Escape of Luftwaffe Personnel from England?

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Durand
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Escape of Luftwaffe Personnel from England?

#1

Post by Durand » 02 Sep 2003, 22:44

Hallo,

Are there any cases wherein Luftwaffe personnel shot down over England evaded capture and successfully returned to Germany to fight again? If so, please provide details.

Regards,

Durand

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redcoat
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#2

Post by redcoat » 02 Sep 2003, 23:41

No.
There is no record of this ever happening, though a Luftwaffe pilot did successfully escape from a POW camp in Canada.
The British made a film about this post-war called 'The Man Who Got Away' the pilot was later killed in combat ( may have been in N.Africa )


martyn powell
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#3

Post by martyn powell » 02 Sep 2003, 23:58

Hi Durand

Franz Von Werra is the most famous German escapee who escaped from a POW camp in Canada.Portrayed in the filim The one that got away
By actor Hardy Kruger.

Martyn

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Englander
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#4

Post by Englander » 03 Sep 2003, 00:10

On October 25 1941 von Werra's plane crashed off the coast of Holland while on a routine Luftwaffe mission. Neither von Werra's aircraft nor his body were ever found.

Image[/quote]

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redcoat
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#5

Post by redcoat » 03 Sep 2003, 00:32

martyn powell wrote:Hi Durand

Franz Von Werra is the most famous German escapee who escaped from a POW camp in Canada.Portrayed in the filim The one that got away
By actor Hardy Kruger.

Martyn
I stand corrected :)

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Silviu
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Escape of Luftwaffe Personnel from England?

#6

Post by Silviu » 03 Sep 2003, 13:41

In April 1941 Hitler met Oberleutnant Franz von Werra during his stay at Monichkirchen. Werra was shot down during the Battle of Britain and then transferred to a camp in Canada. From there he escaped to US and made his way to Mexico. Then he returned to Germany and reported the existence of a new british anti-submarine system.
Source: "At Hitler's side"- Nicolaus von Below

martyn powell
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#7

Post by martyn powell » 03 Sep 2003, 14:58

Hi All,

No German POW ever successfully escaped from Britain. Two Luftwaffe officers did however, nearly make it home. Lt. Heinz Schnabel and Olbt. Wappler were prisoners at Camp 15 near Penrith, Cumbria, England. On November 24th 1941 after forging papers that identified them as two Dutch officers serving in the RAF they escaped by hiding in a laundry basket and stowed away on a train for Carlisle. Once there, they found a flying training school and managed to start a Miles Magister aircraft at the school. They headed for Holland but part way over the North sea they started to run out of fuel. So they turned back and landed near Great Yarmouth where they were arrested and returned to Camp 15 and put in 28 days solitary confinement.

Martyn

Durand
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#8

Post by Durand » 04 Sep 2003, 15:38

Hallo,

My thanks to you all for the information and the photos. It is all very interesting. A book with the same title as the movie was written about Werra's escape. Are there any books about the efforts of Schnabel and Wappler or about other escape attempts by German PoWs?

Regards,

Durand

Svennie
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#9

Post by Svennie » 04 Sep 2003, 20:39

I remember seeing a documentary on Discovery Channel about Von Werra's escape. I believe he made several attempts before succeeding. He once made it into the cockpit of a fighter and was about to fly back home when the English noticed and hauled him out.

Sven

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