What ended the most daring escapes from captivity: With cobblestones on machine guns, a maddened tank, etc

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Data on the number of Soviet prisoners of war who escaped from captivity and camps during World War II vary greatly. Data from 70 to 500 thousand appear in different sources. For most of the prisoners, escape was the only chance of salvation, in addition, after the capture of Soviet escaped prisoners, their destruction followed, the British and Americans were not shown such cruelty. Therefore, the Soviet prisoner of war who was about to flee risked his life for the sake of freedom. It is not surprising that it was precisely the daring escapes of the Red Army that at times were a personal insult to the Germans.

Almost all stories of escapes from German prisons and camps are a story of incredible heroism and courage. The execution of the disabled near Berdichev stands apart. People without arms and legs, whose minutes of life had already been numbered, managed to take away their weapons from the firing squad, shoot two, then almost half of those who were sentenced to death fled. In Majdanek, ten tortured prisoners who were exploited in the harvest managed to neutralize four armed guards and escape.

Cobblestones drove the Nazis away from the machine guns, filled up the barbed wire with mattresses and, despite the fact that only 19 people survived from among those who fled, it was not just an escape from the Mauthausen concentration camp - it was a choice, a disagreement with the circumstances. However, there are often cases when cunning came to the rescue. So, a Soviet soldier named Kuznetsov was able to escape from the concentration camp right in front of the guards. Together with a friend, they carried coal, they were accompanied by an armed guard. After waiting for the moment, they dealt with him, then Kuznetsov changed into his uniform and took his comrade out of the camp territory, supposedly under escort.

April 11 is celebrated as the day of the liberation of the prisoners of the Nazi camps, it was on this day in 1945 that the prisoners of Buchenwald were freed, but in fact no one liberated them. Yesterday's captives captured 220 fascists and killed the same number during the battle. Allied troops approached the camp only 2 days later. In 1944, Soviet prisoners revolted in a concentration camp in Romania. Moreover, the captives not only freed themselves, but also occupied the city (the military went over to their side) and held their positions until the arrival of the Red Army.

Unguided tank

There was a training ground near Berlin, which the Germans used for various tests. During the Second World War, equipment that had been captured in battle was brought here, and all its technical capabilities were thoroughly studied here. They took on board some inventions. However, this practice existed in all countries. Only not in all countries the crew was destroyed for this. Tankers were also brought here, to Kummersdorf, they were also part of the experiment. Simply put, it was they who acted as living dolls in crash tests. In addition, after all, it was they who knew everything about technology and knew how to manage it.

As a rule, all prisoners who entered this landfill were doomed to certain death. Soviet tank crews who came here at the end of 1943 also knew about this. Traditionally, prisoners are promised freedom after successfully passing the test of technology in order to achieve their voluntary help, but the glory of the test site has already scattered, and the prisoners know that they cannot get out of here alive. Of course, if they don't try to change the situation on their own.

The crew commander reminds his team to obey his orders unconditionally and turns the tank onto the observation tower. All the German command was there at that moment. On alarm, an armored personnel carrier is called, but the tank at full speed leaves the range almost unhindered. The temptation was too great when the faithful military weapon was in the hands, and the enemies were ahead.

However, the adventures of the tank and his brave team do not end there. The crew goes to the concentration camp, which was located nearby, demolishes the guard booth, damages the fence, which the prisoners immediately rushed to take advantage of and began to arrange escapes. Tankers will drive as much as they can - until they run out of fuel, then went to their own foot. Alas, the end of the story is sad: only the radio operator got alive, and he died in the hospital, but he managed to tell this story to his commander. Otherwise, the daring escape would have remained unknown to the Soviet side.

It was the command of the fighters, wishing to confirm the veracity of the story, that later learned from the residents of nearby settlements about the maddened tank. And there were such. One of the old men remembered not only the tank itself, but also how the Soviet prisoners, who were being pursued, stopped to drive the children who were playing there from the road. Only after that we drove on. Even risking their own lives, they did not sacrifice the lives of the children of their enemies. Only true winners do this.

These events became the basis for the film "Skylark".

Unbroken pilot

Nikolai Vlasov was a legendary person, he, the Hero of the USSR, on whose account there were more than 200 combat flights, was taken prisoner, shooting down his plane. As a rule, the Nazis hunted for such aces, not losing hope not only to eliminate the danger, but also to get a professional for themselves. The Nazis knew very well who he was and treated him accordingly. Repeatedly he was asked to go over to their side - they needed such a first-class pilot. As a sign of his special favor, he was even allowed not to take off the hero's symbol - the gold star, but he was adamant. In addition, he repeatedly tried to escape from the camps, inciting those who were held next to him to do the same.

In one of the concentration camps, he organized a real resistance group, and they began to jointly develop a plan. They even prepared weapons: cobblestones, sticks and fragments that they could get. Perhaps their main weapon was audacity and invention. So, for example, they had to knock down the guards with a jet from a fire extinguisher, short-circuit the current that went along the barbed wire with wet rags. Those who could no longer run, because they were already very much emaciated, gave them their clothes. Everything was supposed to work out, but among the prisoners there was someone who informed the camp leadership about the upcoming escape. Mass executions began. In the crematorium, 25 people were burned - the alleged organizers.

