All the deaths of the aforementioned servicemen were a consequence of an order by Adolf Hitler himself, who demanded - despite pleas from subordinates - that most of the escapees be executed.
Shortly after the escape attempt, all Allied prisoners in POW camps would receive the…
0
1
10
Replies
Kiwi Escape from Stalag Luft III
Today, we remember the brave New Zealand pilots who, in their attempt to escape German imprisonment, took part in the ‘Great Escape’ from German POW camp ‘Stalag Luft III’ on the night of the 24th and 25th of March 1944.
Half were subsequently…
1
5
16
Arnold George Christensen
Born in Hastings in 1922, Arnold Christensen would join the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1940 and received his ‘wings’ in 1942 whilst training in Canada, before being sent to Britain to fly with the RAF’s 26th Squadron - primarily conducting…
1
2
8
Porokoru Patapu Pohe
Born in Wanganui in 1914, Porokoru Pohe (known as ‘Lucky Johnny’ Pohe) served in the Manawatu Mounted Rifles before the war, and joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1939. Upon gaining his ‘wings’ in 1941, he would be known as the very first Maori pilot…
1
2
7
Out of the four New Zealander servicemen that took part in the ‘Great Escape’, only Christensen and Pohe were executed.
Leonard Henry Trent (left) and Michael Moray Shand (right) both took part in the escape attempt, but were immediately recaptured upon being discovered by a…
1
0
7
Finally, an honourable mention to John E.A. Williams, a New Zealand-born Australian serviceman who also took part in the ‘Great Escape’ from Stalag Luft III.
Captured by German forces in North Africa, Williams joined his colleagues to escape the POW camp and, like the others,…
1
0
9