A BOLDER PLAN
At last I got tired of these continual failures, and began to see that
these methods would never succeed. If I was going to escape it must be
by some method that no one had yet thought of trying. Only in this way,
aided by unlimited bluff, should I succeed. I was thinking not only of
the actual escape from the camp, but of the possibility of getting out
of the country. Escapes from all the camps had been made by the dozen,
but only one in a hundred was actually successful. The worst of it was
that that big sheet of water, the North Sea, lay between England and
Germany! How much easier it was for English officers in Germany, who, in
two days' march, were in neutral territory, Holland, and consequently in
safety!
All who had so far attempted to escape from English camps had started
out with the idea of finding a ship or a boat that would take them to
Germany. The consequence was, that the coast, and particularly the
ports, were closely watched, especially when it was known that prisoners
had broken out of camp. If I were to succeed, then, I must find some
other way. After weeks of anxious thought I hit upon a method that
seemed to offer chances of success. I would go by air!
The plan sounds very daring at first. I was therefore not very angry
with my friends who declared me mad when I broached my scheme. All the
same I was so persevering that I at last found a few friends who
declared themselves willing to help me.
I had thought long and carefully about the problem of getting out of the
camp, and had found a possible solution. The great difficulty was to
find (1) an aerodrome in easy distance of Donington Hall, and (2) a
trained flying-man, for I had never sat in an aeroplane.
From a map in Meyer's _Encyclopædia_ I reckoned that the distance from
Nottingham (in the neighbourhood of Donington) to Ostend would be
roughly 300 kilometres by air route. With a modern type of machine,
therefore, one ought to reach Ostend in about two hours, if all went
smoothly. If the machine which I intended to annex had not enough petrol
in the tank we should have to come down on the sea and trust to chance
to find a rescuer. But I was certain that petrol could be found
somewhere or other in the aerodrome. On my journey to London I had
noticed that the flying ground at Hendon, at that time the largest in
England, was practically unguarded. What was the use of detailing a
large number of sentries, seeing that no one had ever yet thought of
stealing an aeroplane!
I became so enthusiastic at the idea of being free much sooner than I
had expected and of taking home an up-to-date aeroplane that some
nights I never slept a wink.
Of the flying men in camp none was suitable. They had all been captured
early in the war and had never handled a modern machine. But as new
prisoners were constantly arriving I was confident that sooner or later
a flying man would turn up. There could be no doubt there was a flying
ground somewhere in the neighbourhood of Donington, for almost every day
aeroplanes flew over the camp in a northerly direction. They always
landed a long way off in one certain direction. Watch in hand, we
observed their flight every day, noting when and where they landed, and
were, in this manner, able to estimate approximately the distance of the
flying ground. I used the same method in studying the neighbouring
railway system. By observing the speed of the locomotives and by noting
the time that elapsed before the first stop, we were enabled roughly to
locate the neighbouring railway stations. We made our observations
independently, and fixed in this manner also the direction of trains
which we could hear but not see. Naval-Engineer Lieut. Laurer was very
helpful to me in preparing two large maps by the aid of our observations
and of a tiny map which we had discovered in an old novel. One of them
represented the immediate surroundings of Donington; the other
represented the southern portion of England and a strip of the North Sea
as far as Ostend.
From new prisoners who arrived at the camp via Nottingham I learned that
an aerodrome was being built near the railway about eight miles from
the camp. Two hangars were finished and a third was in course of
construction. All our information pointed to the conclusion that a big
biplane was already stationed there.
This was extraordinarily favourable. The smaller the aerodrome, the
smaller would be the guard. One night-watchman would certainly be the
only guard here. Even if there were two sentries we should have no
difficulty in overpowering and tying them up and then flying away before
the alarm was given.
Two labourers who were building a small shed in the camp I steadily
plied with cigarettes till they got quite talkative. They, too, had
noticed the aeroplanes which flew daily over the camp. In the hope of
getting detailed information from them, I tried a bluff which completely
took them in. I asked them what had happened to the pilot who had passed
over the camp two days before and had then crashed at X. At the same
time I pointed in a direction in which I knew there was certainly no
aerodrome. The story of the crash was, of course, an invention of my
own. As I had expected, they shook their heads incredulously and
declared emphatically that no pilot had crashed yet. Besides, they
added, there was no flying ground in that direction; the two nearest
aerodromes were at L. and U. In confirmation of their statements they
described exactly the direction and distance. When I contradicted
them--went so far as to suggest laughingly that they did not know the
geography of their own country--they offered to prove their statements
by means of a map. And next day they actually brought a beautiful big
cycling map. After acknowledging my mistake I quietly dropped the map in
my pocket during the course of the conversation which ensued. The trick
had worked splendidly. I presented them with a number of cigars and then
disappeared with my map.
The camp was now too small to accommodate the ever-increasing number of
prisoners. A number of huts were therefore built on what had hitherto
been the recreation-ground. It therefore became necessary to enlarge the
recreation ground. The work had been begun during the winter and was
finished in the early spring. The new ground, which adjoined the old
one, was also surrounded by a wire entanglement and several
sentry-boxes. It was to be opened only during the day time and to be
closed at sunset. At the far end we were allowed to make two
tennis-courts. The tools had to be handed in every evening.
