Stalag Luft III Sagen. 'The Great Escape'

[stgeorge64]

#32........Jimmy James entered the station from the platform door bofore being marched away by a Policeman......incidently Jimmy James returned to the station last year and was amazed at how little it had changed, the ticket office part of this building is now inhabited so he was unable to revisit that particular place.....

[stgeorge64]

#33........Jimmy was taken to this place.........the local Gestapo headqaurters..........now utilised as the local prison, Jimmy visited this place last year also............

[stgeorge64]

#34..........and even visited the cell which is in the middle of the row of 3...........the place where he was brutally tortured by the gestapo.........

[stgeorge64]

#35.........and when they had finished with him, in the middle of the night he was transferred here............Sachsenhausen KZ...........another amazing place I visited.............even more so because Jimmy James tunnelled out of here also.........

anyway, I hope that you enjoyed the additions in the form of Jimmy James capture and subsequent incarceration. Sachsenhausen was a shocking place to visit. If interest is shown I will also post some more pics of the place on a different thread.

Regards Richard.

[pzrwest]

Great Escape

This post is very moving indeed. I enjoy the movie The Great Escape and like the second making of the escape. It continues on after the war and the tracking down of the people who murdered these brave men. I would recommend watching both movies.

[stgeorge64]

pzrwest, thank you for your comments. I too have enjoyed the Great Escape film almost every bank holiday weekend since I was a child! I have spoken at length to 2 RAF aircrew who were incarcerated at Stalg Luft III asking their opinion of the film and both said that overall it was quite accurate in how in depicted camp life. However, the American prisoners had already been transfered from the northern compound when 'Harry' was being constructed, so they did not actually participate in the 'Great Escape' itself. Also, the escapees who were recaptured were not murdered together in a field as depicted in the film but rather individually when they were caught. As a point of note, the subsequent investigation carried out by the RAF Police in tracking down the men who murdered the escapees is a fascinating story also.

Regards Richard.

[Viscount]

pzrwest, thank you for your comments. I too have enjoyed the Great Escape film almost every bank holiday weekend since I was a child! I have spoken at length to 2 RAF aircrew who were incarcerated at Stalg Luft III asking their opinion of the film and both said that overall it was quite accurate in how in depicted camp life. However, the American prisoners had already been transfered from the northern compound when 'Harry' was being constructed, so they did not actually participate in the 'Great Escape' itself. Also, the escapees who were recaptured were not murdered together in a field as depicted in the film but rather individually when they were caught. As a point of note, the subsequent investigation carried out by the RAF Police in tracking down the men who murdered the escapees is a fascinating story also.

Regards Richard.

Yes, American prisoners as far as I understand were involved in the tunelling but were transferred to another compound before the escape was made. A couple of RAF prisoners did try to steal a LW plane but were captured whilst doing so.

Steve Mc Queens attempt at jumping the Swiss border wire on a motorbike did not happen but makes great cinema !!

[stgeorge64]

Point of Note.

Channel 4 'Time Team' have apparently shown an interest in excavating 'Harry' at Stalag Luft III. It has been filled in by the Polish army some years ago but plans are afoot to 're-dig' the tunnel. Watch this space!

Regards Richard.

[stgeorge64]

Since starting this thread of my visit to Stalag Luft II in Sagen, I have been suprised at some very positive response via PM and e-mail. Consequently, I will post a few pics taken on the Sachsenhausen visit. The pics are not the best in the world but I hope they will give a little idea of the place. I hope they might be of interest.

Regards Richard.

#36........the main gate........

[stgeorge64]

#37........and the original gates with the well known words........

[stgeorge64]

#38...a dual language German/Russian memorial plaque just inside the main gate entrance........

[stgeorge64]

#39.........representative perimeter fence and watch tower errected in the time of the East German government.........

[stgeorge64]

#40.........another view of a mock guard tower.....

[stgeorge64]

#41...............representative warning sign although, the wire in the background looked as if it could of been original.....

[stgeorge64]

#42......another sign......