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403:". The initial groups out of the tunnel were those who needed a head start in order to get to the local railway station and catch their appropriate trains. He was in the first group of "walkers" who followed, they were led by Williy Williams and posed as a band of lumber mill workers on leave and included Canadian Jim Wernham and Poles
659:
On 25 March 2012, the Czech
Republic held a ceremony honouring these men and unveiling a plaque in their memory in the city of Most (formerly Brüx) where they were murdered. The Czech Air Force organised a fly past and a Guard of Honour at the ceremony, which took place on the 68th anniversary of
366:
when they received heavy anti-aircraft fire from a German vessel and the strikes on his fighter caused the engine to seize. Kierath had to bail out and landed in the sea where he was rescued two hours later and taken prisoner by the
Germans. He was checked out by the German medical team to ensure
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executed a group of 50 of the recaptured prisoners representing almost all of the nationalities involved in the escape. Post-war investigations saw a number of those guilty of the murders tracked down, arrested and tried for their crimes.
258:
to attend Shore School and graduated in 1933. Willy
Williams, another "Great Escaper", was also educated at Shore School. Kierath was a good sportsman and also achieved reasonable academic results sufficient to gain a position with the
391:). In prison camp he established himself as a "hide specialist" constructing small hide-aways in the accommodation blocks to permit forged papers and other escape essentials to be hidden from the German search teams.
334:, commissioned in May 1942 he completed his first tour on 31 July 1942 and trained as a fighter pilot instructor at Belvedere flying school before doing a five-month instructing tour in Rhodesia and being promoted to
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The
Australian press maintained a chase for information and justice for their murdered airmen. His name was on the list of murdered officers which was published by newspapers on 20 May 1944.
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on 2 August 1940, to learn to fly and was one a six hundred
Australians to complete basic training and preliminary flight training before being posted in December 1940 to
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to trek through the
Riesengebirge mountains where they were arrested by a mountain patrol trying to cross into occupied Czechoslovakia and taken to
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am train to
Boberrohrsdorf three hours south where they split up. Willy Williams and Rusty Kierath headed off and later joined up with "Johnny"
254:, Australia the youngest of the nine children of Ada Elise and William Kierath of German descent who owned the general store. In 1929 he left
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medium bombers and in early
December shot up an Italian Army transport column. On 20 December 1941 Kierath and a squadron mate shot down an
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as none of the other relevant decorations then available could be awarded posthumously. It was published in a supplement to the
315:. During his initial operational service he was once strafed while taking off and once had to crash land after being shot up by
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Kierath was flying with a flight of fighters on an anti-shipping strike on 23 April 1943 about 24 kilometres (15 mi) off
1191:. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3 – Air. Vol. IV (1st ed.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial.
1352:
399:
Kierath was one of the 76 men who escaped the prison camp on the night of 24–25 March 1944 in the escape now famous as "
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In a filthy cold night they headed east towards the railway lines and then south to
Tschiebsdorf railway station where
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Under the Wire: The
Wartime Memoir of a Spitfire Pilot, Legendary Escape Artist and 'Cooler King'
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then called Hirschberg they were shot. Kierath was one of the 50 escapers who had been listed by
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their escape. Members of the families of the four airmen met for the first time at this event.
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Human Game: The True Story of the 'Great Escape' Murders and the Hunt for the Gestapo Gunmen
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am on 29 March 1944 believing that they were to be returned to prison camp by road but near
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by Mark Kozak-Holland. The prisoners formally structured their work as a project. This
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Greg Kierath was serving with an Australian Anti-Tank company and was killed at
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for onward transit to Germany. He was eventually put into prisoner of war camp
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295:. Rusty Kierath graduated as a pilot on 10 June 1941 and was posted to No. 71
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in March 1944 and was one of the men recaptured and subsequently shot by the
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33 Months as a POW in Stalag Luft III: A World War II Airman Tells His Story
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that he was unhurt before being placed in a temporary prisoner compound in
477:. His remains are now buried in part of the Poznań Old Garrison Cemetery.
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used a forged travel pass to buy tickets for the group of twelve on the 6
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Western Morning News, Dundee Courier, Yorkshire Post, etc. 20/05/1944
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Memorial to "The Fifty" down the road toward Żagań (Kierath at right)
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220:(20 February 1915 – 29 March 1944) was an Australian
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on 14 April 1941 on about the date when Kierath gained his pilot's
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1103:
The Longest Tunnel: The True Story of World War II's Great Escape
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analyses their efforts using modern project management methods.
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troop carrier aircraft. On 8 January 1942 he was posted to
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His conspicuous bravery as a prisoner was recognized by a
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Project Lessons from the Great Escape (Stalag Luft III),
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The Morning Bulletin, War Crimes Trial, 28 February 1946
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Participants in the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III
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Australian military personnel killed in World War II
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Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II
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379:in the province of Lower Silesia near the town of
299:as a fighter pilot, in mid-August 1941 he joined
283:to do their full flight training . His brother
958:Australian War Memorial – Mention in Despatches
896:War Graves Commission – Reginald Victor Kierath
224:bomber pilot who was taken prisoner during the
947:(Supplement). 2 June 1944. pp. 2642–2643.
