How French POWs filmed Their Camp from the inside

losthorizon

One escapee managed to get home after months and after spending time in Vienna and working in a hospital he finally made it to Paris. Here some Germans dropped him off at his house in their staff car.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23423329

RachaelVO

So many unsung heroes from WWII, they were taking their and the lives of their loved ones on their hands.

We have no idea how lucky we are not to have been born then.

KingOfFairview

Incredible stuff

F35

RachaelVO wrote: »

So many unsung heroes from WWII, they were taking their and the lives of their loved ones on their hands.

We have no idea how lucky we are not to have been born then.

Or today, in one of several developing countries in which genocide still takes place.

Unfortunately genocide isn't dead yet.

Edit: excuse the pun

RachaelVO

F35 wrote: »

Or today, in one of several developing countries in which genocide still takes place.

Unfortunately genocide isn't dead yet.

Edit: excuse the pun

Fair point, and there's no arguing with it either (mores the pity)

Red Kev

50 minute documentary on this blog, very interesting stuff, it's in French though.

http://bigbrowser.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/07/31/prison-break-sous-le-manteau-les-prisonniers-francais-de-la-seconde-guerre-mondiale-avaient-filme-leur-camp-et-leur-evasion/

Wibbs

Way back in the day I was blessed enough to have met and talked to a couple of those WW2 guys and some of the stories...

One Spanish guy I met back in the mid noughties had balls bigger than he was. He had been on the anti Franco side in their civil war(which made ours look like a minor scuffle outside a pub). Anyway he got captured by the Franco forces, thrown in gaol and awaiting a bullet. A mate of his from childhood spotted him and was convinced they got the wrong guy, needless to say he agreed wink wink, nudge nudge, so that secured his release.

He hated Fascists so went a roving looking to get more of them. As you do. Ended up in a prison camp in Holland IIRC? and escaped by hopping on a bicycle left by a visiting worker and pedaled right out the front gates. Couldn't speak a word of the local lingo, but the mad little feck made it all the way through France and over the mountains to Spain(where he had to hide out as he was anti Franco). His girlfriend waited all that time, even though most reckoned he was long dead, because she just knew he'd come back to her. They married after the war.

He never let up with his personal grudge against gobshítes even though he was living in Franco's Spain. After that jumped up little prick died* he used to go to schools and colleges where he'd talk with kids about the dangers of fascist pricks and totalitarian ballsology. The guy was cooler than a polar bears fridge and even when I met him well into his 90's he was still up for the craic. Real never give up and damn the bastards kinda guy.


EDIT* people can forget that Franco alone among the 30's nazis died in his bed decades after the rest were rightfully slain or died as cowards by their own hands. A real prick he was. A right wing catholic** nutcase who among other things offered up to his co scumbags a list of Spanish Jews just in case they won. He was a survivor, I'll give him that. A rat who knew his sewer well. If you're ever in Madrid his mausoleum, a half hour away is worth a look. A Fascist afterlife in cheap stone and fake bronze, paid with expensive lives and hubris writ large.

** while we had it bad here, check out the catholic guff in Franco's Spain. Jeeeesus. Moving statues with machineguns type of shíte.