But this did not become a reason to deviate from the plan and the escape still took place. More than four hundred people! That is how many were able to get free that night, during the riot, about a hundred were killed, the rest began to be caught. All forces were mobilized for this, including the gendarmerie and the local population. No one was taken alive, and the bodies were taken to the courtyard of one of the village schools, crossing out the ticks on the blackboard according to the number of corpses.

This operation went down in history as the Hare Hunt. The locals were so excited that they fired at almost everything that moved. Former prisoners were found in basements, attics, hayloft, all the snow in the area was stained with blood.

Nine prisoners were never caught, two of them were helped by local residents. A devout German family helped Soviet soldiers, despite the fact that their sons were at war. By the way, the prisoners chose their house because there was no portrait of Hitler, while the rest preferred to decorate their homes with a portrait of the Fuhrer.

Parents of four children helped Russian soldiers with the thought that perhaps someone would help their sons in the same way. All their children actually returned from the war, and the Red Army soldiers they saved not only returned home, but also visited their rescuers in the future.

Senior Lieutenant Devyatayev

Devyatayev is another fighter pilot who was known in his circles for his high professionalism. He went down in history as a man who hijacked an airplane right from under the noses of the Germans, and not just an airplane, but equipped with modern missiles, which formed the basis of Soviet developments. This is perhaps the most daring escape, which not only returned the pilot himself to his homeland, but also with a new military development. And this is that rare case when the Motherland appreciated what happened on its merits, and not vice versa.

He was captured in 1944, after unsuccessful attempts to get at least some information from him, he is sent to the camp, where he almost immediately begins to build an escape plan. At the first attempt, they catch him back and make him a suicide bomber patch, but then a hairdresser comes to his aid, who gives him the usual patch of the deceased prisoner under a different name. He is sent to another concentration camp located on the island. Fau missiles were tested there.

The pilot was haunted by airplanes, of which there were a great many around - this is his freedom. But flying alone was madness, he began to look for reliable companions. Together with them, he began to gradually study the device of German aircraft and instruments, as far as possible. Step by step, getting closer to the desired freedom. On the date of the escape, they were sent to clean the airfield, they killed the guard, were already on the plane, as it turned out that there was no battery. They managed to get it quickly, the aircraft started up. While Devyatayev understood the levers, the Germans were already aware of the impending escape, the pilot directed the plane directly at them and took off. In addition, an experienced pilot led the newly-minted crew away from the chase and shelling, which erupted after him. The chase was long and organized - the Germans had something to lose.

They managed to fly to the front line, but there they were forced to sit in the field, since their own people began to shoot at them - a German plane! Of course, the guys had to go through all the procedures in order to prove that they are not defectors, but real heroes. Devyatayev received the title of Hero of the USSR, because thanks to his successful operation, the country of the Soviets received the equipment for launching V-2 ballistic missiles. It was they who were installed on the hijacked plane. The escape turned out to be extremely daring and risky.

The pilot who escaped by land

Lavrinenkov is another recognized pilot who was a real hunt. By 1943, he had more than three hundred combat flights and a dozen personally shot down planes behind him. He was captured after he went to ram a German plane and his aircraft crashed. He himself was wounded and was forced to sit in enemy territory, then the Nazis got him.

The pilot was already a hero of the Soviet Union at that time, the Germans took such an important prey to Berlin. By tradition, he was supposed to be persuaded to go over to the German side, and encouragement was given to those who caught him. But the Soviet pilot had completely different plans, he decided that he had to run without waiting for his arrival at the place. Together with a friend, they threw themselves out of a train bound for Germany into a heap of sand.

Moreover, they managed to get away from the pursuit, including thanks to the help of the civilian population - this was their land, it could not be otherwise. Later they joined the partisans and continued to fight.

Pechersky is the most desperate fugitive

The name of this officer of the Red Army is well known among descendants. It was he who led the Sobibor uprising, which became cult. It took him less than a month to raise the captives to the uprising. His plan was to take out the guards one at a time, quietly and unnoticed. After that, they had to make their way to the weapons depots and give battle to the guards.

The plan was not fully implemented, the prisoners killed more than 10 fascists, about 40 guards from among the traitors, but they did not manage to get to the weapons depot. Fleeing from heavy fire, they went into the forest, the fate of the majority is tragic.

Aleksandrovsky - alone, but not alone

He was captured back in October 1941, then hundreds of thousands of Red Army soldiers were captured with him. Including Aleksandrovsky. They were sent to a concentration camp near Minsk. Protection from escapes in the camp was rather weak - only a few coils of barbed wire. However, the name of Aleksandrovsky went down in history only because of one of his actions. One of the commanders of the Russian Liberation Army, which fought under the leadership of Vlasov, was brought to the Soviet prisoners. The man spoke from the truck and told the prisoners in detail about what kind of army he represented, moreover, he came here to select candidates to replenish his army. However, the fiery speech did not find a response in the hearts of the concentration camp prisoners. When he asked to take a step forward those who are ready to join the ranks of the ROA, a small and emaciated man came out. This was Aleksandrovsky. He threw something into the truck, after which it exploded. All those who were at that moment on the truck were killed, including the speaker.

Panic began, the prisoners were not at a loss, they took the weapons from the guards and fled. The exact number of fugitives is unknown.

Almost all the escapes that were made by Soviet soldiers were distinguished by audacity and courage. Pride and love for the Motherland did not allow them to act otherwise in such a situation. After all, many of them were persuaded to go over to the opposite side, and fight against their own. But they preferred death to betrayal, because most often attempts to escape were suppressed by unconditional execution.