Captain George Tsoucas
ACCOUNT OF ESCAPE OF 200320 Captain George TSOUCAS I.C.
We arrived in Stalag VII A (MOOSBURG) on 19 or 20 Sep 1943. We numbered 62 officers, and with the same number of other ranks were put into the same compound. I got in touch with French prisoners in the camp and told them I wanted to escape. They tried to get PALM and me out on our third day there on a wood cutting party consisting of four Frenchmen, ourselves, and some Russians. We went to the gate of the camp in the morning, but the party was put off because of the lack of guards. We changed identities with American P/W in order to remain in the camp. The French then decided to get us out in the truck which took parcels from the main camp to the railway station for distribution to the working camps. PALM and I left the camp about 0600 hrs on 30 Sep. and got to the station in the truck. We were put into the railway wagon where the parcels were being stored and got out on the other side. We then crossed the goods yard and went through the fields to a small wood about three-quarters of a mile away. We were wearing battle dress, which is the uniform worn by most of the French P/W in MUNICH, and French greatcoats, side caps and badges. We had sold all our kit to the French for Reichmarks.
We stayed in the wood till 1900 hrs, leaving just before dark. Near the wood we were stopped by a German officer, who took us for Frenchmen. He handed us over to two young cadets, who in turn passed us on to an old military policeman on a push bicycle. Under the impression that we were French, the policeman started to march us back to the camp. At the first turning there was a small river and a wood beyond. I pulled PALM's sleeve to indicate that we had a chance of getting away, and we dashed across the stream and into the wood. The guard was unarmed. We ran for about two hours, heading South for MUNICH, where we had got an address from the Frenchmen in the camp. We did not reach MUNICH until the night of 2-3 Oct. We had some powdered milk and sugar with us and ate raw potatoes, cabbages and beet from the fields.
On arrival in MUNICH on the night of 2-3 Oct we found an air raid in progress and hid in the northern edge of the Englisher Garten spending the day and the next night in some bushes. We then spoke to a Frenchman and French woman (civilian workers) and asked for help. They directed us to the centre of the city. We had to walk, as there were no trams running, and continued from there to Hoffmann Strasse which is at the southern terminus of No.8 tramway line. Here we went to a cafe which is frequented by Frenchmen and got in touch with a civilian French worker, who arranged for us to be sheltered at his Working Commando. While we were here I got in touch with another Frenchman who was working with a firm of contractors loading trains near the Hauptbahnhof. After a few days we moved to the Lager where this man lived.
Altogether we spent 18 days in MUNICH and eventually were put on to a railway truck consigned to STRASBOURG. We were accompanied by Captain Richard CARR who had also escaped from Stalag VII A. After leaving Stalag VII A, CARR had met Sergeant Lee GORDON, U.S.A.A.F., also from Stalag VII A. The American was to have accompanied us, but did not do so. When we left MUNICH we were wearing blue overalls over our battle dress.
The train remained for about 30 hours in MUNICH and then went via KARLSRUHE to STRASBOURG, stopping at a marshalling yard there about 0400 hrs on 20 Oct 43. PALM and I got out about 0500 hrs, leaving CARR in the truck, the understanding being that he would follow us in a quarter of an hour. We did not see him again. After leaving the marshalling yard, PALM and I followed the MARNE-RHINE canal to VENDENHEIM (GERMANY 1:250,000, Sheet K 49, Q 9808) where we hoped to get shelter and to make arrangements for travelling to France by barge. This, however, was impossible and we followed the canal via SAVERNE (ZABERN) (Q 7215) to CONDREXANGE (Q 4109). We left the canal at Lock No 3 West, just beside the railway crossing near RECHICOURT LE CHATEAU (RIXINGEN) (Q 3307). We then continued across country to EMBERMENIL (Q 2303), where we saw a Michelin advertisement that we were in FRANCE. We continued to THIEBAUMENIL (V 1898) where we got shelter at a farm and were put in touch with people in LUNEVILLE (near NANCY) on 24 or 25 October 43. The rest of our journey was arranged for us.
Captain Ralph Buckley Palm
ACCOUNT OF ESCAPE OF 47880 Captain Buckley PALM 94 RAF Sqn., SAAF.
We reached MOOSBURG (STALAG VII A) on 19 Sept 43.
We had only been in MOOSBURG two days when I was told by a French prisoner, who had heard of my previous attempts, that if we were in MOOSBURG long enough it would be possible to get out of the camp. The idea was to join one of the Russian working parties, disguised as a Russian prisoner. Before the scheme could materialize the Germans warned all Air Force officers to be ready to move that afternoon. I therefore approached an American Air Force officer (name not remembered), who was not interested in escape himself, and he agreed to leave the camp in my name. The Germans had never had a nominal roll call, and only appeared to be concerned about numbers. The Air Force officers, including the American who was impersonating me, were moved on 23 Sept 43.
