German prosecutors investigate 105-year-old for crimes at Nazi PoW camp

German prosecutors have opened an investigation into a 105‑year‑old man accused of being an accessory to multiple executions at a Nazi prisoner‑of‑war camp during World War II. The suspect is alleged to have served as a guard at Stalag 326 VI K in Senne, northwestern Germany. A comparable case had previously been pursued against a second former guard at the same site. According to a statement from Sonja Frodermann, that individual died a few months ago at the age of 99. No additional information about either former guard has been released publicly. Nevertheless, the two proceedings underscore the challenges prosecutors encounter when pursuing Nazi‑era crimes, given that most surviving suspects have already died. More than 5.3 million Soviet Red Army soldiers were held in German captivity during the war, and roughly half are believed to have perished. Many of those who survived were later branded traitors upon returning home. The Stalag at Senne was one of the largest such facilities. Memorial records indicate that one in three Soviet POWs who entered Nazi Germany between 1941 and 1945 passed through Senne, where they frequently were assigned to forced labour in the surrounding region. Conditions inside the camp were horrific; prisoners endured severe mistreatment and chronic malnutrition. Of the 180,000‑200,000 Soviet prisoners registered at Stalag 326 VI K, many died and tens of thousands are buried on the site. Prisoners of war from France, Poland, Serbia and Belgium were also detained there.