POW escapes

General WWII era German military discussion that doesn't fit someplace more specific.
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German Born
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POW escapes

Post by German Born »

Was there many (if any) escapes from Soviet capture?Was any successful?
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Re: POW escapes

Post by Richard Schoutissen »

German Born wrote:Was there many (if any) escapes from Soviet capture?Was any successful?
Yes and Yes
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Re: POW escapes

Post by sniper1shot »

Hans U. Rudel (Stuka Pilot) talks about being captured and escaping from the Soviets in his book Stuka Pilot.
Only he is lost who gives himself up as lost.
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Re: POW escapes

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Viele danke many thanks,will check it out.Take care all.G.B. :D
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Re: POW escapes

Post by German Born »

Without having a copy of the book and finding some info on H U Rudel I am assuming that he eluded capture by the Soviets in his many downings and was never captured as such.Maybe someone with greater knowledge can elaborate further on this.
Was he actually inturred by the Soviets in a Stalag?
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Re: POW escapes

Post by PA. Dutchman »

I have not been able to reply before today. I was able to read your comments, :D but not respond. My deepest thanks to the Administrator for activating my account!

I read with GREAT interest of your question if any Germans escaped from the Russian POW camp. Just recently I rented a DVD called "AS FAR AS MY FEET WITH CARRY ME". It is the TRUE STORY OF one German Soldier who did escape from a lead mine in Siberia and walked nearly all the way to a country that allowed him to return home. It took him years, but he made it. Search for "AS FAR AS MY FEET WITH CARRY ME", it was made in Germany I believe but not allowed to be released for sometime. It shows what some of the Germans ended up doing. This group was made to work in a lead mine, sleep in the lead mine, eat in the lead mine and die in the lead mine. This ONE POW escapes. I should not say anymore or you will not want to rent it or read the book.

I live in the USA but the area was mainly settled by Germans for a couple hundred years. We have a friend at work whose father escaped from Russia as a German soldier. He is gone now but did relocate to the United States. The daughter our friend doesn't say too much, she told me that a Russian women was the key to her fathers escape, and without her help he never would have gotten home. The father had serious frost bit and he died soon after getting to the United States, he did not get back to Germany until 1947 on his own.
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Re: POW escapes

Post by PA. Dutchman »

So weit die Füße tragen (2001)

Buy it at Amazon

More at IMDb Pro

IMDbPro.Director:Hardy Martins
Writers:Josef Martin Bauer (novel)
Bastian Clevé (writer)

See more » Contact:View company contact information for So weit die Füße tragen on IMDbPro.

Release Date:27 December 2001 (Germany) See more » Genre:Drama | War See more » Plot:As prisoner of war Clemens Forell, a German soldier during WW II, is sentenced to a labour camp in far east Siberia... See more » |


Amazon has it purchase we rented it and it was something. I always wondered too if anyone ever escaped and this answers that.
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Re: POW escapes

Post by sniper1shot »

H. Rudel did not make it into a Stalag.....I have to find my copy to get the exact details.
Only he is lost who gives himself up as lost.
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Re: POW escapes

Post by German Born »

PA. Dutchman wrote:I have not been able to reply before today. I was able to read your comments, :D but not respond. My deepest thanks to the Administrator for activating my account!

I read with GREAT interest of your question if any Germans escaped from the Russian POW camp. Just recently I rented a DVD called "AS FAR AS MY FEET WITH CARRY ME". It is the TRUE STORY OF one German Soldier who did escape from a lead mine in Siberia and walked nearly all the way to a country that allowed him to return home. It took him years, but he made it. Search for "AS FAR AS MY FEET WITH CARRY ME", it was made in Germany I believe but not allowed to be released for sometime. It shows what some of the Germans ended up doing. This group was made to work in a lead mine, sleep in the lead mine, eat in the lead mine and die in the lead mine. This ONE POW escapes. I should not say anymore or you will not want to rent it or read the book.

I live in the USA but the area was mainly settled by Germans for a couple hundred years. We have a friend at work whose father escaped from Russia as a German soldier. He is gone now but did relocate to the United States. The daughter our friend doesn't say too much, she told me that a Russian women was the key to her fathers escape, and without her help he never would have gotten home. The father had serious frost bit and he died soon after getting to the United States, he did not get back to Germany until 1947 on his own.
Many thanks for this,it is very much appreciated,i will try to find the dvd or book......take care...G B.
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Re: POW escapes

Post by PA. Dutchman »

Dear G.B.,

I know the DVD have Global zones. Amazon in the USA would probably sell this DVD "As far as my feet will carry me".

I would not know if they could sell you the DVD for your zone, but if you do a search it should come up.

I purchased the DVDs of the movies "Stalingrad and Das Boot" here in the states and both were produced by German Directors and yet both had been zoned for the USA.
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Re: POW escapes

Post by German Born »

Hello all, at the moment i am in the process of tracking down a zone 4 classification suitable for australian formats...cheers..German Born(Munchen) but now a Skippy.Take care comrades.Always interested in German Vets.
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Re: POW escapes

Post by teddy »

Oberleutnant Cornelius Rost's Escape
by teddy » Sun Jan 10, 2010 12:46 am

Cornelius Rost escaped from the Soviet GULAG lead mines at Cape Dezhnev (East Cape), Siberia, and spent three years making his 11,000 km (6,800 mi) long way to Iran by sled, train, and mainly walking. After interrogation by Iranian police, who suspected him of being a Soviet spy, he was identified by his uncle. He arrived home in Munich 2 days before Christmas, in December 1952, three years and two months after escaping. He had been sentenced to hard labour for 25 years as a prisoner of war. There is a book, a television series and a movie based on his odyssey: "As Far as my Feet will Carry Me".

Questions: Did any other German prisoners of war escape Soviet captivity after the 1945 Nazi capitulation?
Was it common practise of the Soviets to sentence German prisoners to 25 years hard labour?
Would the western Allies have returned Rost to the Soviets?
Does anyone have any information about Cornelius Rost?
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Re: POW escapes

Post by PA. Dutchman »

This gives a little more about Cornelius Rost. He seemed to want to stay out of the spot light. He had some fears authorities might turn him over to the Russians again or the Russian might do something to him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Rost
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Re: POW escapes

Post by AlbertMag »

Back in the late 70's I was working in Calgary Alberta Canada during a Construction Boom there ,
I was working on a large union job for Poole Construction, building a large high rise building.
The job was Just getting off the ground ..One of the men I worked with was a big & Tall Very strong looking German man, He was big but had a nice calm nature about him.
He told me his brother was killed at Stalingrad and he was captured by the Soviets and taken to Siberia and forced to work in the mines there wich were like a hell with lots of men dying ,
He said they were feeding the men heavily salted meat and when they were down in the mines they had nothing to drink some of the men were drinking the poison water down there and dying.
He told me he was able to escape and made his way back to Germany.
I remember I said to him Wow you must have been one of the lucky ones eh??
He answered '' I think I was the only lucky one ""
This man had absolutely no reason to lie to me and I believe everything he told me as truth ...
So there you have it ..I worked with a WWll German Soldier who was captured by the soviets , forced to work in the siberian mines managed to escape and find his way back home in Germany ...
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