In order to keep up the rôle of the 'sick man,' I took no part in any
sort of sport or physical exercises. But I followed with the keenest
interest the progress of the work on the tennis-courts. My plan was now
fixed. I asked my friends who were looking after the tennis-courts to
make a gully, on the side farthest from the camp, for the rain-water to
drain off. This gully was to be gradually and unobtrusively widened and
deepened so that two men could lie in it. The construction of this drain
was, after some hesitation, sanctioned by the commandant, and was
supervised by him and his officers. In this way the sentries got the
impression that there was no objection on the commandant's part to the
drain, and they suspected nothing when the prisoners worked at it again
a few weeks later. This time, of course, without the colonel's sanction.
As no spades or shovels were available preserve-tins cut and flattened
out were used instead. Progress with these tools was, of course, very
slow.
Fate decreed that at this time a young flying-man, Flight-Lieutenant
Winkelmann, was brought to the camp. He had been shot down a short time
before on the Western front, and had all sorts of interesting news to
tell us. So many new officers were arriving now at the camp, some of
them during the night, that it was often weeks after their arrival that
one got to know them. This happened here. One day W. spoke to me. We
introduced ourselves, and W. asked me without any circumlocution if it
was true that I was thinking of bolting. When he noticed my surprise he
added in explanation that he was a pilot and was extremely anxious to
join me. As a trained fighting pilot, but with no knowledge of English
to help him in a journey by road, he regarded my plan of escaping by
aeroplane as the only one possible for him.
He knew all the modern machines, he said, and had often flown captured
English aeroplanes behind the lines. I, on the other hand, knew the
country and the people, and could speak the language. In this way we
should be mutually complementary!
No sooner said than done. With more enthusiasm than ever I now worked
in conjunction with W. in making all the necessary preparations.
I knew that several other groups of officers were also planning to
escape. But I considered my scheme the most hopeful and was therefore
anxious to anticipate the others, so that they should not wreck my
chances.
In order the better to lull the suspicions of the English, I founded a
theatre and undertook the duties of director.
As manager of this fine company I was in daily contact with the camp
authorities, for I had to obtain their approval for every trifling
arrangement. But the English appeared to be still suspicious, for one
evening, after the orderly officer with his escort had passed through
the hut and counted all the inmates, I heard him expressly ask the
sentry on the door, 'Is Lieutenant Spindler there also?'
This business made me anxious, especially as it was repeated for a few
nights. In about four weeks' time the drain ought to be big enough to
conceal us. Luckily the big opening was somewhat hidden by tall grass
which grew along the edge.
It was now high time to disarm the suspicions of the English. I
therefore reported sick, and kept my bed. 'Nervous breakdown' was the
name of my malady. Each time before the doctor came I did a quarter of
an hour's physical jerks and smoked strong cigars. My pulse was so bad
after this that the doctor sometimes looked at me with a very grave air.
He did not know what to make of it, as I looked outwardly fairly
healthy. In order to deceive him further I once had him fetched in
haste. My friends, Naval Reserve Lieutenants Elson and Filter, who
helped me in many other details, told him that I had got up and had
suddenly collapsed in a dead faint. I was really feeling rather bad that
day and had been smoking heavily. The doctor, therefore, found me lying
in bed like a log, felt my pulse for a long time, and prescribed milk,
biscuits, and all sorts of medicine.
From that day forward he was really satisfied that I was ill, and I
noticed to my joy that the orderly officer's questions now ceased. When
the evening count was taking place I lay with my head completely hidden
under the clothes, as if I could not stand the glare of the flashlight.
For the first few days the sentry would lift the blanket as he went
past, in order to see my face. But as I was always there next morning
they soon gave this up and were satisfied with the fact that there was
some indistinct bundle under my blankets which must certainly be
identical with Lieutenant Spindler, who was suffering from nervous
breakdown. My bed stood in the middle of the hut with its head to the
door. I always kept the head of the bed covered with a couple of towels,
so that the sergeant, whose duty it was to count the sick men during the
morning parade, could not see me from the door. At first he used to come
to my bed and satisfy himself that I was there. He gave this up after a
time, and simply called out, 'Are you there, Lieut. Spindler?' whereupon
I would raise one hand and he would trot off quite satisfied.
Everything was going splendidly. Occasionally I got up and walked about
for a couple of hours, leaning on a stick like a helpless old man, took
an interest in the theatre, and went for treatment to the English
dentist who was, at the same time, an officer of the guard. The day was
now drawing near, and I had to take a certain number of officers into my
confidence. The best for my purpose were Lieut.-Commander von Spiegel
(the author of 'U 202'), who had recently been captured, and the Turkish
commander, Hakki, who helped me in my attempt in the most faithful
manner and by every means in their power. A tennis tournament, which was
to last several days, was held about this time, and helped us
considerably. As 'sportsmen,' the English were much interested in it and
took it as a matter of course that the court was rolled every morning
and evening. The team that drew the big roller consisted of ten or
twelve men, but Spiegel saw to it that at least twenty men took a hand
and pushed the roller up and down with much shouting. The rolling
usually lasted till the time of closing the ground. Then the roller was
left behind and the noisy team trooped off to the inner portion of the
camp. The sentries slowly got so accustomed to this game that they never
troubled to look when the roller team gave their Indians' war-whoop. I
occasionally lent a hand also in the work of rolling the court, so that
my presence later on should excite no suspicion. Some of the largest
wicker chairs, with the wickerwork carried right down to the ground, on
which the spectators sat during the day, were left during the night on
the court. This also excited no suspicion.
