Introduction
This page
lists the 50 air force personnel murdered by the Germans following the
mass POW escape from Stalag Luft III camp during the night of 24-25 March
1944. It was the murder of these airmen that two war crimes trails were
conducted after the end of the Second World War.
To read an
account of these 2 trials click here.
If you are
interested in finding out more about the Great Escape then please visit
my references page.
Resting
Places
All the fifty
airmen were shot by the Germans, either on their own or in small groups.
They were collected by various Gestapo agents, and driven away. The prisoners
were told to relieve themselves, as the ride to a new POW camp was very
long. The airmen were then shot in the back of the head. Their remains
were then cremated at various locations. All the urns were eventually
returned to Stalag Luft III.

The above
photograph shows the unfinished vault, designed by Flight-Lieutenant Todd
(also a POW), for the ashes of the 50 Officers who were murdered by the
Germans. The Vault as it now stands has three granite scrolls rising from
the granite slabs seen in the photograph on which the names of the 50
Officers are engraved.
49 of the
50 urns are now buried at Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery in Poland.
The urn containing
the ashes of Flight Lieutenant Street, RAF(VR) is buried at the Berlin
1939-45 War Cemetery, Brandenburg, Germany.
The Fifty
The grave
number "Coll. 9.A" refers to Collective Grave reference 9.A.
The cemetery and grave references were obtained from the "Debt of
Honour Register" contained on the Commonwealth
War Graves Commission's web site.
Name |
|
Rank |
Number |
Service |
Died |
Age |
Grave No. |
Birkland |
Henry |
Flight Lieutenant |
J/5233 |
RCAF |
31/03/44 |
25 |
7.C.3 |
Brettell |
Edward Gordon |
Flight Lieutenant |
61053 |
RAF(VR) |
29/03/44 |
29 |
Coll. 9.A |
Bull |
Leslie George |
Flight Lieutenant |
43932 |
RAF |
29/03/44 |
? |
7.C.1 |
Bushell |
Roger Joyce |
Squadron Leader |
90120 |
RAF |
29/03/44 |
33 |
Coll. 9.A |
Casey |
Michael James |
Flight Lieutenant |
39024 |
RAF |
31/03/44 |
? |
7.D.3 |
Catanach |
James |
Squadron Leader |
400364 |
RAAF |
29/03/44 |
22 |
Coll. 9.A |
Christensen |
Arnold George |
Flight Lieutenant |
413380 |
RNZAF |
29/03/44 |
21 |
Coll. 9.A |
Cochran |
Dennis Herbert |
Flying Officer |
122441 |
RAF(VR) |
31/03/44 |
23 |
Coll. 9.A |
Cross |
Ian Kingston Pembroke |
Squadron Leader |
39305 |
RAF |
31/03/44 |
25 |
7.C.2 |
Espelid |
Halldor |
Lieutenant |
378 |
Norwegian |
29/03/44 |
23 |
? |
Evans |
Brian Herbert |
Flight Lieutenant |
42745 |
RAF |
31/03/44 |
24 |
7.C.6 |
Fugelsang |
Nils |
Lieutenant |
742 |
Norwegian |
29/03/44 |
? |
? |
Gouws |
J.S. |
Lieutenant |
103275 |
SAAF |
29/03/44 |
24 |
Coll. 9.A |
Grisman |
William Jack |
Flight Lieutenant |
45148 |
RAF |
06/04/44 |
29 |
8.C.4 |
Gunn |
Alastair Donald Mackintosh |
Flight Lieutenant |
60340 |
RAF(VR) |
06/04/44 |
24 |
8.D.7 |
