Great Escape Documentary Last Night

Time Team dig – Roger Bushell

Thanks Mark

I would certainly be interested in seeing it.

Ian

Ian,

I just spoke with Steve Vizard.

Yes the RAF maps of Southern England found in the wreckage were marked on the cover with Bushell’s name.

They have been professionally dried and treated.

Mark

EN830,

I seem to think we found one of Roger Bushell’s maps in the Time Team Spitfire. I will check if it is of interest. Paul Klipsch was of course the pilot.

Mark

Thanks Mark

I would certainly be interested in seeing it.

Ian

Bob van der Stok was the other one of the three who made it home. The Dutch usually speak both English and German which especially in those days could be very useful.

Cheers

Cees

Interesting that the only three to make it all the way were Norwegian and Dutch. Probably because there were lots of Dutch and Norwegian nationals “working” in the Reich territories so it was easier for them to pass themselves off as Dutch or Norwegian civilian workers. The Brits and Yanks had less chance of using that ploy.
.

The two norwegians had IDs that identified them as electricians..
They got to a port in nothern Germany (Stettin I think) and managed to get unseen on board a swedish transport ship. They hid below deck and escaped by a miracle, the German guards that searched the ship before depature. There is a norwegian TV documentary that has a very interesting interview with Jens Müller (that escaped toghether with Per Bergsland), telling his story.

Time Team Spitfire

EN830,

I seem to think we found one of Roger Bushell’s maps in the Time Team Spitfire. I will check if it is of interest. Paul Klipsch was of course the pilot.

Mark

Doing a search re Paul Brickhill, I came across this old thread. One which I don’t recall seeing at the time. So sorry if I’m resurrecting it.

I also watched a Time Team earlier on Discovery (probably quite old). Showed an excavation of a Spit from France. Was also a good programme. Quite moving when they showed them going over with the pilots brother what happened. They showed him a picture believed to have been taken the morning of his last flight and gave them the metal chain from his flying jacket for hanging it up, which they had found.

There was a direct link between this Spitfire and the Great Escape, Roger Bushell was leading the Squadron “92” the day that this Spitfire as well as his own was lost in combat with a gaggle of Me110’s. Bushell flagged down a passing motorcyclist for a lift, unfortuantely the biker was German and his lift was straight into captivity.

have any of you read the Canadian authors book on the Great Escape called ” A Gallant Company” by Jonathan F. Vance? Its truly and outstanding look at what happen now some 60 years ago!

Vance’s book was OK but not as accurate as some may have you believe. It contained a number of glaring inaccuracies, which with a bit of effort could have been researched better. The one that springs to mind and has been replicated recently by another author as a result of using Vance’s book as a reference, is that Bushell was a Hurricane pilot. He in fact commanded 92 Sqn (Spitfire) and was a Flight Commander on 601 Sqn (Blenheim and Spitfire). there were a few more that I picked up on when I read it, but don’t have the details to hand here at work…

Thanks Mike J for Great Escape Photo!

Mike, thanks for posting a wonderful photograph of nine outstanding men who were part of a very historical event some
60 years ago. Looks like it was a sucessful day at Duxford, which is such a national treasure for you in The United Kingdom. Were they just signing a book or perhaps a new art print on The Great Escape. Which I will ask on this board ….has anyone ever painted
for the commerical market, an art work on the subject of The Great Escape? Thanks for posting this and hope you had a great time, would love to sit down and speak to them about that whole event and how they view it today! These men are real hero’s and
nice to see events like this still happen !

“Keep The Show On The Road”!
BlueNoser352!

There’s a certain inevatability to some things, sky = blue, grass = green etc…

I even deleted ‘wrist’ from my post.

Not mine Guv; I’m not a highly sucessful author. Got to help Jilly Cooper on one signing though. 😉 Did you know she was married to Leo Cooper of the military publishing house of ‘the same name’? I didn’t. When we had Lord Archer in, I took the day off. He was slimey even then by book trade accounts.

Glad the book arrived Robbo. Much is explained thein you’ll find…

Note the gentleman on the right rubbing his hand back to life.

