An interesting read concerning the Second World War.
The Great Escape Tunnel - especially for
Untouched for almost seven decades, the tunnel used in the
Great Escape has finally been unearthed.
The 111-yard passage nicknamed 'Harry’ by Allied prisoners was sealed by the
Germans after the audacious break-out from the POW camp Stalag Luft III in
western Poland. Despite huge interest in
the subject, encouraged by the film
starring Steve McQueen, the tunnel
remained undisturbed over the decades
because it was behind the Iron Curtain and the Soviet authorities had no
interest in its significance.
But at last British archaeologists have
excavated it, and discovered its
Many of the bed boards which had been joined together to stop it collapsing were
still in position. And the ventilation shaft, ingeniously crafted from used powdered
milk containers known as Klim Tins,
remained in working order.
Scattered throughout the tunnel, which is 30 ft below ground, were bits of old
metal buckets, hammers and crowbars which were used to hollow out the route.
A total of 600 prisoners worked on three tunnels at the same time. They were
nicknamed Tom, Dick and Harry and were just 2 ft square for most of their length.
It was on the night of March 24 and 25, 1944, that 76 Allied airmen escaped
through Harry.
Barely a third of the 200 prisoners many in fake German uniforms and civilian outfits
and carrying false identity papers, who were meant to slip away managed to leave
before the alarm was raised when escapee number 77 was spotted.
Tunnel vision: A tunnel reconstruction showing the trolley system.
Only three made it back to Britain. Another 50 were executed by firing
squad on the orders of Adolf Hitler, who was furious after learning of the
breach of security. In all, 90 boards from bunk beds, 62 tables, 34 chairs
and 76 benches, as well as thousands of items including knives, spoons, forks,
towels and blankets, were squirreled away by the Allied prisoners to aid
the escape plan under the noses of their captors.
Although the Hollywood movie suggested otherwise, NO Americans were involved
in the operation. Most were British, and the others were from Canada, (all
the tunnelers were Canadian personnel with backgrounds in mining) Poland,
New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.
The site of the tunnel, recently excavated by British archaeologists .
The latest dig, over three weeks in August, located the entrance to Harry,
which was originally concealed under a stove in Hut 104.
The team also found another tunnel, called George, whose exact position had
not been charted. It was never used as the 2,000 prisoners were forced to march
to other camps as the Red Army approached in January 1945.
Watching the excavation was Gordie King, 91, an RAF radio operator, who was 140th
in line to use Harry and therefore missed out. 'This brings back such bitter-sweet
memories,' he said as he wiped away tears. 'I'm amazed by what they've found.’
Bitter-sweet memories: Gordie King, 91, made an emotional return to
Stalag Luft III.
In a related post:
Many of the recent generations have no true notion of the cost in lives and
treasure that were paid for the liberties that we enjoy.
They also have no idea in respect of the lengths that generation (our Tupuna)
went to in order to preserve those liberties. Below is one true, small and entertaining story
regarding those measures that are well worth reading.
Escape from WWII POW Camps
Starting in 1940, an increasing number of British and Canadian Airmen found
themselves as the involuntary guests of the Third Reich, and the Crown was
casting about for ways and means to facilitate their escape.
Now obviously, one of the most helpful aids to that end is a useful and accurate
map, one showing not only where stuff was, but also showing the locations of
'safe houses' where a POW on-the-lam could go for food and shelter.
Paper maps had some real drawbacks —they make a lot of noise when you open
and fold them, they wear out rapidly, and if they get wet, they turn into mush.
Someone in MI-5 (similar to America’s OSS) got the idea of printing escape
maps on silk. It’s durable, can be scrunched-up into tiny wads and,unfolded
as many times as needed and, makes no noise whatsoever.
At that time, there was only one manufacturer in Great Britain that had
perfected the technology of printing on silk, and this was John Waddington Ltd
When approached by the government, the firm was only too happy to do its
bit for the war effort.
By pure coincidence, Waddington was also the U.K. Licensee for the popular
American board game Monopoly. As it happened, 'games and pastimes’ was a
category of item qualified for insertion into 'CARE packages', dispatched by
the International Red Cross to prisoners of war.
Under the strictest of secrecy, in a securely guarded and inaccessible old
workshop on the grounds of Waddington's, a group of sworn-to-secrecy employees
began mass-producing escape maps, keyed to each region of Germany, Italy,
and France or wherever Allied POW camps were located. When processed,
these maps could be folded into such tiny dots that they would actually fit
inside a Monopoly playing piece.
As long as they were at it, the clever workmen at Waddington's also managed
to add:
1. A playing token, containing a small magnetic compass
2. A two-part metal file that could easily be screwed together
3. Useful amounts of genuine high-denomination German, Italian, and
French currency, hidden within the piles of Monopoly money!
British and American air crews were advised, before taking off on their first
mission, how to identify a 'rigged’ Monopoly set – by means of a tiny red
dot, one cleverly rigged to look like an ordinary printing glitch, located in the
corner of the Free Parking square.
Of the estimated 35,000 Allied POWS who successfully escaped, an estimated
one-third were aided in their flight by the rigged Monopoly sets. Everyone who
did so was sworn to secrecy indefinitely, since the British Government might want
to use this highly successful ruse in still another, future war.
The story wasn't declassified until 2007, when the surviving craftsmen from
Waddington's, as well as the firm itself, were finally honored in a public ceremony.
It's always nice when you can play that 'Get Out of Jail' Free' card!
Some of you are (probably) too young to have any personal connection to WWII
(Sep. '39 to Aug.'45), but this is still an interesting bit of history for everyone
to know.
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