The Great Escape

The next step was to dig shafts sufficiently deep to avoid the regular probing patrols of the ferrets, the nickname given to a section of the camp guards specifically engaged in escape detection. The most dreaded among these was a character known as Rubberneck, Unteroffizier Karl Griese, who had developed a reputation as the most wiley and formidable of that specialist team. The measurement decided on was thirty feet (9 m), and so inch by inch, foot by foot, the men dug down into the sandy earth beneath each hut until the required safe depth had been reached. The shafts, like the tunnels that followed, were shored up by wooden slats commandeered from the POW’s bunks.

At the foot of each shaft, the men excavated pump rooms in which they installed bellows style air pumps which had been built in secret and smuggled down into the tunnels. Drawing from a disused chimney above, in Harry’s case, the contraptions supplied ventilation along pipelines imaginatively strung together from old Klim (Red Cross powdered milk) tins.

Down in that same area, the men added workshop spaces which were used for building the timber supports for the tunnel, as well as the wooden tracks and trolleys of rudimentary railways. Running on flanged wheels, these carts were designed to get men, tools, and debris back and forth along the tunnel in a fraction of the time it would take to crawl. In Harry’s instance, the railway system eventually comprised three sections, and passengers had to swap trolleys twice to complete the full journey. In a touch of humor, these swap over points were named after London Underground stations, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.

The tunnels were narrow, barely 2 feet (0.6 m) square and prone to collapse, providing a claustrophobic and hazardous working environment. Many of the men chose to toil naked, unencumbered by clothing which would have made navigation more arduous. Makeshift showers were rigged up in the washrooms so that they could quickly rid themselves of the telltale signs of their labors. The average daily progress on each tunnel was a formidable seven to eight feet.

The work below was divided into two shifts. The first was the actual digging, which usually took place between morning appell (9.30 a.m.) and evening appell (around 5.30 p.m). The second shift which went on into the night concentrated on the disposal of the earth excavated that day.

At this stage, the North Compound still held a contingent of US airmen who were actively involved in the escape efforts. Men such as Lt/Col Albert Clark (31st Fighter Group), Big S as he was known, who was in charge of the security team, the Stooges. Their role was to monitor the movements of the goons, a nickname applied to the ordinary camp guards, and the Germans and that somewhat more dangerous faction among them, the ferrets.

Disposing of the sand was one of the biggest difficulties attached to the project. F/Lt Keen, having by this time won the trust of those in the Escape Committee, was one of many in the colony of Penguins who on a daily basis would potter around the compound with makeshift bags full of sand stashed inside their pants. Picking their moments, usually when passing the vegetable gardens where the earth was fresh, the men would release small amounts of debris using a drawstring and inconspicuously trampling it in. It is estimated that at least 25,000 of these ingenious disposal trips were made during Harry’s construction. At times when snow covered the ground, this method became impossible so that the sand would be stashed beneath the camp theater.

Another group of POWs, known as the Y Organization, were also busily at work. They were responsible for the forging of documents and maps, as well as serving as the general quartermaster for all items required by the escapees, from clothing through to food rations. Among their number were former tailors and artists whose skills were invaluable, providing as much authenticity as possible to the false identities of the men who would escape. Then there was the Z Organization. This was the most secret branch of the triad. They had control over the camp’s illegal radio and were versed in the codes which allowed them to communicate with RAF Intelligence back in England.

In June, it was announced that Clark and all the other U.S. airmen would soon be moved into a new enclosure, the South Compound, which was nearing completion. At this point, tunnel Tom had already reached beyond the wire and efforts continued apace to finish it ahead of the move so that the U.S. airmen could still take part in the escape. Work was suspended on Harry and Dick so that all manpower could be focused on getting Tom ready in time. They had only six weeks. However, in the midst of this concerted push, the Germans began to clear the woods for yet another new compound. As luck would have it, its location was right in the path of Tom. This meant that additional fifty yards of digging would be required to still surface within the cover of the woods.

Chief of the ferrets, Oberfeldwebel Glemnitz, aware that the summer months were traditionally prime escaping time, intensified the daily search and surveillance efforts of his men. This eventually paid off when a guard found some of the disposed sand in one of the gardens, which lead to scrutiny being ramped up even further. A game of cat and mouse ensued between the POWs and the goons, which finally ended when a guard, probing with a metal spike, discovered the entrance to Tom. The Germans then closed the tunnel permanently using an explosive charge.

In late August, the American airmen were indeed transferred to their new compound, effectively curtailing their involvement in the escape efforts. Ironically, as history would later testify, the event probably also saved many an American life.

The incident with Tom had put the Germans on alert. It was decided to pause tunneling activity on Harry and Dick, at least until things settled down. It was not until January of the following year that digging would resume. After some debate, it was agreed that Harry was the only viable tunnel left as the new compound which helped thwart Tom also lay in Dick’s path. Not only that but in haste to fully complete one tunnel, Dick had been sacrificed to some degree and filled with earth from Tom.

The work underground was given a much-needed boost when one resourceful Canadian officer, Joe Red Noble, pilfered about 600 feet of electric cable from local workmen. This was put to good use providing a simple lighting system within Harry. Previously the only light available had come from primitive candles, fueled by margarine with a piece of pajama cord as a wick. However, the improvement did not come without cost. The three Germans responsible for the wire were later shot by the authorities for not disclosing its loss.

It wasn’t long before the Germans interrupted events again by suddenly transferring the men they considered high-risk prisoners to another camp. Among them were some of the key figures in the scheme, such as F/Lt Wally Floody, the chief tunnel executive, and F/Lt George Harsh, the head of security. In spite of this, with their efforts and resources narrowed to just one tunnel, progress was much swifter, and by March they had dug beyond the compound perimeter. Escape was now viable.

As such, there was no fixed date for the crawl to freedom. It was only in the hours preceding the 24 March 1944, that Bushell made the decision to break the tunnel that coming night. A number of factors may have helped influence events. First and foremost, it was a moonless night, and it would be another month before the lunar cycle provided such favorable conditions again. Also, the camp’s evening curfew had recently been relaxed, which allowed the prisoners to move freely around the compound to a later hour. Finally, arch nemesis Rubberneck just happened to be away on leave.

In an interview, Clark later described how Bushell informed him of the news.

“He simply called me out to the wire and said, ‘We go tonight, so don’t do anything tonight that would mess it up.’ We always coordinated our escape attempts between the camps.”

In all, 220 men were chosen to escape. Bushell picked sixty of these, based on their German language skills and previous escape experience. These men were known as the serial offenders. Another 140 were then chosen randomly by drawing lots. They too were given a name, hard-arsers, men who had little chance of completing a “home run” but were still willing. Lastly, twenty more places were awarded to those who had missed out in the draw but were deemed to be most deserving. F/Lt Keen was included in the initial draw, but his name remained in the hat. His role would, therefore, be that of an eyewitness.