How British Airmen Faced Firing Squad

Chronicle (Levin), 9 July 1947, Page 5

How British Airmen Faced Firing Squad

Press Assn.

By Telegraph

- Copyright

HAMBURG, July 7. The- Gestapo chief at Breslau, Wilhelm Scharpwinkel, told, in a statement read to the. Court, how 50 Allied air force offieers died in a wood on Hitler"s order before a "mufder squad" after being recaptured in the attempted eseape from Stalag Luft III at .Sagan, Silesia, in 1944. Scharpwinkel, in the statement, ex? pressed surprise at the "unflinching cairn" of the prisoners, Who included two New Zealanders, when they faeed the executioners ' rifles. Scharpwinkel said lie was present when the special detachment formed up to shoot the nien in a wood near Goerlitz. He drove them ofE in cars. They were placed in position and told that the death sentence was about to be carried out. ' ' The prisoners showed considerable cairn, which surprised me very rnueh. They stood beside each other in the wood and by the second salvo they were dead. ' ' Eighteen Nazis are accused of the shooting of 50 escaped officers. The Russians refused to allow Scharpwinkel, the 19th accused, to stand his trial. The proseeutor (Colonel R. C. Halse) said the British Ambassador in Moseow was requested in 1946-47 to aslc the Soviet Government to surrender Scharpwinkel, but the Russians refused as his health did not permit his removal from the Soviet Union. A British officer was permitted to interrogate him, and the statement by Scharpwinkel, which was read to the Court, was the result. The statement concluded: "I hope, however, the judging of the matter takes into account the conditions in Germany, and the fact that soldiers and offieials had taken an oath to obey every order. Non-compliance wouid liave resulted in a court-martial. "