So far all was well. Our hour had come. If our calculations were correct
and everything went smoothly, we ought to reach the flying ground in
four to six hours. We were provided with all necessaries for a
twenty-four hours' march. The food we had saved up in spite of the
ever-dwindling ration. We also had maps, English money, and a couple of
strong pocket-knives. Unfortunately, we had no wire-cutters. In spite of
the risk, therefore, we had to try to get through the barbed-wire
entanglement by means of our hands. A pair of stout gloves, which
afterwards proved more a hindrance than a help, were intended to protect
us somewhat against cuts and scratches. In case we should have to enter
a large aerodrome by daylight (which would be the case if we did not
find the little flying ground close to the railway line), we got
together or manufactured complete flyingmen's uniforms--airmen's helmets
made of scraps of leather and cloth, and proper big flying-goggles made
of window-glasses (which we had cut into shape under water) mounted in
chamois leather. The glass was from a pane which we had broken for this
purpose in the commandant's office.
In this costume, with our puttees, our leather waistcoats, and our
goggles, I was convinced we could march on to any big flying-ground and
enter any shed where no work was being done. The more we bluffed, the
more likely we were to succeed. At an aerodrome of forty to fifty
hangars one man often does not know another. If therefore an engine in
a hangar were started up (W. had given me the necessary instruction)
nobody would take any notice, especially if we showed enough
self-confidence. In my opinion the greatest difficulty and danger would
be in approaching the German coast, when we should certainly be fired
upon. So long as we were flying over England we should be safe. Wind and
weather were extremely favourable. We therefore determined to leave the
inhospitable spot on Wednesday the 12th July, 1917. It was only then
that I thought seriously about the dangers attendant on an attempt at
escape. When Prondczinsky escaped, the commandant court-martialled a
sentry who, out of kindness of heart, had failed to fire at once at the
fugitive. But these were only passing thoughts. The thought that next
morning we might be on German soil silenced all other considerations.
Our faithful helpers believed so confidently in the success of our
venture that they gave us letters for home.
Next morning, when play in the tournament was continued, a couple of
large wicker chairs were carried on to the tennis ground, and under the
seats of these our kits were fastened. The chairs were placed thirty or
forty yards from the drain, and during the whole of the day were
occupied or kept under observation by the initiated, so that no
unauthorised person should knock them over and reveal the whole secret.
Lieut. Böttcher of the Marine Artillery, who was of the same height and
had the same coloured hair as I, made the most frantic efforts all day
to change the parting of his hair from the left side to the right, the
side on which I wore it. He had very kindly offered to occupy my bed
during the evening count, in order to make the English think I was still
there. This experiment, as we afterwards discovered, succeeded
splendidly. Lying in my bed he would pull up the clothes so that only
the back of his head could be seen. Then, as soon as the orderly officer
had passed, he would hastily regain his own room on the first floor by a
roundabout way, and would be lying there in his own bed before the
orderly officer arrived.
In order that he should pass muster during the morning count also we had
arranged that he should be sitting at my table with his back to the
door, shaving, before the sergeant came. If he lathered his face well
and turned round only very slightly when the sergeant called my name,
the dodge would work all right. W. appointed a proxy in the same way.
Two other men saw that we were entered three times a day in the sick
list. In payment for this service they shared our rations between them!
We also made arrangements for heading off the doctor in case he should
appear in the hut and ask for his patients. We reckoned that by these
arrangements we should gain half a day, at the most a whole day, before
our flight was discovered. But, as we learned later, our comrades played
their parts so well that the English did not know of our escape till
four days after. And then it was only through an unlucky accident, for
which our friends were not responsible.
During the day von Spiegel organised for the evening a regular series
of 'feint attacks,' which were absolutely necessary if our attempt was
to succeed. For each one of the several sentries who guarded the camp, a
few officers and men were told off. Their whole duty was, during the
time the court was being rolled, to attract the attention of the Tommies
in their neighbourhood, so that the latter should forget their duties
for a few minutes. Special measures had to be taken in order to distract
the attention of the guards nearest to us. In one corner a couple of
officers, after an exchange of words, were to start fighting; at another
corner an officer was to give a lecture, supplemented by pictures; at
the third corner orderlies were to give an acrobatic display, etc. To
crown all, our bandmaster arranged to give an open-air concert in the
evening, which, if our absence had not been discovered before tattoo,
was to end up with the tune, 'Good-bye, friends; to horse! to horse!'