A new terror to retirement, RSI! :p

Joking aside, having attended a fair few book signings as a bookseller, it’s a scary part of the author’s job – the more sucessful you are, the more your fingers ache…

Great Escape…Duxford Visit!

In a word…WOW, what I would not give to visit and be at Duxford on this Saturday to meet and speak with these men. I have meet several US Vets who were with these fine men, before they were sent to other camps and seperated. If anyone goes, please file a small report on how it went. Looks like I will have to get this book written by Wing Commnader Rees! A kind request from me..if anyone was lucky enought to have taped the March 17th showing on Channel 5 about the Great Escape, I would love to buy it. I can play pal tapes as well. Have a great weekend gang!

A Salute from:
BlueNoser352!

Also poignant to see that the memorial shows the span of World War 2 as “1939 to 194-“. Obviously, the POWs had no idea when the war would end and may have been optimistically hoping that it would all be over before the end of the 40s.

I’m glad no one’s gone back since and added on a number “5”.

I was a heartened to hear how the German commander of the camp allowed the prisoners to build a memorial to the escapees who were shot. Very moving to see the veterens return to pay their respects.

Regards,

Paul

Back to thread – the Great Escape, last night – magic – I was enthralled all the way through!

Lets have more like it, Channel 5!

Airbedane

The reading of “High Flight” at the end of the prog was very moving.

The very one – hadn’t seen it before and really enjoyed it. Didn’t realise it was quite that old.

Time Team

P9373, ‘Beardy Wierdy’, Charlie Brown & BM597 all in shot.

Wierre-Effroy, Northern France – 3 June 1999.

Mark

Originally posted by Buddy Boy
I also watched a Time Team earlier on Discovery (probably quite old). Showed an excavation of a Spit from France. Was also a good programme. Quite moving when they showed them going over with the pilots brother what happened. They showed him a picture believed to have been taken the morning of his last flight and gave them the metal chain from his flying jacket for hanging it up, which they had found.

Ah yes, the programme where Charlie Brown demonstrates his remarkable talent for tact and diplomacy when he gives the Beardy Wierdy’s flap repair a very generous nine out of ten and says “I’d fly it”.

Don’t you just love Allan Wright’s reactions to some of the questions?

Baldrick – “Was the Spitfire difficult to fight in?”

Allan Wright (scornfully) – “No, not at all. A bit tricky seeing round the nose of course, but fighting in it was no problem at all.”

And his face when he clambered in. Amazingly sprightly for an eighty-something. Nice touch as well when Charlie Brown casually called for Alan to pop the flaps, acknowledging that he still knows his way around a Spitfire cockpit. Great programme. 😀

Saw it last night as well. Very interesting programme.

What really struck me was the depth of the tunnels and the ingenuity of the men. Seeing the excavated site of the third tunnel and just how far down they dug makes you realise quite what an acheivement it was. As to the gathering of materials and how bunks, tables, chairs simply went missing – was quite amazing.

I also watched a Time Team earlier on Discovery (probably quite old). Showed an excavation of a Spit from France. Was also a good programme. Quite moving when they showed them going over with the pilots brother what happened. They showed him a picture believed to have been taken the morning of his last flight and gave them the metal chain from his flying jacket for hanging it up, which they had found.

Probably wouldn’t be too much use for you over there.

Our televisions run on PAL, yours on NTSC. Unlikely that anybody’s off-air copy would run on your machine.

Unless you have dual standard?

Moggy

Great Escape Copy for Sale !

I would like to buy a copy of this television program on the Great Escape if anyone offers. Its a topic I have been intrested in for years and look forward to the new book that has just come out on the escape. Of course the film and the Paul BrickHill book got me started on this at a early age, have any of you read the Canadian authors book on the Great Escape called ” A Gallant Company” by Jonathan F. Vance? Its truly and outstanding look at what happen now some 60 years ago! Hats off to Channel 5 for saluting the brave men who risk all on that night !

A salute from:
BlueNoser352!