November 16, 2018 Hello ,
Continuing the celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the armistice that ended WWI, I've got an incredible story of perseverance and courage.
You've probably heard of the WWII "Great Escape." Well, here's the story of the "Grand Escape," which served as blueprint for the later getaway made famous by Steve McQueen, James Garner and company.
The WWI prison break is featured in a new book getting
rave reviews and I had the great pleasure of speaking with its author.
to escape and get back into the fight.
Digging only
with spoons, over nine-months they forged a secret tunnel 60-yards long to escape the Germans' highest-security prison, Holzminden.
The prison was ruled by a brutal camp commandant ,Carl Niemayer,
Notorious for his temper, Niemayer
didn't hesitate to have
prisoners shot or beaten to death for lesser infractions than trying to escape.
Little wonder the place was nicknamed "Hellminden" or "Hellhole" by those within its walls.
The photo below shows three organizers of the tunneling operation posed in their escape disguises. From right to left, are Royal Flying Corps pilots Captain David
Gray, Captain Caspar Kennard and 2nd Lieutenant Cecil Blain. Despite the risk of discovery and probable execution they found the strength to continue the grueling work for months. Starving and emaciated, disease-ridden and sleep-deprived, inch by inch they carved the tunnel in
oxygen-starved darkness, directly under the feet of one hundred armed guards. "There’s one kind of daring that is running out and knowing you might get shot,
Author Neal Boscom told me. Then another is digging in the
tunnel, going in thirty feet, not knowing if you’re gonna have enough oxygen to breathe, not knowing if you’re gonna get out."
Bascom has written nine national award-winning books for adults and teens, including Hunting Eichmann, Red Mutiny, The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler's Atomic Bomb, and The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes. One Goal.
And Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It.
The Escape Artists is a young adult version of his earlier books The Grand Escape.
Bascom is driven to research and write about people who fascinate him and whose stories will inspire others. "I want know what
drove them, what they feared, what stumbling blocks they hit. Those type of people interest me that." In The Escape Artists, Bascom focuses on Davy Gray, the leader of the digging operation. Gray tried and failed to escape from five different camps in one year before
Holzmiden.
Bascom was struck my the young pilot's determination and motivation for continually trying to escape. "He was driven by wanting to get back to his squadron and back into the fight. Less about being free, less about his own individual drive, but to get back into the fight knowing that he could be shot down again and
killed."
The original conspirators had hoped to keep knowledge of the escape plan to a small group, but July 23-24, 1918, twenty-nine officers belly-crawled through the 16-inch high tunnel to freedom. Unfortunately some were recaptured, and just ten made their way to Holland and eventually Britain, including Gray, Kennard and Blain.
Bascom told
me there are similar over-arching themes in every book he writes that stem from his teenage years. "I remember to this day sitting in classroom in 8th grade, the teacher wasn’t even talking about history, but she said. 'Never make a decision out of a fear of failure.' Defy the odds and kept going despite the fear of failure."
Neal Bascom's website appear to be down at
the moment, but I'm sure it will be back up soon and you can find out about all his thrilling books. www.nealbascomb.com Read a great book? Have a burning question? Let me know. If you know someone who might enjoy my newsletter or books, please forward this e-mail. I will never spam you or sell your email address, you can unsubscribe anytime
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To find out more about my books, how I help students, teachers, librarians and writers visit my website at www.MaryCronkFarrell.com.
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