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| Stalag Luft 1V - www.stalagluft4.org |
Wire escapes from POW camps in occupied Europe during World War Two were high risk, and statistically very few were successful. Tall barbed wire fencing (single and double), specific exclusion zones in front of these, guard towers, sentries and open areas beyond the wire were all obstacles to be overcome before a POW could even think about clearing the surrounding camp area.
The biggest deterrent to this kind of escape was being shot by the sentries who were under orders to fire at anyone in the prohibited zone without permission or attempting escape through/over the wire. A night escape via this method might have the cover of darkness, but would encounter ‘lock ins’, searchlights, sentries and dogs.
The viability of any wire escape plans would be considered by the Camp Senior Officer and ‘X’ in the normal way. Even though the odds were remote, if the plan was sound, authority and support was usually given.
In the early months of Stalag Luft 111, Ken Toft an Irish
pilot in the RAF and Bill ‘Nick’ Nichols a Californian serving with the RAF’
s American Eagle Squadron formed a plan of escape. They had walked every inch of the camp’s east compound and spotted a potential
blind spot halfway between two of the sentry towers on the east perimeter fence
facing the woods.
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| Members of RAF American 71 Eagle Squadron (Nichols is far right) - Unknown |
They calculated that two men lying or crouching down could remain
out of view from the guard towers in a small area by a line of thick coiled barbed
wire near the perimeter fence. It might then be possible to cut through the
perimeter and make a run for the woods a few yards away. The initial problem was
reaching the blind spot without being seen. To get there, they had to cross the
lethal area beyond the warning wire. Anyone encroaching into this territory without
permission would almost certainly be shot by the guards. If Toft and Nichols
had miscalculated the field of vision from the towers and they were seen, the same
outcome was likely.
The plan was risky, but they took it to the camp Senior British Officer,
Wing Commander Harry ‘Wings’ Day ,who called in Jimmy Buckley (Big X). ‘Wings’
Day was a ‘hands on’ experienced escaper, so rubber stamping of escape schemes as
the Senior Officer was not in his nature. Day and Buckley discussed the mechanics
in detail, then gave it the all clear with appropriate back up for false papers
and concentrated escape rations to be prepared.
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| Jimmy Buckley* |
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| 'Wings' Day |
As four of the sentry towers had a view of the area around the blind spot, Buckley organised four separate diversions to give the men a chance to get over the warning wire and reach the line of coiled barbed wire. The date was set and on a given signal, the distractions started in front of the towers:
Tower One – A prisoner shouted up to the sentry to telephone
for an interview with the Kommandant.
Tower Two - Two men staged a sham fight and one of them was
knocked out. (some accounts refer to it as an impromptu boxing match)
Tower Three – Another prisoner called to the sentry to ask
permission to get a ball which had been thrown beyond the warning wire.
Tower Four – A man has a bucket of water thrown over him.
It took five seconds for the diversions. During that time
Toft and Nichols had reached the perimeter fence and were out of sight from the
towers. Nichols had a pair of wire cutters made from two rough pieces of metal,
but the cutting was not straightforward because of the makeshift tool. At
another signal, a further set of diversions were repeated in front of the
guards and the men slid unnoticed through the perimeter fence and across the
short distance to the woods.
The actual escape plan was a success. Regrettably, although
the men got clear of the area, they were later recaptured after a German
official questioned their papers. *Jimmy Buckley was sadly later killed after successfully breaking out of the camp in a separate escape.
It was an ingenious and bold attempt which had been
meticulously worked out. The plan would have been vetted by the Camp Senior Officer
and ‘X’ and the necessary teams put in place with the accompanying security
umbrella to aid preparation.
Royal Engineers officer Jock Hamilton-Baillie was
instrumental in the design and build of a set of four ‘hinged’ ladders to lean
against and straddle the two barbed wire perimeter fences at the edge of the
camp. The escape attempt would begin at the same time as the camp search and
perimeter lights were fused. A way to control this had been discovered by Major
B D Skelton ‘Skelly’ Ginn, who had considerable knowledge of electrics. In the
darkness, away from the escape location, a noisy diversion would also be
created by around fifty other prisoners. |
| Jock Hamilton-Baillie - SWNG |
The double perimeter fence of barbed wire was constructed around wooden frames, set about 8 feet apart and around twenty feet in height. At the bottom of the gap in between the fencing, a thick tangle of more barbed wire had also been positioned.
The ladders were ingenious in both construction and improvisation of materials. The apparatus was in two halves which fitted together – the first a simple ladder with widely spaced rungs and a hook at the top to engage the overhang of barbed wire, and the other part a basic running board with duckboards and a swing bar at the far end for the men to hang on to and drop off. The two parts fitted neatly together one on top of the other whilst they were hidden away.
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| Scale model built by Jock Hamilton-Baillie and demonstrated by Ben Hamilton-Baillie |
When the lights were fused and distractions began, the ladders were slid out and run up against the top of the wire. The running board section which fitted over the basic ladder was pushed up and slid across, until it cantilevered to rest on the top of the outer fence. The base part hooked into place over the inner fence. Short ropes on either side of the ladder and duckboard section were suitably tensioned preventing the two sections from further movement.
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| As previous picture. Shows how apparatus cantilevers to rest on opposite fence |
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| Shows how apparatus locks with the rope attachments preventing further movement |
As the two joined sections slotted rigidly in place, the plan was for a team of fifteen men to run
up the ladder, down the duckboard and jump off after swinging on the trapeze
bar at the other end, so they were close enough to the ground to drop without
injuring themselves. (About a 6-8 foot drop.)
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| Close up of rope assembly and outward hang of barbed wire |
Accounts vary on how many POWs managed to get over the wire and clear the camp. It is likely that it was twenty one. What is certain is that three made it back home after finally crossing the Pyrenees via the Comete Escape Line. They were Major Albert Arkwright, Captain Rupert Fuller and Major Francis Edwards. (More about their escape in a future post)
To watch the full clip of how the superb escape ladder apparatus worked as
shown by Ben Hamilton Baillie click
on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYsYBkfauRQ©Keith Morley
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They were great men in those days.
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