DOCSLIB.ORG

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center Transcript of An

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center Transcript of an Oral History Interview with FREDERICK M. WALD Aerial Gunner, Air Force, World War II and Career. 1996 OH 252 1 OH 252 Wald, Frederick M., (1921-2008). Oral History Interview, 1996. User Copy: 1 sound cassette (ca. 65 min.), analog, 1 7/8 ips, mono. Master Copy: 2 sound cassette (ca. 65 min.), analog, 1 7/8 ips, mono. Transcript: 0.1 linear ft. (1 folder). Military Papers: 0.1 linear ft. (1 folder). Abstract: Frederick M. Wald, a Marinette, Wisconsin native, discusses his career in the Air Force, including being held as a German prisoner of War during World War II. Wald talks about enlisting in the Air Corps in 1941 and being based at Tyndall Field (Florida) when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. He mentions being rejected for pilot and glider training, graduating from gunnery school and aerial gunners’ armament school, and having repeated complications with outdated medical records. In Boise (Idaho), Wald discusses forming a flight crew, flying a B-24 to Europe, and assignment to the 392 nd Bomb Group, 578 th Bomb Squadron, 8 th Air Force based in Wendling (England). He details being shot down on his second mission: losing three of four engines, the failure of the bailout alarm, and having no memory of his jump. After regaining consciousness in a French farmhouse, he talks about being sheltered by the French resistance for two weeks before being captured by the Gestapo. Wald talks being moved from the jail in Rouen to Luftwaffe headquarters in Paris, staying in the Rennes prison, and being held in solitary confinement in Frankfurt (Germany). He portrays being interrogated, including hearing he was a traitor, being scared by witnessing dummy executions, having beard hairs yanked out, and getting beaten with rubber hoses. Wald reports on the clothes he was issued, having good food at the interrogation camps, and being shipped to Stalag Luft VI (Heydekrug, East Prussia) in an overcrowded boxcar. He portrays the compound and states the British and Canadian prisoners shared their Red Cross packages with the Americans, who didn’t have their own. Wald details the insufficient food rations and his resultant weight loss. After hearing the approach of the Russians, he tells of being evacuated by overcrowded ship to Swinemünde. Sent to Stalag Luft IV (Tychowo, Poland), Wald talks about being evacuated several months later to Stalag 13D (Nuremberg, Germany), where the prisoners were vulnerable to shrapnel from frequent Allied bombings. He talks about finding other prisoners in the camps who were from Marinette (Wisconsin). Evacuated again, to Moosberg, he comments on being liberated by the 14 th Armored Division, getting sick from eating rich food, and being flown to Le Havre (France). Wald touches on being interrogated, having to drink a canteen of eggnog every day, receiving money, and returning to the United States. After the war, he speaks of reenlisting in the Air Force, assignment to Andrews Field (Washington, D.C), and transfer to Salina (Kansas). Wald speaks of flying B-29s until an airplane malfunction gave him a fear of flying. He describes volunteering for duty in Japan, duty loading airplane ordnance, and being frustrated by the lack of promotion opportunities. Scheduled for discharge a week before the Korean War started, Wald states he reenlisted 2 for a bonus since he would have been involuntarily extended anyway. Assigned to Nellis Air Force Base (Las Vegas), he states that the activation of National Guardsmen flooded the promotion slots. He discusses his assignments to and housing in Kaufbeuren and Hahn Air Base (Germany). Wald talks about having troubles with superior officers who wanted to court martial him. He mentions graduating from aircraft mechanic school and flying C-1 Constellations in Massachusetts. He discusses joining veterans’ groups and the importance of the actions of the DAV and Ex-POW organization to secure veterans’ benefits. Wald reflects on the long-term health effects from his time as a prisoner of war, including knee problems, frostbite, and gastrointestinal issues. Biographical Sketch: Wald (1921-2008) served in the Air Force for twenty-one years between 1941 and 1965. He was a German prisoner of war during World War II, and he also served overseas in Germany and Japan. Wald worked for the Ohio Medical Product until retirement in 1983 and settled in Madison (Wisconsin). Interviewed by Mark Van Ells, 1996 Transcribed by WDVA staff & Leah Schultz, 2011 Checked and corrected by Channing