72683(V) Captain Charles William BLUETT, Natal Mounted Rifles & Raiding Support Regiment: POW

Army Number: 72683(V)
Rank: Captain
Name: Charles William BLUETT
Unit: Natal Mounted Rifles ; Raiding Support Regiment


Date of Birth: 14/7/1910
Date of Enlistment: 15/5/1940
Date of Capture: 4/5/1944
Place of Capture: Greece

 

PART I.
GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE FOR BRITISH/AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WAR.

1. No. 72683(V)
RANK - Capt.
SURNAME - BLUETT
CHRISTIAN NAMES - Charles William Robert
DECORATIONS -

2. UNIT (ARMY) - Raiding Support Regiment, Raiding Forces (ex N.M.R.)

3. DIVISION (ARMY) - Raiding Forces C.M.F.

4. DATE OF BIRTH - 14 July 1910

5. DATE OF ENLISTMENT - 15 May 1940

6. CIVILIAN TRADE OR PROFESSION - Secretary

7. PRIVATE ADDRESS - Native Recruiting Corporation Ltd., Lusikisiki, Eastern Pondoland, C.P. South Africa

8. PLACE AND DATE OF ORIGINAL CAPTURE - Vannina, Greece 4 May 44


9. WERE YOU WOUNDED WHEN CAPTURED? - No

10. MAIN CAMPS OR HOSPITALS IN WHICH IMPRISONED
Camp No. / Location / From / Till
Gestapo gaol Salonica Greece, Salonica Greece 6 May 44 - 20 Aug 44
STALAG VIIA MOOSBURG, Germany 6 Sept 44 - 7 May 45


11. WERE YOU IN A WORKING CAMP?
Location / From/ Till / Nature of Work
-

12. DID YOU SUFFER FROM ANY SERIOUS ILLNESSES WHILE A P/W?
Nature of Illness / Cause / Duration
Complete collapse Solitary Confinement, spare diet & no exercise 15 July - 20 Aug 44.

12 b. DID YOU RECEIVE ADEQUATE MEDICAL TREATMENT?
No


GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE PART II TOP SECRET

1. No. 72683(V)
RANK - Capt.
SURNAME - BLUETT
CHRISTIAN NAMES - Charles William Robert


2. LECTURES before Capture:
( a ) Were you lectured in your unit on how to behave the event of capture? (State where, when and by whom).
Yes when briefed for operations.
( b ) Were you lectured on escape and evasion? (State where, when and by whom.
Yes. By C.O. R.S.R. during training in PALESTINE.

3. INTERROGATION after capture:
Were you specially interrogated by the enemy? (State where, when and methods employed by enemy).
Gestapo gaol, Salonica were given solitary confinement 106 days, spare diet and five weeks in blackened cell with two days per week no food. Death sentence passed on whole part for working with partisans.


4. ESCAPES attempted:
Did yo make any attempted or partly successful escapes? (Give details of each attempt accurately, stating where, when, method employed, names of your companions, wherein when recaptured and by whom. Were you physically fit? What happened to your companions?)
-

5. SABOTAGE
Did you do any sabotage or destruction of enemy factory plant, war material, communications, etc, when employed on working-parties or during escape? (Give details, places and dates.)
Our work entailed all this


6. COLLABORATION with enemy:
Do you know of any British or American personnel who collaborated with the enemy or in any way helped the enemy agains other Allied Prisoners of War? (Give details, names of persons concerned, camps, dates and nature of collaboration or help given to enemy).
-

7. WAR CRIMES
If you have any information or evidence of bad treatment by the enemy to yourself or to others, or knowledge of any enemy violation of Geneva Convention you should ask for a copy of "Form Q" on which to make your statement.
(NOTE: Form Q is a separate form inviting information on "War Crimes" and describes the kind of offences coning under this title.)



GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE PART II TOP SECRET
(continued)

8. Have you any other matter of any kind you wish to bring to notice?
Whilst in solitary confinement in Gestapo gaol Salonika I asked repeatedly for better treatment and interview with an officer but was refused. Unteroffizier STOFBERG was in charge of the gaol. Lieut. SANGMEISTER of Wehrmacht (claimed brother in American Legation to BERLIN) advised me that officer in adjoining cell was shot of evening 30 July. He witnessed the shooting from his cell on the Wehrmacht Detention Barracks in Salonika.


SECURITY UNDERTAKING
I fully realise that all information relating the matters covered by the questions in Part II. are of a highly secret and official nature.

I have had explained to me and fully understand that under Defence Regulations or U.S.A.R. 380-5 I am forbidden to publish or communicate any information concerning these matters.

Date 13 May 45
Signature CWR Bluett, Capt.

 

UDF/PW.INT/UK 4493

No. 72683 V CAPT BLUETT C.W. R. Raiding Support Regt ex N.M.R.


Source states that he together with Captain HAMILTON M.C (ex ARGYLL AND SUTHERLANDS) British Mission, PTE BENNETT and PTE DAVIES R.S.R. were captured at daybreak on 4th May 1944 whilst crossing the main road VANNINA - ALBANIA at a point approx 5 miles North of VANNINA. The capture was effected due to the fat that ELAS forces had blown up a concrete patrol post the night previously and then instead of only the usual patrol being at the spot there were two companies of the German Mountain Division.

Together with the above party were a troop of mortars and a troop of medium Machine Gunners numbering 112 all of Raiding Support Regiment; also approx 200 partisans and a mixture of Greek and Italian mule drivers. Whilst ascending the slope of the MATZIKANI mountains the Germans opened up with 75mm. Eight of the mules were killed and five had slung their packs. Source ordered the rest of the men to carry on as fast as they could, also collected the rest of the stragglers and sent them on to catch up with the rest of the column. The above four returned to round up some mules of which one was carrying the medical kit and another the radio equipment. Not knowing of the 2 Companies of Mountain Div the party was surrounded, overpowered and taken prisoners. (The rest of the party escaped capture).

The four were separated and under guard were marched to VANNINA. Their source and party were condemned to death for operating with the Partisans. The following day taken by transport to SALONIKA were placed in the Gestapo prison and remained in close confinement in dark cells measuring 8' x 8'. Source remained in dark cells for four weeks when taken to a ground floor cell and remained until 20 Aug 1944.

Whilst in the above prison Capt. HAMILTON (Greek linguist) spoke to a Greek through the bars of a window. It later transpired that this Gree was DR. ZAMINIS a Political Prisoner who was condemned to death. DR. ZAMANIS arranged that if source and HAMILTON could get out of their cells it would be possible to get them out of SALONIKA. Two attempts were made but on each occasion they were discovered before being brought into successful operation.

On 20 July 1944 source was taken to the Wehrmacht Detention Barracks where he was informed that he was to be shot. Here he was also advised by Ob/Lt SANGMEISTER (who was also doing detention) that an American Capt (name given to Germans as "SMITH" caught in ALBANIA) had been removed two days after source's arrival and shot. The German officer claimed to be the brother of a member of the American Legation in BERLIN. Source remained in the condemned cell until the 20th Aug 1944 when put on the train to SALONIKA and conveyed to GERMANY.

At the station source met Capt. HAMILTON and Capt. MacGREGOR (low another mission and caught near ATHENS). Source, the above and the rest of the party arrived GERMANY STALAG VIIA on 6 Sept 1944. The Partisans made two attempts to get the prisoners away from the train but both were unsuccessful.

 

See also:

• SAS originals

 

Hi

'Vannia' is more than likely Ioannina which is 30 miles south of Greek/Albanian border so fits in with text.

Also known as 'Yannena ' which is pretty close to this.



Hope this helps

Gus