MI9 was responsible (among other things) for the manufacture and distribution of escape aids such as compasses disguised in tunic buttons, money, false papers etc. But how effective was this? I've just been re-reading Paul Brickhill's "The Great Escape" in which he details the manufacture and sourcing of materials to make everything from compasses, saw blades, knives, tools and forged documents among other things. All this was from local sources if his account is correct (and not restricted by the Official Secrets Act when he wrote the book). So just how useful was MI9's operation? Any ex-POW's out there with experiences that might shed light? Pete
A lot of the forged documents sent by MI9 were produced by the forgers of SOE and PWE. However, they were deliberately of a lower quality than documents used by agents and in some cases the fakes were complete fantasies and not based on a German original. In Pat Read's Colditz: The Full Story, he reproduces the "Paddon Escape Rules" which describe a useless ausweis which resulted in Paddon’s re-capture. A number of photographs taken by Colditz security show various escape aids which they discovered concealed in gramophone records, calendars, etc. Although some of this must have got through to the POWs. Lee
IIRC Airey Neave does give figures somewhere in Saturday at MI9 regarding how many crews'-worth of aircrew returned home to fight again. It was suprisingly large if I remember correctly. Don't forget escapers/evaders doesn't just include escaped POWS, but also downed aircrew who never thus figured into POW numbers/MIAs. In late 1944, Neave and Jimmy Langley had to dash ahead of the Allied advance into forests in Belgium (with SAS assistance IIRC) to evacuate several hundred American and British flyers who'd been hidden there by the escape lines once events post-D-Day prevented them being taken by rail etc. down to the Pyrenees.
I was just curious as to how effective MI9's escape equipment programme was. The only accounts I've come across where their concealed equipment was noted relates to Colditz. As rightly pointed out, many evaders (as opposed to escapers) used the aids issued to them pre-ops (flying boots with rip-off uppers to turn them into shoes, compasses in buttons, silk maps etc.) but, Colditz aside, not many other Stalag or Oflag POW accounts seem to mention the same degree of outside assistance that the Colditz POW's received. Pete
Pete Can I suggest the book "MI9 Escape and Evasion 1939 -1945" by MRD Foot and JM Langley in which they go into great detail about the sorts of escape aids and equipment that was sent into the camps by MI9 and the methods of getting it there. John
Jed That was my first thought. Brickhill's book was first published in 1950 (?) when much of MI9's activity was still under wraps, I guess. John I'll certainly look for that book. My local library might have it. Pete
Pete, MI9 sent 12,808 parcels to POW camps up to March 1945. Of these 3,525 contained concealed escape aids and other contraband.
Some more facts and figures: MI9 sent to POW camps: Money - 707,730 Reichsmarks Maps - 9,247 Compasses - 3,138 Passes - 1,942 ID cards - 7
One of my fave anecdotes from Neave is about the POW camp that was starved for several years of new gramaphone records to replace the few old '78s they had... When they received a consigment via the Swiss, they'd JUST heard from a transferred POW from another camp about paper currency being hidden inside gramaphone records... So every one of the several dozen new records was broken up - to find NO money in them! But they'd just entirely trashed their new culture fix LMAO
Cheers for the stats, Lee. Phylo, I wonder how much money could you hide in a modern CD? And how could you conceal a compass in a zip? Pete
Pete, MI9 sent 12,808 parcels to POW camps up to March 1945. Of these 3,525 contained concealed escape aids and other contraband. Hello PsyWar, Very interesting. I read your two posts and I wanted to ask your source, just for knowledge; but above all I would like to ask your opinion on an old request I made here, http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/prisoners-war/44806-contents-red-cross-parcels-2.html concerning Red Cross parcels and the MI9 intervention. An user, Drayton, was persuaded that no Red Cross parcel was intercepted by MI9 or "modified" in order to include maps, compasses and so on. So, would it be possible to clearly understand if this "compromission" of the Red Cross parcels really happened, or not? Or am I talking about other parcels, without nothing to share with the Red Cross organisation? Thank you indeed, I am quite interested in this point. Kind regards from the rainy Piedmont, Marco
Marco, those two posts were based on MI9 records from record series WO 208 at the National Archives. It would take me awhile to dig out the exact reference for them now but they are official MI9 figures. From what I have read, Red Cross parcels were strictly off-limits to MI9. I think some of the confusion arises because MI9 did send food parcels into POW camps and food parcels are synonymous with the Red Cross. However, parcels, other than Red Cross ones were allowed into camps. MI9 created a number of bogus charities and relief organisations as cover for their parcels. Only a percent of those sent by MI9 contained any contraband.
phylo, If I recall correctly, the BBC Film Colditz showed the scene where the records were smashed and nothing further found. It must have been more than a little disheartening. Regards Tom
Marco, those two posts were based on MI9 records from record series WO 208 at the National Archives. It would take me awhile to dig out the exact reference for them now but they are official MI9 figures. From what I have read, Red Cross parcels were strictly off-limits to MI9. I think some of the confusion arises because MI9 did send food parcels into POW camps and food parcels are synonymous with the Red Cross. However, parcels, other than Red Cross ones were allowed into camps. MI9 created a number of bogus charities and relief organisations as cover for their parcels. Only a percent of those sent by MI9 contained any contraband. Thank you indeed!, Now I understand. So there were other kinds of parcels, not only the Red Cross' ones. Thank you indeed, Marco
A lot of the forged documents sent by MI9 were produced by the forgers of SOE and PWE. However, they were deliberately of a lower quality than documents used by agents and in some cases the fakes were complete fantasies and not based on a German original. Lee Hello Lee, Do you know why this was done? Thanks, Dave
Dave, it was known that the faked documents were bound to fall into German hands either through being discovered in the parcels smuggled into POW camps or in the possession of re-captured escaped prisoners of war. Therefore they did not want to compromise the better quality fakes being used by SIS and SOE agents. The fantasy documents were also partly due to lack of availability of genuine documents to forge from. However, SOE did later establish exactly the collection of documents a person in Germany might be required to carry, if for instance they had been invalided out of the military. Of course the problem wasn't just about good quality forgeries but also knowing how the documents should be filled in with the supporting rubber stamps, signatures, etc.