Welch, 2011 Corrections typed in by Mary Claire Kussart, 2012 3 Abstract written by Susan Krueger, 2012 4 Transcribed Interview: Mark: It is April 25, 1996. This is Mark Van Ells, Archivist, Wisconsin Veterans Museum, doing an oral history interview this morning with Mr. Fredrick Wald, presently of Madison, Wisconsin, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force in World War II through the 1960s; a career military person. Good morning, thanks for coming in. I appreciate it. Wald: Thank you. Mark: Um, perhaps we should start at the top, as they say. Why don't you tell me a little bit about where you were born and raised, and what you were doing prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, 1941? Wald: I was born and raised and graduated from Marinette High School in 1941. [Coughs], excuse me, and very little employment opportunities up at that period of time. And, ah, I tried to reenlist, I mean enlist, in the U.S. Navy, but I was rejected. Mark: On what basis? Wald: That was June of ‘41. Mark: Yeah. Wald: And then I went over to the U.S. Army recruiter, and the recruiter said he had recruited three of my friends. So, um, I had a younger uncle about a year older than I was, and he got drafted into the infantry about 1940, which is something I didn’t want to do, so I enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, 1 July ‘41. We were sent to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri for our recruit training, and then we had picked Tyndall Field, Panama City, Florida for our home base, but because of the base was being built we were sent to Eglin Field. Mark: In Florida also. Wald: Also for what in them days I think they called them provisional squadrons or groups. About all we did was do guard duty. We did a little flight line work. And then I guess it was, ah, about ten days to a week before Pearl Harbor they sent us to Tyndall Field, and we were living in tents in the city park when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. And a day or so after that they moved us, actually, back out to the base. Even though the base wasn’t completed, the 5 barracks was more or less livable. And then, I guess it was around the summer of 1942, they allowed people to apply for pilot training, of which I did. Mark: Now, before that, what was your MOS? I mean what was your military specialty supposed to be, as a young enlisted man in the Air Force? Wald: I don’t know what it was. Mark: I see. Wald: But after I went through Tech School and Gunnery School, then I got one. So then, um, I was rejected for pilot training because I guess I couldn’t pass a couple of the medical tests like the spin test and stuff like that. Prior to Pearl Harbor a person had to have two years of college in order to apply for pilot trainings. So then, a month went by, and I applied for glider training, and prior to that I had a nose condition. I had some growth on my nose that I had to have surgery to remove it. But it never got updated on my medical records so I was rejected again. So then I applied for aerial gunnery school, which I was accepted. I got my medical records updated a little bit and completed the course. I graduated in, I don’t know, November of 1942, and then I was shipped to Salt Lake City to go to aerial gunners armament school which is about three months long, and then graduated from there and was promoted to staff sergeant. And then I was supposed to be shipped to the Davis-Monthan [Air Force Base], Tucson, Arizona. And again, I was on a train, and I got yanked off the train because somebody found my medical records weren’t updated because of my surgery. They yanked me off that shipment, and I wound up going to Boise, Idaho. I met a guy on the train, and his name was John Rickey, and we became real good friends. And, um, we went down to fly in operations, and we met a pilot, and we formed our own air crew down at that Boise, Idaho, at Gowen Field. Our first phase of training we flew B-17s, and then we switched over to B- 24s, and then we completed two phases at Boise. And our last phase was at Wendover, Utah – or Nevada, as it straddles those two state lines, and we completed our bombing phase there. You know that [??] a real quick assignment came in to go to England. We took a short leave, we came home, went back to Wendover, and from there we took a train to Herington, Kansas, and we picked up a B-24D airplane. And we flew that from Kansas to Detroit, Detroit to Presque Isle, Maine, Presque Isle, Maine to Newfoundland, to Greenland, Iceland, and Ireland, and then we 6 took a ferry to England.
Recommended publications
  • The Rise and Fall of Hitler's Germany