725:War Graves Commission – Gregory Robert Kierath
714:Australian victims of the Great Escape murders
263:. He spent a year serving with 17th Battalion
1328:World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
759:No. 450 Squadron RAAF Website – Rusty Kierath
8:
779:Australian Government website– Rusty Keirath
16:Australian bomber pilot during World War II
1378:People executed by Nazi Germany by firearm
228:. He took part in the 'Great Escape' from
20:
319:, but on 22 November 1941 he damaged two
1265:Commandos: Heroic and Deadly ANZAC Raids
445:The four airmen were handed over to the
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348:
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1358:Extrajudicial killings in World War II
7:
353:Model of Stalag Luft III prison camp
1313:Royal Australian Air Force officers
473:. He was amongst those cremated at
465:to be killed, so was amongst those
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1373:Australian people executed abroad
1148:Stalag Luft III: The Secret Story
486:Nationalities of the 50 executed
1188:Air Power Over Europe, 1944–1945
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886:Andrews (1976), pp. 47, 93, 206
1323:Australian World War II pilots
969:304 Squadron- Jerzy Mondschein
91:Poznań Old Garrison Cemetery,
1:
1082:. W.W. Norton & Company.
1151:. Patrick Stephens Limited.
1030:Shores, Christopher (1969).
997:Andrews (1976), pp. 188, 199
845:"Stalag Luft III: The Fifty"
1368:Executed military personnel
1363:Australian prisoners of war
1242:Vance, Jonathan F. (2001).
394:
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1145:Durand, Arthur A. (1989).
907:War Memorial – R V Kierath
825:Vance (2000) p.263 and 318
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277:Royal Australian Air Force
132:Royal Australian Air Force
1227:. Mainstream Publishing.
1106:. Naval Institute Press.
1052:; Foley, Brendan (2005).
877:Read (2012), pp. 129, 132
807:Vance (2000), pp. 234–235
297:Operational Training Unit
1185:Herington, John (1963).
1032:Fighters over the Desert
218:Reginald "Rusty" Kierath
1011:Andrews, Allen (1976).
979:Read (2012), pp.294–297
670:Stalag Luft III murders
210:Mentioned in Despatches
34:Reginald Victor Kierath
1263:Walker, Frank (2015).
1168:The Last of the 39-ers
834:Burgess (1990), p. 270
816:Carroll (2004), p. 195
789:Carroll (2004), p. 190
419:
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188:North African Campaign
1248:. Pacifica Military.
1223:Carroll, Tim (2004).
868:Andrews (1976), p. 34
798:Andrews (1976), p. 47
645:Mention in Despatches
467:executed and murdered
417:
371:and later shipped to
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340:No. 450 Squadron RAAF
332:No. 450 Squadron RAAF
317:Messerschmitt Bf 109s
170:No. 450 Squadron RAAF
138:Years of service
1204:Read, Simon (2012).
1166:Feast, Sean (2015).
1034:. Neville Spearman.
988:Vance (2000), p. 310
769:Raebel (1997), p. 57
695:Vance (2001), p. 168
246:Kierath was born in
222:Handley Page Hampden
1353:Australian escapees
749:Vance (2000), p.170
704:Vance (2000), p.169
301:No. 33 Squadron RAF
275:Kierath joined the
261:Bank of Australasia
1383:Shot-down aviators
1225:The Great Escapers
944:The London Gazette
735:Shores (1969), p81
432:Leslie George Bull
420:
355:
1255:978-0-935-55347-5
1245:A Gallant Company
1158:978-1-85260-248-2
1137:978-1-55591-536-0
1113:978-1-59114-097-9
1089:978-0-393-32579-9
1065:978-0-593-05408-6
1013:Exemplary Justice
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558:2 New Zealanders
328:Italian Air Force
281:Southern Rhodesia
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150:Flight Lieutenant
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1215:978-042525-273-4
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1122:Clark, Albert P.
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1079:The Great Escape
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401:the Great Escape
311:from Amriyah in
309:Hawker Hurricane
226:Second World War
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854:22 September
852:. Retrieved
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606:1 Frenchman
570:2 Norwegian
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183:World War II
176:Battles/wars
81:Jelenia Góra
76:(1944-03-29)
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1338:1944 deaths
1333:1915 births
1208:. Berkley.
939:"No. 36544"
510:6 Canadian
498:21 British
463:Arthur Nebe
440:Reichenberg
307:flying the
271:War service
66:, Australia
39:Nickname(s)
1307:Categories
1058:. Bantam.
1015:. Harrap.
683:References
582:1 Belgian
409:Kaz Pawluk
346:fighters.
161:Aus.402364
100:Allegiance
53:1915-02-20
31:Birth name
522:6 Polish
321:Luftwaffe
256:Narromine
248:Narromine
141:1940–1944
112:Australia
60:Narromine
1124:(2005).
1100:(1990).
1076:(2004).
618:1 Greek
442:prison.
118:Service/
1197:3633419
676:Gestapo
471:Gestapo
469:by the
447:Gestapo
364:Cap Bon
303:in the
285:Captain
235:Gestapo
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373:Sicily
289:Tobruk
206:Awards
129:
120:branch
109:
93:Poland
87:Buried
655:Notes
385:Żagań
383:(now
381:Sagan
369:Tunis
313:Egypt
42:Rusty
1296:book
1269:ISBN
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1193:OCLC
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856:2015
674:The
475:Brüx
449:at 4
434:and
407:and
166:Unit
146:Rank
71:Died
47:Born
387:in
193:POW
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