Prisoner of War Records:

T/Sgt. Charles G. Asadoorian -

11053561 Army Air Corps

Prisoner of War Record

Held in Stalag Luft 4 near Grosstychow, Prussia

Charles G. Asadoorian was a Technical Sergeant in the Army during World War II. Charles resided in Worcester County, Massachusetts before enlisting on June 15, 1942. At the time of enlistment, Charles was 21 years old, had 2 years of high school education and was single, without dependents. Two years later, Charles was captured by Nazi Germany while serving in Romania, and was sent to Stalag Luft 4 near Grosstychow, Prussia where 6,660 other American POWs were held. Charles' capture was first reported to the International Committee of the Red Cross on May 10, 1944, and the last report was made on August 6, 1945. Based on these two reports, Charles was imprisoned for at least 453 days (1 year and ~4 months). The average duration of imprisonment was 363 days. Ultimately, Charles was returned to military control, liberated or repatriated.

The full name of this camp is Stalag Luft 4 Gross-Tychow (formerly Heydekrug) Pomerania, Prussia (moved to Wobbelin Bei Ludwigslust) (To Usedom Bei Savenmunde) 54-16, and it was controlled by Nazi Germany. The National Archives has records for 6,660Allied prisoners held here, 6,631 of whom were liberated, and 15 of whom did not survive their captivity. Compared to Nazi Germany's other camps with at least 10 prisoners, Stalag Luft 4 had one of the highest numbers of prisoners, and 6,574 more than average. The highest number of prisoners held at a German camp was 8,412. For context, Japanese camps held a maximum of 9,012 prisoners, and an average of 65 prisoners.

Additional Details:

·       Camp Name: Stalag Luft 4

·       Stalag is an abbreviation of the German word "Stammlager" and was the label for camps that housed non-officers. Luft was the label for any camps that housed airmen.

·       Operating Years: 1944 - 1945

·       Latitude - Longitude: 53.9425 - 16.1761

·       Nearest City: Grosstychow

·       Country: Prussia

·       Location Today: Tychowo, Poland

·       Notes: Formerly known as Heydekrug. Prisoners at this camp were moved to Wobbelin Bei Ludwigslust and later to Usedom Bei Savenmunde.

·       Liberated on: February 5, 1945

·       Liberated by: British Army

Chuck was the first of three children, and the only boy, born to Charles G Asadoorian and Lucy Avedisian.

Chuck was a top turret gunner on the B-17 Able Mabel that was shot down over Romania during WWII. He was credited with shooting down 3 German aircraft before he bailed out. He was taken prisoner about February 1944 and sent to "war camp of the Luftwaffe No. 3". He was then force marched to Poland to the prison camp Stag Luft 4 where he remained for the remainder of the war.

WORCESTER-Charles G. Asadoorian, Jr. 89, passed away peacefully on March 24, 2010 with his family surrounding him, after a long illness. Chuck was born in Northbridge on February 3, 1921, the son of Charles G. and Lucy (Avedisian) Asadoorian. He leaves his wife of 52 years, Eleanor (Johnson) Asadoorian or affectionately known as HBD "honey baby doll"; two daughters, Susan L. Baniukiewicz of Worcester and Sandra E. Bartlett and her husband Christopher of Boylston; three grandchildren, Sophia Maher, Victoria Baniukiewicz and Nicholas Bartlett; a sister, Shirley Adams of Miami Springs and nephews and nieces. He also leaves his pets that brought so much joy to his life, Moxie, Mugsy, Bella, Lily and Puppy. He was predeceased by a sister Dorothy Perron.

Chuck served as a Tech. Sergeant and a Top Turret Gunner in the Army Air Corps during World War II and later was a POW in Germany until the liberation. Besides his family, Chuck's loves were Bluegrass music, airplanes and motorcycles. Chuck Wade was his stage name in his bluegrass band called "The Country Men", where he played the base fiddle and acoustic guitar. He also flew his own Stearman biplane with which he did stunt flying that earned him the name "Chazz One Time", because he would try anything once! He flew out of many local airports including Leicester, where he met his wife Eleanor. His most recent enjoyment was his motorcycle.

Chuck drove trailor trucks for Lion Distributors for many years, long and short haul. He loved to drive. After retiring, he drove a handicapped school bus for Patrick's in Leicester. He was very passionate and faithful in his belief of God's plan and purpose. He was a member of the Worcester Christodelphian Church.

All are welcome to attend a memorial celebration of Chuck's life with hotdogs, beans and dad's favorite pastry on Sunday, March 28 from 2-5 PM at the Worcester Christadelphian Church, 218 Greenwood Street, Worcester. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the donor's favorite animal shelter, as Charles always loved animals. Arrangements are under the care of Lindquist Lundin Funeral Home, 36 Butler Street, Worcester. For online condolence please visit www.lindquistlundin.com