    The Rise and Fall of Hitler's Germany

    In collaboration with The National WWII Museum Travel & featuring award-winning author Alexandra Richie, DPhil PHOTO: RUSSIAN SOLDIERS LOOKING AT A TORN DOWN GERMAN NAZI EAGLE WITH SWASTIKA EMBLEM WITH SWASTIKA GERMAN NAZI EAGLE DOWN A TORN AT RUSSIAN SOLDIERS LOOKING PHOTO: OF BERLIN—1945, BERLIN, GERMANY. AFTER THE FALL IN THE RUINS OF REICH CHANCELLERY LYING The Rise and Fall of Hitler’s Germany MAY 25 – JUNE 5, 2020 A journey that takes you from Berlin to Auschwitz to Warsaw, focused on the devastating legacy of the Holocaust, the bombing raids, and the last battles. Save $1,000 per couple when booked by December 6, 2019 Howdy, Ags! In the 1930’s, the journey to World War II began in the private meeting rooms in Berlin and raucous public stadiums across Germany where the Nazis concocted and then promoted their designs for a new world order, one founded on conquest for land and racial-purity ideals. As they launched the war in Europe by invading Poland on September 1, 1939, Hitler and his followers unleashed a hell that would return to its birthplace in Berlin fewer than six years later. The Traveling Aggies are honored to partner with The National WWII Museum on a unique and poignant travel program, The Rise and Fall of Hitler’s Germany. This emotional journey will be led by WWII scholar and author Dr. Alexandra Richie, an expert on the Eastern Front and the Holocaust. Guests will travel through Germany and Poland, exploring historical sites and reflecting on how it was possible for the Nazis to rise to power and consequently bring destruction and misery across Europe.
  • Episode 711, Story 1: Stalag 17 Portrait Eduardo

    Episode 711, Story 1: Stalag 17 Portrait Eduardo

    Episode 711, Story 1: Stalag 17 Portrait Eduardo: Our first story looks at a portrait made by an American POW in a World War Two German prison camp. 1943, as American air attacks against Germany increase; the Nazis move the growing number of captured American airmen into prisoner of war camps, called Stalags. Over 4,000 airmen ended up in Stalag 17-b, just outside of Krems, Austria, in barracks made for 240 men. How did these men survive the deprivation and hardships of one of the most infamous prisoner of war camps of the Nazi regime? 65 years after her father George Silva became a prisoner of war, Gloria Mack of Tempe, Arizona has this portrait of him drawn by another POW while they were both prisoners in Stalag 17-b. Gloria: I thought what a beautiful thing to come out of the middle of a prison camp. Eduardo: Hi, I’m Eduardo Pagan from History Detectives. Gloria: Oh, it’s nice to meet you. Eduardo: It’s nice to meet you, too! Gloria: Come on in. Eduardo: Thank you. I’M curious to see Gloria’s sketch, and hear her father’s story. It’s a beautiful portrait. When was this portrait drawn? Gloria: It was drawn in 1944. 1 Eduardo: How did you learn about this story of how he got this portrait? Gloria: Because of this little story on the back. It says, “Print from an original portrait done in May of 1944 by Gil Rhoden. We were POW’s in Stalag 17 at Krems, Austria.
  • Llaaddiissllaavvkkuuddr

