World War II - Prisoners of War - Stalag Luft I 

A collection of stories, photos, art and information on Stalag Luft I

Watercolors, Sketches, Cartoons and Comic Book

Col. Charles Ross Greening' s Art 

Col. Greening studied Fine Arts at Washington State College and then entered the Army Air Corps  to serve his country during World War II.  He was one of the famous "Doolittle Raiders" that took part in the first strike against Japan after Pearl Harbor - the bombing raid on Tokyo with Jimmy Doolittle.   In fact it was his idea to use the broomsticks painted black when their guns were removed to lighten the load, in hopes of fooling the Japanese fighters into thinking they had more guns than they indeed had.  He also invented the bombsight used on the raid.  He flew a total of  27 missions over Italy before he was shot down, just missing parachuting into the crater of Mount Vesuvius.  Finding himself a POW in Italy,  he soon put his talents to work  drawing portraits of fellow POWs in exchange for food and cigarettes.  He even staged an art show in an unused latrine.  While being transported north he escaped from a train and evaded for six months before being re-captured and sent to Stalag Luft I.   There was nothing for the prisoners to do and Greening noticed some were going "around the bend", so he decided to teach art and organize a craft committee.  The Germans did not encourage art so Greening had to be resourceful.  He said they used their own hair to make paint brushes and they baked twigs to make drawing charcoal.  Coffee made dye.  They boiled crepe paper and can labels to get color for paints.  Then one day a YMCA package arrived with watercolors and paper and Greening really got to work.  By then the whole camp was interested.  His idea was to illustrate the planes and air battles they all remembered.  While in Stalag Luft I he posted a notice offering to sell a book, to be printed after the war, of reproductions of his watercolors for $10.00.  He received 5,000 I.O.U.'s from fellow prisoners who wanted to purchase the book.  After liberation Greening arranged with a printer to publish the book in 1947 and all 5,000 copies were shipped to the subscribers and he quickly received request for 1,000 more.  To the former POWs of Stalag Luft I the book titled "Not As Briefed" made a historic yearbook.  And to the men that had survived air combat his painting rang true.

Col. Greening's Memoirs, "Not As Briefed -  From the Doolittle Raid to a German Stalag", which he dictated shortly before his death is now available for purchase.  It contains many reproductions of his watercolors and other artwork.  

  
Navigator Bailing Out of a B-17

        
   

From his Limited Edition book, "Not As Briefed"

   

Drawings by Lt. Charles L. Early of South Carolina - from his YMCA Log Book
Rumor of War's End	Protecting powers visit camp	American Bombers over N. Germany

Girls on parade			A busy day at POW camp Per Clint Gruber - a roommate of Lt. Early:  Early drew himself on the left top bunk.  On the bottom is Bob Reid. Middle top is Roy Braly.  Bottom bunk is Bob Wilkins. Top bunk right, Dick Ketchum.  And, completely sacked out (my usual posture) in the bottom bunk, is myself.
Kriegie in winter			Kriegie in summer
Stalag Luft I	Kriegie stove				Parade!
A Friendly Game		Block 1 Dresses Right		July 1990 Nobel Prize

The Main Gate at Stalag Luft I by Jack Friend

A watercolor perspective of the main gate at Stalag Luft I, drawn by aviator Jack Friend in his Wartime Log.  It shows the large guard tower at the entrance and the German war flag flapping in the wind on a summer day.  (From "A Wartime Log" by Art and Lee Beltrone)

Lt. Raymond Foss Murdoch, Jr.'s plan "Redge" going in on a power dive by Edward P. Winslow. His plane was named for his girlfriend (later wife) Rosemary Edge = Redge

Klim Kriegie by Donald Ross in Fred Bronson's wartime log.

   

  The Luftwaffe visits North 3 drawing by Bill Hogan

Just returned from POW camp by Roy Wendell

             
  Drawings by Martin Uhl

Stalag Luft I Barracks and Guard Tower from Bill Branigan

P-40 Kittyhawk Dive Bomber
from Bill Branigan

John Cordner - A RAF navigator and POW at Stalag Luft I.  Here we have a copy of his POW camp diary, beautifully illustrated.  The original diary resides in the Imperial War Museum in England.

Paul Canin - Nicknamed "Remy" by his roommates because of his artistic ability.

Leland C. Potter - Scans from his YMCA diary - a Stalag Luft IV and I POW.

COMIC BOOK  -  A Sad But True Story by Roger Wilco
 by Lt. Kenneth C. Reimer. KGF # 4453, Stalag Luft I - Barth, Germany  

 From Dr. Kuptsow's collection

                          

About the Author:  In recent years the name "Roger Wilco" has skyrocketed into national, - even worldwide prominence.  Especially in the Air Corps is his name on every tongue. As Paul Bunyan is to lumbermen, as Gypsy Rose Lee to burlesque, as Steve Brodie is the Brooklyn, -- so is "Roger Wilco" to the men who go up to the sky in ships.

Click here to read the comic book on Roger Wilco's adventure as a POW in Germany

Recent Art (not done by POWs)

After the Mission

Gil Cohen's painting, "After the Mission", shows a scene familiar to all those fortunate enough to survive the deadly attrition of the air war in Europe. The painting shows a bomber aircrew being debriefed by an intelligence officer, whose job it is to collect first-hand, while memories are still fresh, vital information on the day's action.

It was not an easy mission. The men are bone-tired and spent. They would rather not be here but the 'Brass' needs to know what happened over there. Thank God for the coffee! Our pilot tries to sort things out for the intelligence officer, who documents the testimony while his British counterpart puffs thoughtfully on his pipe. The navigator nervously thumbs his Zippo to light a cigarette. The waistgunner, wearing a hastily wrapped bandage, appears to be in shock, while the bombardier wearily rubs the back of his neck as he recalls the harrowing run over the target. We wonder what thoughts run through the mind of the young tailgunner as he looks out the window, hoping the engine he hears belongs to the plane of a buddy not yet home.
 

Crafts

This B-17 model was carved from bed slats at Stalag Luft I.

Plane carved from bed slats at Stalag Luft One

POW Wings made in Stalag Luft I.  They were made by melting the lead out of the seams of cans sent by the Red Cross. The lead was poured into the mold from the back two holes, which were to be the fasteners.