POW Glossary

The POWs in Stalag Luft III developed something of a sublanguage which can be a little confusing. So here are some of the most common instances with translations, as well as some names you will encounter in the story.

Appell – Role-Call From the German word appellplatz
Canary – The camp’s secret radio
Circuit – American POW Newspaper
Cooler – Solitary confinement block in the vorlager
Ferret – Group of German Guards tasked with detecting tunnels
Foodacco – POW self-managed food and goods exchange
Goon – German Guard or Officer
Goon Box – Sentry tower manned by Guards
Goon Baiting – Needling and pranking the Guards
Honey Wagon – Sanitation wagon
Klim – Brand of powdered milk supplied to POWs
Kriegie – A POW, derived from German word kriegsgefangener
Kriegie Times – American POW Newspaper
Lagergeld – German ersatz currency used to pay POWs
Penguin – POW engaged in the disposal of tunnel waste
Scangriff – British POW newspaper
Stooge – POW involved in surveillance of the Guards
Stroller – German Guard on patrol
Weasel – Ordinary Guard who accompanies a Ferret
Vorlager – Main Entrance Compound
X Organization – POW Escape Committee
Y Organization – Group of Forgers and Tailors who supplied escape attempts
Z Organization – POW Intelligence team responsible for outside communication