Stalag Luft Iii ( Stammlager Luft )
Let me take you back
To 1942
In Sagan ( Zagan ) Poland
In World War II
Their was built a camp
For prisoners of war
Primarily Air Force
Heroes galore
The site was selected
To escape them tunnelling
Deterring their efforts
In freedom funnelling
Forward we move
To March 1944
A tunnel called " Harry "
These servicemen bore
On a moonless night
March 24th
The crawled through the tunnel
To escape to go forth
To assist their escape
Air raid sirens wailed
The camps lights went dim
To the steps they scaled
Ten in the first hour
Escaped to the trees
Seventy six in total
From Stalag Luft free
The seventy seventh
Was seen emerging from the ground
The guards in alert
As the tunnel was found
The escaped seventy six
To the railway station they went
But confusion arose
For the paths they were meant
Not knowing where to go
They all missed their train
Some stayed for the next
While others walked the terrain
What befell the escaped
My words will speak
The search by the Germans
In prisoner seek
Two Norwegians
Made it to Sweden
A Dutch man through France
To Spain was his freedom
When news of this broke
Hitler was incensed
Orders were issued
For Artur Nebe to dispense
Fifty were herded
Onto trucks for their return
But they stopped at a clearing
For their fate to be learned
As they disembarked the trucks
To stretch their legs
Spandau's and Schmeisser's
Sprayed them with lead
The news of these deaths
Left our Parliament in shock
For these tragic moments
The Nuremberg trials would unlock
After the war
Gestapo officers were tried
They were responsible
For the fifty who died
This write is my tribute
For they were near freedoms gate
To all who were behind
The Great Escape
http://www.thehighlanderspoems.com/war.php
Copyright © James Fraser | Year Posted 2009
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