For roll calls I would squeeze through the wire into the Russian compound. There was such a mixture of uniforms, some of the Russians even wearing old battle dresses, that I was not spotted.
The scheme of joining a Russian working party did not materialize owing to the incessant rain and a shortage of German guards, as a result of which no parties were taken out.
With a Greek officers hold a British commission, George TSOUCAS, Commandos, who could speak good French I then devised another scheme.
The Germans had been allowing certain trustworthy Frenchmen to leave the camp for various escort duties wearing a red arm-badge wit "Polizei" inscribed on it. Our scheme was that TSOUCAS should acquire an arm-badge and escort me out with my face bandaged up, as if I were going to the dentist. Those provided with armbands were not prepared to part with one of theirs, but were willing to attempt to imitate one. Before, however, the scheme had been commenced we devised another plan to hang under a tractor-drawn trailer, which left the camp with Red Cross parcels for working camps attached to STALAG VII A. The driver of the tractor told us that the Germans made a point of looking underneath, but that it would be worth taking a chance. We hung under the tractor the next time it went out, and the scheme was successful (29 Sep 43).
When the trailer pulled up close to the train to unload its parcels we dropped off and got under the train and out at the other side.
We had very few rations and very little money. We had sold some Red Cross food to the French in the camp, and I had acquired 50 RM. and TSOUCAS 150 RM. I had also bought a compass from the French.
We first hid up in the woods till dark and then walked in a Northerly direction so as to skirt the prison camp, intending eventually to make our way to MUNICH, because the French had told us that the French workers there would help us.
We ran into a German officer on a bicycle, and TSOUCAS aroused his suspicions by trying to hide behind a small bush. We tried to persuade the German that we were French workmen working in a farm nearby, but he expressed his intention of escorting us to the STALAG to check our identity.
We were still discussing the point when two German privates appeared, dressed obviously for an evening out, and these were ordered by the officer to escort us back to the camp, much against their will. We were trying to persuade them to let us go, when we were overtaken by another officer on a bicycle, who was on his way to the Stalag, and the two soldiers induced him to take on the mission of escorting us. He was foolish enough to walk ahead of us, trailing his bicycle, remonstrating with us all the time about our being out after the curfew limit for French workers. I kept answering "Ja, Ja" and when passing a pond of muddy water saw my opportunity and picked him up from behind and pushed him and his bicycle into the pond. We then both ran for it. The officer fired several shots, but none came near us.
We then followed the route of the ISAR river, walking by night and lying up by day, avoiding FREISING, and reached MUNICH on 4 Oct 43. An air raid which had taken place on the previous night very much facilitated our entering MUNICH.
We had been told by the French at MOOSBURG to make for a cafe and ask for a certain Frenchman. We met the man in question as soon as we arrived, and he arranged to put us up in the barracks for French workers. We were also given work suits and placed on the work roll.
The plan was that we should go every night to the marshalling yard at LAIME, to see if any goods train were leaving for FRANCE. During this period I was approached by a Frenchman working in the B.M.W. (BAYRISCHE MOTOR WERKE) and Mercedes Benz aircraft factory, who said, when he discovered I was a pilot, that I might be able to steal a plan from his factory. This was not possible, however, as the Germans put an Alsatian dog into each aircraft by night.
Another Frenchman then volunteered to let us get into some beer barrels which he was loading into a goods train, and on 23 Oct 43 this scheme was successful and we left, each in an empty beer barrel on a train for STRASSBURG.
When we were in the barrels the door was sealed by the Germans, but the train did not move for two days. We had no food and only a little water in a beer bottle.
We were in the train until 0300 hrs 27 Oct 43. The truck was shunted into a marshalling yard at STRASSBURG, and we got out.
We had been told to attempt to get one of the barges at VENDEMHEIM (FRANCE, 1:250,000, Sheet 12, 15 kms. N.W. of STRASSBURG) to take us on board a barge for FRANCE, but nobody would take the risk. The next night we started to walk along the canal, our route being WALTENHEIM (Sheet 12, S6), SAVERNE (Q6), and through the canal tunnel East of SARREBOURG (P6). We had to cover approximately 40 miles in one night, as we had been told it would be impossible to hide up before No.3 lock at the canal tunnel.
Next night we continued via HERTZING (Q7) to South of RECHICOURT (N7), where we reached a point about 3 kms. from the frontier. We decided to have a rest here, and crossed the frontier the following night.
We reached a village called EMBERMENIL (N7) and we knew by our map that we were in FRANCE. We soon made our first contact. The rest of our journey was arranged for us.