Escape from Oflag VIII B

Oflag VIII B was a German prisoner-of-war camp for Polish officers, operating from 1939 to 1941. Its inmates included men who had already tried to escape captivity. Harsh conditions and the position of the old fortifications were intended to prevent further attempts.

On the night of 5-6 May 1940, ten prisoners escaped. They chipped an opening through a bricked-up window using a penknife. Ropes made from sheets allowed them to descend before crossing the ditch. Once outside the fort, they split into three groups.

Seven of the escapees were recaptured. Felicjan Pawlak, Jan Gerstel and Tadeusz Wesołowski managed to avoid imprisonment. Hungary was the goal of their first stage. They then sought a route to Polish forces in the Middle East, though they did not travel together throughout the rest of their journeys.

Pawlak recorded his experiences in his diary. He describes darkness, rain and the difficulty of finding the right road after leaving the fort. Getting through the window was only the beginning: beyond the walls lay mountain terrain to cross and a search operation to evade.