The One That Got Away 1958

On September 5th, 1940, against the backdrop of World War II, Luftwaffe pilot Franz von Werra, portrayed by Alec McCowen, met his fate as his aircraft was shot down over Winchet Hill in Kent, England. Captured by the British forces during the ferocious Battle of Britain, he was taken to a military interrogation center where he boldly proclaimed that the German spirit was unbreakable, asserting their “unyielding will to victory.”

Initially housed at the London Cage, a notorious POW reception center, von Werra made a daring wager with his Royal Air Force (RAF) interrogator: he bet he could escape within six months, offering a magnum of champagne for a mere ten cigarettes. Unbeknownst to him, his conversations at Trent Park House, where he resided with other captured officers, were under surveillance from the RAF. His flippant mockery, signaling the RAF with “calling RAF, calling RAF,” foreshadowed his ingenious escape endeavors.

Von Werra’s escapades led him to Grizedale Hall in Lancashire, where he initially attempted his escape but was recaptured. Nonetheless, he remained undeterred, later being transferred to a high-security POW camp near Swanwick, Derbyshire. Here, he collaborated with fellow prisoners to dig an escape tunnel during a German raid. Their daring plan allowed them to evade capture until von Werra, flying solo this time, masqueraded as a Dutch pilot at Codnor Park railway station, spinning a tale about a crashed Wellington bomber on a secret mission.

Convinced by his fabrication, the Station Master notified the police, only to be interrupted by an RAF car sent by the duty officer; however, von Werra’s luck took a tumble when he was apprehended while attempting to hijack a Hawker Hurricane at an airfield. Yet, fortune smiled on him again as he eventually made his way to Canada with fellow prisoners. Upon reaching Halifax, Nova Scotia, von Werra seized an opportunity during a train transit and leaped from the moving railroad car near Smiths Falls, Ontario.

His journey continued as he navigated towards the St. Lawrence River, commandeering a small boat and daringly pushing it across icy waters before letting it float downstream into the United States. Yet, his escape nearly turned fatal when he struggled against the frigid winter conditions threatening to freeze him solid. Amid the chaos of war, an unusual postcard reached the UK from Oberleutnant Franz von Werra. Bearing an image of the majestic Statue of Liberty, the card conveyed a mysterious message that hinted at von Werra’s triumph in his wager, even though it had never been formally confirmed.

As the war drew to a close, von Werra’s astonishing journey persisted, with Canadian authorities cooperating with their American counterparts to hunt him down. Unfazed by these efforts, he crossed into Mexico, embarking on a thrilling journey through Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Spain. Finally, after enduring months on the run, he reached Berlin on April 18, 1941.

Nevertheless, von Werra’s thrilling saga met a tragic conclusion on October 25th of that same year when his aircraft plunged into the sea during a patrol mission. Despite an extensive search, the elusive Oberleutnant remained untraceable, leaving only echoes of his incredible exploits behind.