    Llaaddiissllaavvkkuuddr

    LvNZ-Ob.qxd 17.3.2005 11:21 StrÆnka 1 55 Vážení a milí čtenáři, kniha, kterou právě držíte, přináší 55 44 44 99 zcela nový pohled na téma Českoslovenští letci v němec - 99 11 11 –– kém zajetí 1940–1945. Většina dosavadní literatury se sou - –– 00 00 44 středila pouze na to, jak byl dotyčný letec, osádka, sestře - 44 99 99 len a jak následně upadl do zajetí. Ani autor této knihy se 11 11 ÍÍ nevyhnul popisu sestřelení a následného zajetí, které je ÍÍ TT TT EE ovšem zpracováno z širšího pohledu po důkladném vytěže - EE JJ JJ AA ní archivních materiálů. Autor této knihy začíná tím, co AA ZZ ZZ předcházelo sestřelení. Tedy, jak byli naši letci připraveni M M M M ÉÉ a vybaveni na možnost zajetí. Následuje popis sestřelení ÉÉ KK KK CC a následného zajetí. Čím je ovšem tato kniha zcela nová? CC EE EE Především tím, že kniha zajetím dotyčného letce nekončí, M M M M ĚĚ ale právě naopak, teprve zde kniha začíná. Kniha mimo jiné ĚĚ NN NN pojednává o organizaci zajateckého tábora a života v zaje - VV VV II tí samého. Jak probíhaly všední, ale i sváteční a výjimečné II CC CC TT dny v zajateckém táboře. Nebude vynechána ani otázka TT EE EE LL ú r o v n ě s t r a v o v á n í a u b y t o v á n í . V z t a h y m e z i z a j a t c i LL ÍÍ ÍÍ a německými strážnými.
  • Anrc-Powb 1944-12

    Anrc-Powb 1944-12

    VO~. 2, ---...NO. II WOUNDED AMERICANS IN HUNGARY AND YUGOSLAVL\. At the end of June, the lot national Red Cross reported t~r. t th~re were l~ ~ound~d Americ: A U "If r-c N ;C~~~o~c'~o:~::~:;~~ "~:t.!!~~~n: It ISO N E R S 0 F W R B L L It :J" Hunganan mIl1tary hospital . ..... Budapest. A report on the v' ~t hed by the American National Red Cross for the Relatives of Amencan Pnsoners of War and CIvIlian Internees 1S1t stated that the men ~ere being Well cared for by Hung~nan doctors, and r;, N O. 12 WASHINGTON, D. C. DECEMBER 1944 tha.t they were entIrely satisfied Witht "_'--------------------------------------------­ theIr treatment. They were sChed' j uled to be transferred ·to camps in Germany as soon as they had reo covered from their wounds. Un. The 1944 Christmas Package wounded aviators bpought down Nuts, mixed ___________ _________ · %, lb. over Hungary had been moved hristmas Package No. 2, packed are now held. The aim, of course, was Bouillon cubes __________________ 12 promptly to German camps. women volunteers in the Phila· to avoid railroad transport in Ger­ Fruit bars-________ ____________ _· 2 A later report by cable stated hia Center during the hottest many as much as possible. Dates ____ ___ __ _________ ______ __14 oz. that several Lazaretts in Hungary , of . the summ~r, r ~ ached G ~r­ Much thought was given to plan­ Cherries, canned__ ___ __ __ _____ ___ . 6 oz. containing in all about 60 wounded Y. VIa Sweden.
  • EVADERS and PRISONERS 1941-42 to Be Led Straight to the Police Station by the German Who Had Thought He Was Saying "Deutsche?" and Wished to Surrender

    EVADERS and PRISONERS 1941-42 to Be Led Straight to the Police Station by the German Who Had Thought He Was Saying "Deutsche?" and Wished to Surrender

