Alan Forster Route

The route of the Trek
The place names mentioned in the diary are the German names in use at the time and are often abbreviated or spelled incorrectly in the diary. Where known the correct versions are given in square brackets along with the name currently used (Polish or Czech according to present frontiers) but some names are either illegible, not given or as yet have not been identified. I would appreciate help in identifying these places names and to hear from others who followed this route.

Date	Distance	Place
19 Jan	?	Dombrowo [Dabrowa Gornicza]
20 Jan	40km	Beuton [i.e. Beuthen, Polish Bytom]
21 Jan	20km	Gleiwitz [Gliwice]
22 Jan	20km	Heidrechtstadt
23 Jan	40km	?
24 Jan	20km	Guad...f?
25 Jan	34km	Neudorf [Nowa Wies]
26 Jan	15km	Posnitz? (a barn off the Jugensdorf road)
27 Jan	?	Wechen
28 Jan	0	Rest at Wechen
29 Jan	20km	To Don..er farm
30 Jan	24km	?
31 Jan	?	?
1 Feb	?	?
2 Feb	24km	?
3 Feb	25km	Rabendorf [Rabov Zanikl]
4 Feb	20km	Blauda
5 Feb	(Total 328km)	Celleschan
6 Feb	?	Nieder Hermanitz [Hor Hermanice]
7 Feb	25km	Rathsdorf
8 Feb	12km	Wilderschaut [Wildenschwert, Czech Usti nad Orlici]; entered Czech Protectorate.
9 Feb	0 Rest Day	(at Wilderschaut)
10 Feb	-	-
11 Feb	16km	Chotzen [Chocen]
12 Feb	17km	Ceberjellen
13 Feb	0 Rest Day	at Ceberjellen
14 Feb	14km (Total 432km)	Bycsta (?)
15 Feb	13km	Crossed Elbe at Patowitz-an-die Elbe [i.e. Pardubitz, Czech Pardubice], stayed village 2k from Elbe & 11k from Konigsgratz.
16 Feb	0 Rest day
17 Feb	16km	Leibca
18 Feb	14km	Unter Gutwasser [Dobra Voida]
19 Feb	0 Rest day
20 Feb	18km	Aulibitz [Ulibice]
21 Feb	35km	Uber Bousow [Dol. Bousov]
22 Feb	0 Rest day
23 Feb	14km	A village, Rep, by a town, Jung Bunzlau
24 Feb	29km (Total 571km)	Kropatsch Urutitz [Kropacova Vrutice]
25 Feb	0 Rest day
26 Feb	20km	Tunsein
27 Feb	14km	Ilosein
28 Feb	0 Rest day
1 Mar	24km	Dallen
2 Mar	14km (Total 643km)	Jetschin [Jesin]
3 Mar	0 Rest day
4 Mar	24km	Kirchen
5 Mar	20km	Peterburg? [near Saaz [Zatec], see map in diary]
6 Mar	0 Rest day
7 Mar	16km	Grossfarwitz
8 Mar	20km	Deutschkmeit (“turned off Karlsbad [Karlovy Vary]road at Buchau. Now heading for Marienbad [Marianske Lazne] it’s said 14 days approx to a Stalag”)
9 Mar	0 Rest day
10 Mar	0 Rest day
11 Mar	25km (Total 743km)	Neudorf by Potchau
12 Mar	0 Rest day
13 Mar	?	Abaschau (4 km from Marienbad [Marianske Lazne]).
14 Mar	20km	Waschengrian, 4 km from Plan [Plana] via Tachau [Tachov]
15 Mar	0 Rest day
16 Mar	26km	Haid
17 Mar	17km	Rosshaupt [Rozvadov]
18 Mar	0 Rest day
19 Mar	18km	Moosbach, “a village 5 k off main road”
20 Mar	17km	Shamenreith (“a village 3 K off the main road 7 K from Weiden”)
21 Mar	0 Rest day
22 Mar	11km (Total 877km)	Weiden (“an outlying part, we bypassed it & are in a barn about 3 K out”)
23 Mar	0 Rest day
24 Mar	0 Rest day	awaiting transport
25 Mar	?	Schwatzenfeld (by train)
26 Mar	?	Nieder Fraubling (outside Regensburg)
27 Mar - 22 Apr		Nieder Fraubling
23 Apr	30km	Tiefenbau
25 Apr	?	Village, name left blank
26 Apr	0	Remain here until...
30 Apr		“I shall remember this anniversary all the rest of my life for this morning the Americans arrived to free us.”
1 May	?	Rottenburg, then to isolated farm
2 May	?	Regensburg
11 May		Landed in England

Here is a map of the route as it stands using Mapquest today.