On previous occasions I've written about my friend Vern who was a prisoner of war in a German prison during World War II. On Tuesday morning he told us another story. It seems that at one of the Stalags where he was being kept some of the prisoners decided to attempt an escape. They began digging a tunnel next to Vern's bunk. As this plan proceeded Vern was not aware of it because due to his physical condition he had not been asked to participate. One afternoon German guards came through the barracks. They had crowbars and they were tapping the floor. When they came to the spot where the tunnel was being dug, the tapping of the crowbar produced a distinctly different noise. The first thing I thought of was knocking on a wall to try to find a stud. It's similar to that. Anyway, when the Germans heard the sound they ripped up the floor boards and discovered the tunnel. Because the closest bunk was Vern's, they took him to the commandant's office. Vern was extremely frightened. He thought he was going to be shot. When he was seated, the commandant poured him a glass of schnapps, sat down and asked him if he knew anything about the escape plan. Vern was able to truthfully answer that he knew nothing. The commandant poured him another schnapps, let him drink it and then returned him to his quarters. Vern is still not sure how he got out of that jam. It didn't square with all the stories he'd heard. He went on to tell us how the prisoners managed to dispose of the dirt they removed from the tunnel. It was done in exactly the same way as depicted in the Steve McQueen movie, The Great Escape. They filled their pockets and slowly released it in the prison yard. Obviously the producers of the movie did their research. A short time after all of this happened, Patton's 3rd Army rescued Vern and the rest of the prisoners. We speculated that the German commandant knew the end was near and he was hoping for consideration for his kindness. Vern considers himself lucky! Stories like this make me realize how lucky WE are.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Another Story from a WWII Vet
On previous occasions I've written about my friend Vern who was a prisoner of war in a German prison during World War II. On Tuesday morning he told us another story. It seems that at one of the Stalags where he was being kept some of the prisoners decided to attempt an escape. They began digging a tunnel next to Vern's bunk. As this plan proceeded Vern was not aware of it because due to his physical condition he had not been asked to participate. One afternoon German guards came through the barracks. They had crowbars and they were tapping the floor. When they came to the spot where the tunnel was being dug, the tapping of the crowbar produced a distinctly different noise. The first thing I thought of was knocking on a wall to try to find a stud. It's similar to that. Anyway, when the Germans heard the sound they ripped up the floor boards and discovered the tunnel. Because the closest bunk was Vern's, they took him to the commandant's office. Vern was extremely frightened. He thought he was going to be shot. When he was seated, the commandant poured him a glass of schnapps, sat down and asked him if he knew anything about the escape plan. Vern was able to truthfully answer that he knew nothing. The commandant poured him another schnapps, let him drink it and then returned him to his quarters. Vern is still not sure how he got out of that jam. It didn't square with all the stories he'd heard. He went on to tell us how the prisoners managed to dispose of the dirt they removed from the tunnel. It was done in exactly the same way as depicted in the Steve McQueen movie, The Great Escape. They filled their pockets and slowly released it in the prison yard. Obviously the producers of the movie did their research. A short time after all of this happened, Patton's 3rd Army rescued Vern and the rest of the prisoners. We speculated that the German commandant knew the end was near and he was hoping for consideration for his kindness. Vern considers himself lucky! Stories like this make me realize how lucky WE are.
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