The Great Escape

[woodchuckie]

I received a link to this site detailing the construction of one of the escape tunnels built by Pows during WWII. If you view it place your mouse on each number on the diagram of the POW camp.
Tunnel Harry

 

[EddieWalker]

Interesting. I knew the movie "The Great Escape" was based on fact, but wasn't aware of how accurate it was. From reading the website, it looks like everything they mention was covered in the movie.

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[turnkey4099]

A bit OT. There was a book "Escape from Colditz" in which the prisoners built a glider. War ended before they could use it.

Another example of prisoner/guard conflict. When I was a jailer we were constantly reminded that the prisoners had nothing to do for 24 hours a day but figure out ways to beat the system...and they succeeded all too often.

Harry K

 

[dmccarty]

I can't remember the title of the book but it is along the lines of the escape of LT so and so. Its the story of a British officer that escapes the Japanese in the Malaysia/Burma area and manages to walk back to India. He came very close to not making it not because of the Japanese but because of the jungle.

At the opposite end of an escape was the rescue of civilians from the Japanese in the PI close to the end of WWII. Forgot the name of the place/raid.

Then there was the raid on Son Tay(sp) POW camp during Vietnam that worked except the POWs had been moved just before the operation.

There where also escapes from German concentration camps.

I'm sure everyone except the younger folks can remember the Iran Hostage rescue failure.

I think POW's in the US Civil War also managed to escape but I don't think I have ever read the particulars just that they did. The survival rate of a POW in the Civil War was not good.

In the Korean War, the chances of survival as a POW was 50/50 if you where in the USN/USMC. A member of the Army chance of survival was about 25%. There was a book on this which I have been trying to find for years but the theory was that the mental resiliance of the USA soldier was lower then the USN/USMC. Most of the USN POW where pilots and the USMC where veterens from WWII whereas the USA soldier was likely a draftie. The USA soldier also did not have a sense of belonging to a unit/group like the other POWs. There also where higher numbers of USA POWS. UK POWs survived at the USN/USMC rate.

I read a story of a DR who was a POW in Korea. There was a man in the camp who had a festering wound that would kill him if it did not heal. Since the Koreans barely fed the POWs medical care was not going to happen. The DR took the man back to the latrines and had him turn his head away from the arm. What did the DR do? He let flys land on the wound and lay eggs. He wrapped up the arm and let the eggs hatch into maggots. Maggots will only eat dead flesh. The man lived.

Survival of in a Japanese camp was pretty low as well. Not only because of the length of time many POWS had to serve but also the beatings and torture that went on day after day. Pappy Boynton, the lead USMC ace who was shot down and captured, was beaten with a baseball bat. He had to stand at attention while the guards hit home runs.

Even these survival rates are better than what a German POW in Russia could expect. 95% of German POWs never made it out of Russia. Stalin kept them for 10 years or so after the way before letting the survivors go back to Germany.

Later,
Dan

 

[rox]

Intersting facts. I fact my father in law from southern Italy was anti -fascist and fought for the king of Ital and was captured in greece and sent to a POW camp in Germany. By the Geneva Convention they were allowed to send POW psot cards home, we have these post cards. most of them jsut said, "My wife don't worry about me I am okay" But one pst card she got was particularly terrifying, it only had her address on it and nothing else. The guards hated him and would nto permit him to write a message. of course then my mother lin law worried why he did not send any message.

He escaped from a POW camp in Berlin along with another Italian. They walked form Berlin back to Italy, mostly at night. After arriving in Italy they scoped out the situation and saw the American military was occupying Italy. So they walked in and surrendered to the Americans. The Americans asked where they came from and saw how gaunt and scraggly they were so they kept the 2 guys in camp for a few weeks and fed them. Once they ahd their strength back they walked back down to the south of italy, back home.

After WWII my father in law hated Italy so much, he jsut plain hated the fascists, that they immigrated to France. They took a train to the border, he his wife and 2 eyar old daughter then walked to Draguignan France which is a good 2 or 2 1/2 hours by auto route, so that was quite a walk. There first home in France was a basement and there was blood all oer the walls where the Germans had excuted French people. My mother in law could not wait to move out of that places, she alwasy said it gave her such the creeps.

Not far from Draguignan during the liberation fo the south of France which i think was in August there were American paratroopers. My mother in law and other locals used the silk of the paraschoot material to make clothing for their children. She always liked that paraschoot cloth. After the war when the peopel here didn't have anything selling that fabric provided revenue to feed your family.

my father in law was a mason, but they cut the stone blocks out fo the mountian and then built buildings with the block they cut. he was injusred when a bigh hunk of rock fell off the mountain and crushed his forehead. he was the first person in france to receive a plastic plate in his head. he neer was able to work after that and was an invalid. he did I think only at 58 years old. i never did meet him but my husband and his family ahve told me about him. Taht is really the reason my hsuband left france and went to uSA. he really needed to make money as he had a younger sister and 2 younger brothers and he was the oldest son. He always sent money home to his mother, for years and years and years. in France the whole family takes care of their mother.

Anyway thought you might enjy readig about another POW story.