Transvestia

Escape & Sequel

by Fern

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It was on the tenth day of my captivity and the tenth day of June 1942, that we arrived at the prison camp. It looked quite different from what I had expected, for instead of a row of barracks surrounded by bar- bed wire, it was instead an old heavily walled castle. The west wing of the castle was used by the Germans as their headquarters. We, all 200 of us, were captured navy officers, the first batch to arrive at this new prison. Once we were finished being photo- graphed, assigned numbers and barracks, etc, we set out exploring the small compound which would be our home for the duration or until we could escape. I suspect that all of us had escape in our minds, and for several days we scoured the premises, examining escape possibilities.

The Germans had chosen well, tunnels, the most obvious escape me- chanism were impossible because of the rocky land upon which the castle stood. A rope descent down the walls might have been possible, but before any real plan for this could be drawn up, some prisoner tried it, and were

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