Caterpillar Club Card

Donald T. Nicklawsky was born on May 18, 1916, in Hillsboro, North Dakota. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1938. During World War II, he enlisted in the United States Air Crops on August 31, 1942. During a January 29, 1944, air raid over Frankfurt, Nicklawsky’s plane, “Our Love,” was shot down. This happened on Nicklawsky’s second raid over German territory. He was captured by the Germans, and sent to Stalag Luft 1 near Barth, Germany. He was eventually liberated by the Allies in May 1945. Following the war, he worked for the Internal Revenue Service, was President of the North Dakota League of Savings and Loans Associations, and was Vice President of Northwestern Savings and Loan Association in Fargo. He was also a member of the North Dakota Banking Board. He died on June 19, 1987. This collection mainly contains material related to Nicklawsky’s confinement at Stalag Luft I from 1944-1945. The files contain newspaper articles, correspondence, his diary, reports, and ephemera. The articles report of his capture by the Germans and rescue from P.O.W. camp Stalag Luft 1. The reports include German P.O.W. regulations and a report on American P.O.W. done by the Military Intelligence Service. Some of the ephemera include his German P.O.W. Identification Papers, his dog tags, and Prisoner of War Service Medal. Also included in this collection are 84 photographs from Stalag Luft 1. The vast majority of the photographs are undated and unidentified; they have been kept in the same order they were found. The photographs depict scenes from the camp, including buildings, people, and special events such as plays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The photographs are numbered from 1278-453 to 1278-537. Also included is a book, Welcome to POW Camp, a cartoon representation of life at Stalag Luft 1. The book was placed in the Rare Book Collection. Donated by Lisa Foss (Nicklawsky’s daughter), Flagstaff, Arizona, on July 11, 2006 (Acc.#2006-2860).