A “POW Rolex” Recalls the Great Escape

[krille]

Denne artikkelen om en Rolex levert til en krigsfange i Stalag Luft III er kanskje gammelt nytt for faste travere, men likefullt gripende og interessant lesning.

 

[Callahan]

Litt OT, men ikke helt...

Min grandonkel fløy Spitfire, ble skutt ned og satt i samme leir (som Great Excape bygger på), rømte og ble siden skutt, ukjent gravsted i 44 år, før man fant graven i Polen.
Han hadde også en Rolex...som han angivelig sendte hjem, men som av for meg komplett uforståelige grunner bli gitt bort av min bestefar i sin tid....åherrejemini for en affeksjonsverdi...

BL588 is worthy of specific mention as at the hands of a Norwegian pilot Lt Halldor Espelid the plane was shot down on August 17 1942 by enemy anti-aircraft guns east of Dunkirk and Lt Halldor Espelid taken prisoner of war - he was executed March 29 1944 by the Gestapo after escaping from prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III in Silesia during the Great Escape of March 23 1944. I’ve managed to find a picture of the hero who piloted ‘our plane’ and made this small, but sincerely well meant, memorial to him.

In conclusion, the residents of Grimsby can take great pride in their efforts and stoicism during the most difficult of times and ‘our’ Spitfires gave great service and did make a difference - R7231 saw the war out I believe and was finally scrapped with BL588 going out in a blaze of glory piloted by the heroic Halldor Espelid !