Escaped German Prisoners-of-War Stole A Plane

[Admiral Beez]

 

[Capt. Vick]

I just watched this Monday! Great story! Was almost rooting for them at the end.

 

[pbehn]

Why didn't they fly to Ireland?

 

[Graeme]

Why didn't they fly to Ireland?

"As they would be interned for the duration". "Merely swapping one POW camp for another"

Around 9 minutes 45 seconds into the clip pbehn.

 

[pbehn]

"As they would be interned for the duration". "Merely swapping one POW camp for another"

Around 9 minutes 45 seconds into the clip pbehn.

I dont have a sound card on this PC, it was in the Daily Mail today. Internment in a neutral country isn't the same as a POW camp and they did have the fuel to get to Ireland.

 

[Capt. Vick]

They did what they did, what are ya gonna do?

 

[stona]

Internment in a neutral country isn't the same as a POW camp and they did have the fuel to get to Ireland.

It's not legally the same, and they may have enjoyed some limited freedom, but it did not get them back to continental Europe which was clearly their intention. They did not want to sit out the war in Ireland or anywhere else, they wanted to get back into it.

Whereas some Allied internees, airmen and seamen, did 'escape' internment in Ireland by the simple expedient of walking across the border into Northern Ireland this would not work for the Germans. Not one single interned German seaman was released from Ireland during the war (except on medical grounds). I imagine it was the same for airmen.

 

[Crimea_River]

Airframes knows this story well.

 

[Gnomey]

Good one!

 

[Airframes]

Just spotted this, and yes, Andy is correct.
I wrote an article about it, to accompany a build of Schnabel's '109, around ten years ago, which was posted in the modelling forums, and I've recently been up-dating and expanding it.
I had intended to visit the Shap Wells Hotel, and other locations relevant to this escape attempt, and that of Franz von Werra (who's downed '109 was shown in the video ) back in November, in order to get some "then and now" photos, but the Covid lockdown prevented this. I'm now planning to get there, probably in late May, when the restrictions in the UK are eased, at which time I'll get the required photos, complete the article, and post it here on the forum.