The great escape (by 25 Nazis) 12-1944
There are 2 sections to this story:
1. As told by my mother…who happened to work at the Papago Park POW offices (as you can see by her pass).
Once, there was a Lt. Col. Barber who became C.O. of the Papago Park POW camp 3-1944, replacing Col. Means, who was transferred to another camp.
Sometime between 3-1944 and 12-1944, Col. William A. Holden became camp commandant.
According to my mother, Col. Holden was asked by one of the German officers if he and a few other men could have shovels and tools to make a garden.
Lt. Col. Barber was born in Yugoslavia, immigrating to the US at the age of 17. He had experience in all phases of military police work and POW camps. Barber said it was a bad idea. Col. Holden scoffed at him.
My mom said she heard arguments over this, and she was in agreement with Barber, but as a mere secretary her opinion was not sought, nor did she feel it appropriate to interject in their discussions.
As a result, 25 Nazi U-boat officers and men fled through a tunnel, planning to build a raft and float down the Gila river into Mexico. Anyone who has lived in Arizona, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico are well aware that the Gila river is dry, with the exception of a short rainy season. Basically, the Gila river is a gutter with a name.
My mom said that most of the men who made it to the Gila river were only too happy to surrender, but one officer made it to a hotel where he was apprehended.
2. As told by newspaper clippings she saved.
You read and decide whether more than a little CYA happened here.
I’ll pin this when I get home.
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This is interesting. My great-grandparents went missing in France during WWII. I believe there are some things we will never find the truth too when it comes to war. It’s still good to learn what I can. Great post! Thanks.
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My uncle was one of the men who marched with Patton’s group. He would never talk about what happened, taking his stories to his grave. My mom didn’t tell us about the POW camp experience until we were teenagers. She hated the “Hogan’s Heroes” sitcom saying it diminished the sacrifice of “our boys.”
There are certain parts of her life that hurt her to the quick, and the fact that this story was brushed under the carpet was one of them. She would never show how she felt, she’d just tell the same story over and over.
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That’s a common coping mechanism. The brains of human beings aren’t wired to deal easily with things like this.
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One of my courses in college showed a very strange finding. The people who had amnesia about horrific events–such as being in a Nazi prison camp–lived better, healthier lives.
Many of the boys who went overseas during WWII had never been outside their state. Can you imagine what it must have been like to witness the atrocities of war?
It’s hard to imagine a world where you couldn’t go on a plane and be across the country in 5 hours, or cross the Atlantic in 10.
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My opinion is the same–it was probably a CYA effort.
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Thanks for the vote. 🙂
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The atrocities of war affect all, and yet history continues to repeat itself. We consider ourselves the higher species of all that exists on Earth. How delusional we are within our folly.
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Thanks for bringing this post to my attention. Very interesting and it is truly a valuable piece of memorabilia for you and your family.
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