    CHAPTER 1 9 EVADERS AND PRISONER S O aircrew flying from English or Middle East bases the possibilit y T of falling into enemy hands was a continual danger. After 1940 , with air operations conducted principally over areas held by Germany an d Italy, every flight contained the seed of disaster, whether from enemy gun or fighter defences, adverse meteorological conditions, human erro r in navigation or airmanship, mechanical failure, or petrol shortage. Fre- quently, in dire straits, a captain of aircraft was forced to make the har d choice of ordering his crew to parachute into enemy territory or o f attempting to struggle back to base with the last and vital part of th e journey necessarily over the unrelenting sea . It is a measure of the resolution of British airmen that where any slim possibility existed the harder choice was taken, even though very frequently it ended in failure. Pilot Officer R. H. Middleton, Flight Sergeant A. McK. McDonald, Flying Officer A . W. R. Triggs and many others brought their crew s safely back to fight again by renouncing immediate safety at - the cost of freedom, but many Australians, in common with comrades of other Allied nations, perished in attempting the same achievement . Even though forced to abandon their aircraft over hostile territory , airmen were still not without hope if they reached the ground uninjured . The vast majority of R .A.A.F. men serving in England between 194 1 and 1945 operated with Bomber Command on night-bombing sorties , and when an aircraft was set afire, or exploded, or became uncontrollable a varying degree of opportunity was afforded for crew members to escape from their doomed aircraft.
  • MY SURVIVAL AS a PRISONER of WAR Written by Dana E

    MY SURVIVAL AS a PRISONER of WAR Written by Dana E

    MY SURVIVAL AS A PRISONER OF WAR Written by Dana E. Morse 10136 Bryant Road Lithia, Fl. 33547 91st Bomb Group-401 Squadron Rank S/SGT Left Waist Gunner My story begins on March 6, 1944, when my plane "My Darling Also" was shot down. I heard many people coming in from all sides after I landed with a bullet hole-filled parachute, so I just lay there. I had lost a lot of blood and had no more strength. There were many civilians with guns pointed at me and they stripped me of my chute and any thing else that they wanted. The German Army came up and knocked the guns out of the hands of the civilians. I guess they were thinking of shooting me, because of all of the loud talking. I learned later that Hitler had given orders to shoot all Allied Airman. The German Army then placed me in an oxcart and it was not long before Sgt. Jim Davis came up and tried to give me some morphine, but they would not let him. By this time, I did not know if Sgt. Jim Davis had gone. All I know was that it took a long time and was a long ride. When I came to, I was on a stretcher in an old Theater, which the War Department called 9-C and was taken to a small room on the second floor where they held me down on a table. As I lay on the table, I thought that this was the end, so I fought like hell.
  • Learn More About the 32 Captured Tuskegee Airmen Pows

    Learn More About the 32 Captured Tuskegee Airmen Pows

    During the Tuskegee Airmen’s years of operation from 1941 to 1949, 992 pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1941 to 1946. 450 were deployed overseas, and 150 lost their lives in accidents or combat. The toll included 66 pilots killed in action or accidents, 84 killed in training and non-combat missions and 32 captured as prisoners of war. Lt. William Griffin of the 99th Fighter Squadron crash-landed his plane in enemy territory after it was hit by enemy fire on Jan. 15, 1944. Griffin was captured and held at Stalag Luft I until the end of the war with other prisoners of war; he is standing in the back row, fourth from the left. (Courtesy of Stalg Luft I Online) PRISONER OF WAR MEDAL Established: 1986 Significance: Recognizes anyone who was a prisoner of war after April 5, 1917. Design: On the obverse, an American eagle with wings folded is enclosed by a ring. On the reverse, "Awarded to" is inscribed with space for the recipient's name, followed by "For honorable service while a prisoner of war" on three lines. The ribbon has a wide center stripe of black, flanked by a narrow white stripe, a thin blue stripe, a thin white stripe and a thin red stripe at the edge. Authorized device: Multiple awards are marked with a service star. MACR- Missing Air Crew Reports In May 1943, the Army Air Forces recommended the adoption of a special form, the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR), devised to record relevant facts of the last known circumstances regarding missing air crews, providing a means of integrating current data with information obtained later from other sources in an effort to conclusively determine the fate of the missing personnel.
  • German Documents Among the War Crimes Records of the Judge Advocate Division, Headquarters, United States Army, Europe

