Chapter 34
6/16/2004
Ch 34 Great Escape Stalag Luft III
Happened across the documentary tonight on PBS about the escape from Uncle Nelsons POW camp. Nobody told me it was gonna be on. 76 escaped from tunnels 6 months before Nelsons arrival. All recaptured except for 3 successful getaways, 50 shot dead.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/greatescape/
Nelson W. Warren’s P.O.W. Diary (from Ch 26)
1944
Oct. 7 Shot down [during USA mission 669 ] around Leipzig and toward Hartz mountains,
started walking.
Oct. 17 Captured at night about 15 km. from Paderborn,
no food since 6th.
Oct. 18 Stayed in Paderborn - food at last, good treatment
but pretty sick.
Oct. 19 Left Paderborn for Frankfurt, wish I could recall events of
week.
Oct. 20 Arrived at Dulag Luft at 6 am, didn’t know a thing.
Oct. 26 Started for transit camp situated at Wetzlar; Col. Stark in
command, first shower received food and clothes from
Red Cross.
Oct. 29 Arrived in south camp at Sagan in Upper Silesia starting new
life in (block) 129 room 14 and eat in room 9, Stalag Luft III.
1945
Jan. 27 Left Sagan and started walking with the Russians close behind
9:30 p.m. very cold. Interactive map by re-enactors
Jan. 28 Made Gross Stten after 30 km walk, stayed in Barn during day
and started again at 5 p.m., blizzard and -2 degrees.
Jan. 29 After 25 km arrived at Muskaw at 3 p.m., many did not make
it.
Jan. 30 Stayed overnight in Glass factory.
Jan. 31 Left factory at 9 am, left 150 men behind, arrived at Graustein
(18km) and stayed in barn.
Feb.1 Left barn at 8 p.m. arrived at Spremburg (7 km) at 11 am,
first hot food in a week, got on train at 6 p.m. (62 miles total march)
Feb. 2 50 men in box car (7’ x 25’), water once.
Feb. 3 Still on train - thru Chemnitz and Regensburg in air raid.
Feb. 4 Arrived at Stalag VII, after 450 km trip, staying in barns.
Feb. 7 Went thru de-louser and moved into barracks 8A.
Red Cross parcels supposed to arrive soon.
Apr. 9 Moved out of barracks and into tents, POW’s coming into
camp from all over.
Apr. 16 Benear, Cosgrey, and Blair arrived from Nuremburg,
Hildorf on the way.
Apr. 29 Liberated by 14A Division of 3rd Army, Sunday the 29th.
Apr. 30 General Patton inspects the camp.
May 9 Left Moosburg for airfield at Straubing, left Straubing on
C-47 for LeHarve, while there 190’s flying in and surrendering.
Landed near Verdon for gas and then to LeHarve.
May 10 Moved out to a camp Lucky Strike for processing -
pay and clothes.
May 19 Moved to camp near LeHarve and are awaiting to board a boat.
May 21 Arrived on board transport “The Sea Owl” at 5 p.m.
Stalag Luft III wiki
Hanns Scharff was Master Interrogater at Dulag Luft.
Canadian at Stalag Luft 3.
Stalag Luft 3 kriegie kids current blog
Stalag Luft 1 stories and another kriegie diary
Related Links on this web site
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