foldingwings
27th Oct 2011, 08:48
From Today's Scotsman on-line:
RAF makes Great Escape, the sequel - Edinburgh, East & Fife - Scotsman.com (http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/edinburgh-east-fife/raf_makes_great_escape_the_sequel_1_1931784)
A GROUP of Scots RAF officers have recreated one of history’s most famous breakouts which was immortalised by film star Steve McQueen in The Great Escape.
Flight Lieutenant Mikey Robertson, who grew up in Stirlingshire, was one of six officers selected to travel to Stalag Luft III PoW camp and re-enact the escape of allied prisoners during the Second World War.
The team used records and artefacts for reference and were guided by original prisoners of war in the new escape attempt in the ruins of the German camp.
Flt Lt Robertson, a Tornado navigator at RAF Lossiemouth, and the other officers dug their own escape tunnel using replicas of the original tools and shoring to simulate the conditions that the prisoners of war experienced during the dig.
“It was the most physically demanding challenge of any Force Development activity I have experienced,” he said.
“The temperature in the tunnel as it took shape got up to 37C and ten tons of sand was dug out and removed by hand.
“Progress was slow as bed boards had to be fitted to form the ceiling, walls and floor for the entire length of the tunnel in order to hold it up. Despite this, cave-ins were a regular and extremely frustrating occurrence, all of which added up to send our already high respect for the veterans to new heights.”
As the team made progress they had to stop to fit ventilation pipes under the floorboards and lay the rails for the trolley system.
As they neared completion, some Second World War veterans came to look at their work.
Flt Lt Robertson said: “To have the men who were prisoners in the German camp compliment our hard work and give us encouragement was very humbling and quite poignant.”
The six officers were chosen because of their links to the Great Escape or their interest in these historic events, including Flt Lt Robertson, who has a keen interest since playing a part in a school play which dramatised the Great Escape.
In March 1943, British Spitfire pilot Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, who was imprisoned at the camp with roughly 2,000 other RAF officers, began to plan what would turn out to be the largest mass prisoner escape of the Second World War.
The team he picked created three tunnels, code-named Tom, Dick and Harry.
On the night of the break-out, 76 men escaped before the tunnels were detected but only three made it home.
Of the 73 captured only 23 were re-imprisoned. The remaining 50 were all shot on direct orders from Hitler himself.
Those executed included Sq Ldr Bushell. Last month British archaeologists announced they had discovered a fourth missing tunnel at the infamous German prison camp.
The tunnel, named George, was built by men bitter that they failed to escape in the earlier break-out.
But the escape route was shut down in 1945, when the prisoners of War of Stalag Luft III were led off at gunpoint by their Nazi guards as the advancing Red Army closed in.
The RAF officers’ visit took place over two weeks and was filmed by Wildfire TV.
The resulting documentary, Digging The Great Escape, will be broadcast on Channel 4 later in the year.
Should make interesting viewing!
Foldie:ok:
RAF makes Great Escape, the sequel - Edinburgh, East & Fife - Scotsman.com (http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/edinburgh-east-fife/raf_makes_great_escape_the_sequel_1_1931784)
A GROUP of Scots RAF officers have recreated one of history’s most famous breakouts which was immortalised by film star Steve McQueen in The Great Escape.
Flight Lieutenant Mikey Robertson, who grew up in Stirlingshire, was one of six officers selected to travel to Stalag Luft III PoW camp and re-enact the escape of allied prisoners during the Second World War.
The team used records and artefacts for reference and were guided by original prisoners of war in the new escape attempt in the ruins of the German camp.
Flt Lt Robertson, a Tornado navigator at RAF Lossiemouth, and the other officers dug their own escape tunnel using replicas of the original tools and shoring to simulate the conditions that the prisoners of war experienced during the dig.
“It was the most physically demanding challenge of any Force Development activity I have experienced,” he said.
“The temperature in the tunnel as it took shape got up to 37C and ten tons of sand was dug out and removed by hand.
“Progress was slow as bed boards had to be fitted to form the ceiling, walls and floor for the entire length of the tunnel in order to hold it up. Despite this, cave-ins were a regular and extremely frustrating occurrence, all of which added up to send our already high respect for the veterans to new heights.”
As the team made progress they had to stop to fit ventilation pipes under the floorboards and lay the rails for the trolley system.
As they neared completion, some Second World War veterans came to look at their work.
Flt Lt Robertson said: “To have the men who were prisoners in the German camp compliment our hard work and give us encouragement was very humbling and quite poignant.”
The six officers were chosen because of their links to the Great Escape or their interest in these historic events, including Flt Lt Robertson, who has a keen interest since playing a part in a school play which dramatised the Great Escape.
In March 1943, British Spitfire pilot Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, who was imprisoned at the camp with roughly 2,000 other RAF officers, began to plan what would turn out to be the largest mass prisoner escape of the Second World War.
The team he picked created three tunnels, code-named Tom, Dick and Harry.
On the night of the break-out, 76 men escaped before the tunnels were detected but only three made it home.
Of the 73 captured only 23 were re-imprisoned. The remaining 50 were all shot on direct orders from Hitler himself.
Those executed included Sq Ldr Bushell. Last month British archaeologists announced they had discovered a fourth missing tunnel at the infamous German prison camp.
The tunnel, named George, was built by men bitter that they failed to escape in the earlier break-out.
But the escape route was shut down in 1945, when the prisoners of War of Stalag Luft III were led off at gunpoint by their Nazi guards as the advancing Red Army closed in.
The RAF officers’ visit took place over two weeks and was filmed by Wildfire TV.
The resulting documentary, Digging The Great Escape, will be broadcast on Channel 4 later in the year.
Should make interesting viewing!
Foldie:ok: