The Great Escape Minute 004 – Aren’t You a Little Short For a Stormtrooper

As the son of RAF Squadron Leader Peter Stevens MC (a long-time resident of SL3 and Head of Contacts for “X” in East Compound), I am enjoying your comments. I wrote Dad’s biography, ‘Escape, Evasion and Revenge: The True Story of a German-Jewish RAF Pilot Who Bombed Berlin and Became a POW’, which was published in 2009 and was recently named one of the Top 10 Books About Revenge in The Guardian. Dad was the only known German Jew to fly bombers against his homeland in WW2, and was one of only 69 aircrew to be awarded the Military Cross in WW2. As Head of Contacts in East Compound, Dad was responsible for all scrounging that took place in that compound (where the Wooden Horse escape took place). The camp radio receiver was also kept hidden in his room (Block 69, Room 14). Arnost “Wally” Valenta was Head of Contacts in North Compound, and was one of the composite models for Hendley.

Dad was also active in forging, and as a native German speaker (“Goon-sprecher” in Kriegie parlance) was also called upon to write custom-made German documents for escapers (e.g. Dad wrote the introduction letter from the Margarine Sales Union for Oliver Philpot of Wooden Horse fame). In all, Dad made 9 escape attempts, getting outside the wire on 3 occasions.

In episode 4, you mention that the short German guard didn’t look anything like a storm trooper. The Luftwaffe men used to guard POW camps were not storm troopers. They were not ground combat troops like the Wehrmacht or the SS. They were airmen (but not aircrew, an important distinction) with guns.

And I had always assumed that MacDonald was indeed Massey’s XO. Otherwise, he would have been travelling in one of the trucks, as did Bartlett.

Looking forward to more.

Cheers,

Marc Stevens
Toronto