During the war, no German prisoner-of-war managed to successfully escape from the British Isles. Many, perhaps 'familiar' with the name, believe that Franz von Werra was the most notable escapee but von Werra escaped from Canada, where he was sent as a POW and walked across the border into the then neutral USA.
The most audacious escape attempt from Britain itself was made by Lt.Heinz Schnabel and Oblt.Harry Wappler on 24 November 1941. The two Luftwaffe officers were prisoners in Camp No.15 near Penrith (formally the Shap Wells Hotel). Forging papers that identified them as two Dutch officers serving in the RAF, they made their way to the RAF airfield at Kingstown near Carlisle. Without difficulty they entered the station and with the help of a ground mechanic started the engine of a Miles Magister, of which there were fifty parked around the airfield. Taking off, they headed for the sea and Holland, a distance of some 365 miles. Over the North Sea they realized they could not make it (the maximum range of a Magister was 367 miles on full tanks) Rather reluctantly they decided to turn back and landed in a field about five miles north of Great Yarmouth. Back at Camp No.15 again, the two daring escapees were sentenced to 28 days solitary confinement.
Michael Payne's article on Heinz Schnabel of I./JG 3 appeared in a long out-of-print article published in a 1985 issue of the UK's premier modelling and aircraft reference magazine, Scale Aircraft Modelling. I have provided a 4-page scan of the article starting here.
I was lucky enough to count Michael as a pen-friend, only too willing to help out with photos and leads and this is my tribute to him. Thanks to current editor of SAM, Paul Eden and all at publisher Guideline Publications.
Part two and subsequent pages can be found by clicking on this link.
' The one who nearly got away' continued
