The Great Escape - Any Aficionados Here?

[Dave Homewood]

Are there any experts or aficionados on the history of The Great Escape here, the breakout from Stalag Luft III on the night of 24/25 March 1944? And who knows the stories of the New Zealand airmen who were involved in the escape efforts?

As the 80th anniversary is fast approaching, it would make a great topic for a WONZ Show looking at the Kiwi angle, if I could find someone knowledgable enough on the story to interview.

[flyinghilly]

Dave - I know quite a bit - in fact I was hoping to go there next year.

I spent a while talking to Mick Shand who was the last man out of the tunnel

I also spent quite a bit of time talking to Jack Rae DFC who was in the camp when the escape happened. I was visiting the Imperial War Museum in London with Jack and they had a big model of the camp. Jack was steading himself by holding onto the edge of the model while he looked at it. A guard yelled at him to 'not touch the exhibits' and then calmed down and asked him if 'there was anything he would like to know. Hi response was 'no not really - it is pretty much as I remember it'. mThis comment caused everyone to jump into action and they took him off (for a couple of days) and recorded his memories for them.

I have a copy of this recording somewhere if you are interested. I also have a copy of the documentary that I helped make of Jack talking about the camp and the escape - that might be useful as well

[Dave Homewood]

That would be fantastic Larry. It would be great to interview you about it. And we could maybe add some clips from Jack's interview. Thanks.

[clint]

Not this interview by any chance?

www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80025638

[Dave Homewood]

Yes I am sure that is the one Larry meant.

I am very pleased to say that along with Larry I have also had two UK based experts volunteer to help out too, so I think between us we should be able to put together a really interesting episode.

[errolmartyn]

Some notes compiled by Colin Hanson and self about the three New Zealand 'Great Escapers' who were recaptured and executed:

Wed 19 Aug 1942
Army Co-operation Command – 26 Squadron, RAF (Gatwick, Surrey – 35 Wing)
Mustang I AL977 RM-? – took off at 0800
(See also p238 For Your Tomorrow Vol 1 & By Such Deeds)
CHRISTENSEN, Flight Lieutenant Arnold George. mid.
NZ413380. Born Hastings, 8 Apr 1922. RNZAF 14 Jun 1941 to 29 Mar 1944. Pilot. Shot-down, 19 Aug 1942, whilst serving with 26 Sqn RAF (Mustang) on his first sortie - Operation JUBILEE - tactical reconnaissance in support of a Dieppe raid. Escaped from Stalag Luft III, Sagan, during the night of 24-25 March 1944. Recaptured at Flensburg and together with three of his comrades executed on 29 Mar 1944 by the Gestapo, in a field near Kiel. Cremated at Kiel and ashes later interred at Poznań.
Citation Mention in Despatches (8 Jun 1944): "In recognition of distinguished service and devotion to duty."

Wed 22/Thu 23 1943
Bomber Command – 51 Squadron, RAF (Snaith, Yorkshire – 4 Group)
Halifax II JN901 MH-? – took off at 1844
(see also For Your Tomorrow Vol 2 p 143-144)
POHE, Flying Officer Poroporu Patapu (Johnny), mid.
NZ 402894. Born Wanganui, 10 Dec 1914. RNZAF 1 Sep 1940 to 31 Mar 1944. Pilot. On the night of 22-23 Sep 43, aircraft damaged by flak (or fighter?) during a raid on Hanover and later ditched in sea off the coast of France. Three crew had earlier baled out; the three remaining crew survived the ditching but were then also captured by the Germans. All 6 crew survived to become prisoners. Took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III, Sagan, On recapture nr Gorlitz he, along with 5 others, were executed by the Gestapo on 31 March 1944. He was cremated and his ashes were later buried at the Poznan Military Cemetery, Poland. See pp335-339 of Max Lambert's Night After Night for an account of the Halifax's lost which corrects that which appears in Chorley's 1943 volume of RAF Bomber Command Losses and this writer's vols 2 & 3 of For your Tomorrow.

Sat 31 Oct 1942
Middle East – 450 Squadron, RAAF (Landing Ground 175 [Amiriya area], Egypt - 211 Group)
Kittyhawk III FR270 OK-M – took off at/from?
(See also p265 For Your Tomorrow Vols 2, also Vol 3)
WILLIAMS, Squadron Leader John Edwin Ashley (‘Willy’), DFC, mid.
RAF 40652. Born Wellington, 6 May 1919 RAF 17 Jan 1938 to 29 Mar 1944. Shot down 31 Oct 1942 while strafing the Sidi Barrani - Sollum road in Egypt with 450 Sqn RAAF (Kittyhawk). Took part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III during the night of 24-25 Mar 1944. Recaptured a few days later nr Liberec, Czechoslovakia. Executed by the Germans, 29 Mar 1944 somewhere between Liberec and Most. Cremated at Most. His ashes were returned to Luft III and later reinterred, along with those of his 49 executed comrades, in a collective grave at Poznan, Poland.
According to Tom Robert's Wingless, Williams was raised in Sydney, and joined the RAF pre War.
In Stalag Luft III he became the carpentry organizer for the tunneL supports.
He was nominated as a forest guide to Tschiebsdorf railway station, then Boberöhrsdorf, and was eventually captured, with Flt Lt R V Kierath 402364, by a mountain patrol whilst they were trying to climb the Riesengebirge (Giant) Mountain range. He was then transferred to Reichenberg prison and via Czechoslovakia to Hirschenberg.

Errol

[Dave Homewood]

Cheers, Errol.

[planecrazy]

Feb 29, 2024 18:06:49 GMT 12 clint said:

Not this interview by any chance?

www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80025638

I would strongly recommend listening to this interview, very insightful he has a great memory
wow those Malta people went through a full on situation.

[Dave Homewood]

I am really pleased to say that I recorded a great episode this morning on The Great Escape, marking the 80th Anniversary, with guests Larry Hill, Tony Hoskin and Andy White. Really good and interesting discussion, I learned a lot. This episode will be released on Sunday the 24th of March 2024, the actual anniversary.

[obiwan27]

Mar 6, 2024 10:35:55 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

I am really pleased to say that I recorded a great episode this morning on The Great Escape, marking the 80th Anniversary, with guests Larry Hill, Tony Hoskin and Andy White. Really good and interesting discussion, I learned a lot. This episode will be released on Sunday the 24th of March 2024, the actual anniversary.

Looking forward to it Dave. One of the first true life story war movies I recall watching and also reading the book of was 'the Wooden Horse' by Eric Williams. Interesting how this smaller escape attempt preceded the 'Great Escape' & I believe it was from the same camp, but a different compound.

[Dave Homewood]

Same camp, different compound, as you say. However the movie The Great Escape is a lot of Hollywood fiction rather than true life. The real story is much more interesting.

BTW Eric Williams who devised the Wooden Horse escape, and made a home run from it, was an air bomber with No. 75 (NZ) Squadron.

[fwx]

Eric Williams was an Air Bomber (Bomb Aimer)

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Chris, I thought that was the case but his Wikipedia page says he was a pilot, and I went with that, in haste. Further down the same page it says he was a navigator.

[fwx]

The ORB lists him as "P/O Williams E.E. Captain A/B", and the Pilot (F/S Dunmall K.J.) is listed below him.