    German Documents Among the War Crimes Records of the Judge Advocate Division, Headquarters, United States Army, Europe

    Publication Number: T-1021 Publication Title: German Documents Among the War Crimes Records of the Judge Advocate Division, Headquarters, United States Army, Europe Date Published: 1967 GERMAN DOCUMENTS AMONG THE WAR CRIMES RECORDS OF THE JUDGE ADVOCATE DIVISION, HEADQUARTERS, UNITED STATES ARMY, EUROPE Introduction Many German documents from the World War II period are contained in the war crimes case files of Headquarters, United States Army Europe (HQ USAREUR), Judge Advocate Division, dated 1945-58. These files contain transcripts of trial testimony, clemency petitions, affidavits, prosecution exhibits, photographs of concentration camps, etc., as well as original German documents used as evidence in the prosecution of the numerous war crimes cases, excluding the Nuremberg Trials, concerning atrocities in concentration camps, atrocities committed on Allied military personnel and Allied fliers who crash landed in Germany, and other crimes. Only the German documents predating May 8, 1945, have been included in this filming project. A data sheet describing the material in each folder microfilmed is included before the items filmed. The Judge Advocate Division file number has been used to identify each item wherever given. In other instances whatever identifying information is available, such as the case or exhibit number, has been given as the item number. Overall provenance for the records is HQ USAREUR. Judge Advocate Division, as all German documents in the files were made a permanent part of the records of that office; however, the original German provenance of the items filmed is given as the provenance on the data sheets. CONTENTS Roll Description 1 000-50-2, Vol. 1 [No Title] Correspondence, reports, memoranda, scientific theses, and other data exchanged among Dr.
  • Disruption of Freedom: Life in Prisoner of War Camps in Europe 1939-1945

    Disruption of Freedom: Life in Prisoner of War Camps in Europe 1939-1945

    Stacey Astill Disruption of Freedom: Life in Prisoner of War Camps in Europe 1939-1945 This paper will explore the disruptive nature of Prisoner of War (POW) life, and comparatively analyse responses to their captive experience by taking a ‘cross camp’ approach, exploring a wide cross section of POW camps in Europe under both German and Italian control. I will consider the culture of prison camps, and the actions of men in the face of this tumultuous period in their lives by drawing on war diaries - both contemporary and retrospective - oral testimony, objects from camp, contemporary and academic articles, and photographs or sketches.1 This overarching method is to be used in tandem with previous research, building on the individual explorations of specific camps or specific activities. Although there have previously been detailed investigations into specific camps such as Colditz, and specific themes such as sport or theatre in POW camps, there is no current comparative analysis thereof. Viewing camps as a whole allows an analysis of common occurrences, and anomalous areas within them. These features can then be considered in terms of the camp conditions, the time period for which the camp existed, who controlled the camp, and where it was located. The following analysis therefore offers a broader assessment, drawing together a range of source material to provide a comparative view of a variety of camp experiences. Becoming a POW was at least the second major disruption in prisoners’ lives, the first being the war itself. Even career soldiers experienced a change with the outbreak of the Second World War; they were in the military, but no existing conflict was similar in scale to that of the Second World War.
  • Guide to the MS-238: Prisoner of War Letters from World Wars I and II