Hake |
Albert Horace |
Warrant Officer |
403218 |
RAAF |
31/03/44 |
27 |
7.D.4 |
Hall |
Charles Piers |
Flight Lieutenant |
50896 |
RAF(VR) |
30/03/44 |
? |
Coll. 9.A |
Hayter |
Anthony Ross Henzell |
Flight Lieutenant |
42124 |
RAF |
06/04/44 |
23 |
Coll. 9.A |
Humphreys |
Edgar Spottiswoode |
Flight Lieutenant |
44177 |
RAF(VR) |
31/03/44 |
29 |
8.C.5 |
Kidder |
Gordon Arthur |
Flight Lieutenant |
J/10177 |
RCAF |
29/03/44 |
29 |
8.D.5 |
Kierath |
Reginald Victor |
Flight Lieutenant |
402364 |
RAAF |
29/03/44 |
29 |
8.D.3 |
Kiewnarski |
Antoni |
Major |
P0109 |
Polish |
31/03/44 |
45 |
? |
Kirby-Green |
Thomas Gresham |
Squadron Leader |
39103 |
RAF |
29/03/44 |
? |
7.D.7 |
Kolanowski |
Wlodzimierz |
Flying Officer |
P0243 |
Polish |
31/03/44 |
30 |
? |
Krol |
Stanislaw Z. |
Flying Officer |
P0237 |
Polish |
14/04/44 |
27 |
? |
Langford |
Patrick Wilson |
Flight Lieutenant |
C/1631 |
RCAF |
31/03/44 |
24 |
7.C.7 |
Leigh |
Thomas Barker |
Flight Lieutenant |
46462 |
RAF |
31/03/44 |
25 |
7.C.4 |
Long |
James Leslie Robert |
Flight Lieutenant |
89375 |
RAF(VR) |
13/04/44 |
? |
8.D.6 |
McGarr |
Clement Aldwyn Neville |
Lieutenant |
95691 |
SAAF |
06/04/44 |
? |
7.D.6 |
McGill |
George Edward |
Flight Lieutenant |
J/5312 |
RCAF |
31/03/44 |
? |
8.C.7 |
Marcinkus |
Romas |
Flight Lieutenant |
89580 |
RAF(VR) |
29/03/44 |
? |
Coll. 9.A |
Milford |
Harold John |
Flight Lieutenant |
103586 |
RAF(VR) |
06/04/44 |
? |
Coll. 9.A |
Mondschein |
Jerzy Tomasc |
Flying Officer |
P0913 |
Polish |
29/03/44 |
35 |
? |
Pawluk |
Kazimierz |
Flying Officer |
P0740 |
Polish |
31/03/44 |
27 |
? |
Picard |
Henri Albert |
Flight Lieutenant |
87693 |
RAF(VR) |
29/03/44 |
? |
Coll. 9.A |
Pohe |
Porokoru Patapu |
Flying Officer |
402894 |
RNZAF |
31/03/44 |
29 |
Coll. 9.A |
Scheidhauer |
Bernard W.M. |
Sous-Lt |
30649 |
French |
29/03/44 |
22 |
? |
Skanzikas |
Sortis |
Pilot Officer |
213 |
Greek |
30/03/44 |
22 |
? |
Stevens |
R.J. |
Lieutenant |
47431 |
SAAF |
29/03/44 |
24 |
Coll. 9.A |
Stewart |
Robert Campbell |
Flying Officer |
130452 |
RAF(VR) |
31/03/44 |
33 |
8.C.6 |
Stower |
John Gifford |
Flight Lieutenant |
107520 |
RAF(VR) |
31/03/44 |
? |
Coll. 9.A |
Street |
Denys Oliver |
Flight Lieutenant |
123026 |
RAF(VR) |
06/04/44 |
21 |
3.A.24 |
Swain |
Cyril Douglas |
Flight Lieutenant |
37658 |
RAF |
31/03/44 |
? |
8.C.1 |
Tobolski |
Pawel Whilem |
Flying Officer |
P0375 |
Polish |
02/04/44 |
38 |
? |
Valenta |
Arnost |
Flight Lieutenant |
82532 |
RAF(VR) |
31/03/44 |
? |
Coll. 9.A |
Walenn |
Gilbert William |
Flight Lieutenant |
73022 |
RAF(VR) |
29/03/44 |
28 |
Coll. 9.A |
Wernham |
James Chrystall |
Flight Lieutenant |
J/6144 |
RCAF |
30/03/44 |
27 |
8.C.2 |
Wiley |
George William |
Flight Lieutenant |
J/7234 |
RCAF |
31/03/44 |
? |
7.D.2 |
Williams |
John Edwin Ashley |
Squadron Leader |
40652 |
RAF |
29/03/44 |
24 |
8.D.1 |
Williams |
John Francis |
Flight Lieutenant |
106173 |
RAF(VR) |
06/04/44 |
26 |
8.C.3 |
|