in the Freikorps. During the 1930s, he was a school headmaster in Leipzig until called up for active service in 1939.
He was subsequently given the post as the Security Officer at Colditz Castle and was known to the prisoners as being one of the more jovial of the Germans; Pat Reid, a successful POW escapee, said he "possessed a rare quality among Germans - a sense of humour".[1] Priem's heavy drinking, however, meant he was called before a medical board and found to be unfit for active service. He returned to teaching, and died from the effects of his drinking in August 1943.
References
- P.R. Reid, MBE, MC, Colditz: The Colditz Story & The Latter Days of Colditz, Coronet, 1985, p. 74
- Eggers, Reinhold (1974), Colditz Recaptured (New English Library).