    Guide to the MS-238: Prisoner of War Letters from World Wars I and II

    ________________________________________________________________________ Guide to the MS-238: Prisoner of War Letters from World Wars I and II Kelly Murphy ‘21, Ester Kenyon Fortenbaugh ’46 Intern February-April 2019 MS – 238: POW Letters from World Wars I and II 3 boxes, 1 cubic foot Inclusive Dates: 1914-1979 Bulk Dates: 1915-1918 and 1942-1945 Processed by: Kelly Murphy, Ester Kenyon Fortenbaugh ’46 Intern (February-April 2019) Provenance This collection was purchased from Rulon-Miller Books in June 2017. Historical Note World War I began in 1914 after the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Serbia. The war was fought between the Central Powers (Germany, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allied Powers (Russia, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, and the United States) in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Although Russia left the war in 1917, the surrender of the Ottoman Empire and Germany in 1918 signaled an end to hostilities, and the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 officially ended the war. While the 1929 Geneva Convention formalized the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs), there was no standardized system during the First World War. However, there was an understanding on both sides that prisoners were to be treated with dignity, which included suitable housing and rations for the duration of the war. The International Red Cross regularly visited the camps, and POW correspondence was subject to light censorship. Yet not all prisoners were treated with care: in a few cases on both sides, POWs were used as forced labor along dangerous parts of the front lines. Other times, the countries were unprepared for the number of prisoners, and thus some POWs had to build their own living quarters.
  • Download Brochure

    Download Brochure

    Book early and save! Worry-Free booking through December 31, 2021. See inside for details. Bringing history to life The Rise and Fall of Hitler’s Germany A journey that takes you from Berlin to Auschwitz to Warsaw, focused on the devastating legacy of the Holocaust, the bombing raids, and the last battles. Featuring best-selling author & historian Alexandria Richie, DPhil Dear World Traveler, For several years now, it has been my ultimate pleasure to welcome guests from The National WWII Museum Travel on tour with me throughout Germany and Poland on the educational program, The Rise and Fall of Hitler’s Germany. Both Berlin ©Frank Aymami. and Warsaw, the two capital cities of the countries we visit, have been the subjects of my books. Faust’s Metropolis: A History of Berlin dives into the role of this city as a crucible of social, political, and economic transformation—both positive and negative. In Warsaw 1944: Hitler, Himmler, and the Warsaw Uprising, my focus was more defined with an emphasis on what was perhaps Warsaw’s most transformative year. I invite you to join me on a journey back in time, to explore the origins of World War II. We meet in Germany where the early seeds of war were planted in private meeting rooms and in raucous public stadiums, and we uncover the Nazi’s sinister plans to remake the world. As we travel deep into Poland, the strategically thought out evil is clearly revealed, and the tragedy of Nazi ambition becomes strikingly apparent. Former prisons, concentration camps, and rebuilt cities are the physical reminders of the suffering brought by the Third Reich.
  • Squadron Leader Roger Bushell – 601 Squadron

    Squadron Leader Roger Bushell – 601 Squadron

    Profile – Squadron Leader Roger Bushell – 601 Squadron. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) 30 August 1910 – 29 March 1944 (aged 33) Left - Bushell in RAF uniform just before his capture. Right – Bushell having a laugh (permission to use pic kindly given by 601 Sqn web site) Place of Birth; Springs, Transvaal, South Africa Place of Death; Saarbrücken, Germany Years of Service; 1932-1944 Rank; Squadron Leader Commands held; No. 92 Squadron RAF (1939-1940) Squadron Leader Roger Joyce Bushell RAF (30 August 1910 – 29 March 1944) was a South Africa born British Auxiliary Air Force pilot who organised and led the famous escape from the Nazi prisoner of war camp, Stalag Luft III. He was a victim of the Stalag Luft III murders. The escape was used as the basis for the film The Great Escape. The character played by Richard Attenborough, Roger Bartlett, is modelled on Roger Bushell. Birth and early life Bushell was born in Springs, Transvaal, South Africa on 30 August 1910 to English parents Benjamin Daniel and Dorothy Wingate Bushell (nee White). His father, a mining engineer, had emigrated to the country from England and he used his wealth to ensure that Roger received a first class education. He was first schooled in Johannesburg, then aged 14 went to Wellington College in Berkshire, England. In 1929, Bushell matriculated to Pembroke College, Cambridge to read law. Bushell was keen to pursue non-academic interests from an early age. Roger Bushell excelled in athletics and represented Cambridge in skiing. Skiing One of Bushell's passions and talents was skiing: in the early 1930s he was declared the fastest Briton in the male downhill category.