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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.
424:'s escape organisation and was recognised as a powerful and efficient tunneller, so much so that his efforts as a pathfinder digger were rewarded with a highly prized placement very near the start of the queue to escape from the tunnel.
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remaining at large longer than almost all of the escapers. On 6 April 1944, the
Germans circulated "wanted posters" with their photographs and, just 2 miles from the Polish frontier, they were arrested in a barn by a
275:
for this group of cadets were destroyed by bombing when the
Germans invaded Poland, so the cadets were evacuated to Romania on 17 September 1939. He escaped from an internment camp there and reached the port of
413:, attempted to escape by cutting through the barbed wire perimeter fence in late 1942. They were caught in the act and lucky not to be shot by the guard who preferred to recapture them. In March 1943, he and
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436:". He was amongst the initial group out of the tunnel who needed a head start in order to get to the local railway station and catch their appropriate trains. However, his escape partner
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523:. He was cremated at Breslau. His remains are now buried in part of the Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery where his headstone shows the rank Kapitan. He is commemorated on the
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on 21 September 1937. He completed basic military training with No. 4 Infantry
Regiment and in January 1938 commenced aviation training at the Aviation Cadet School
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hoping for a ship to Sweden, they began walking east to Poland to find friends of Król's. He posed as a Slav worker on leave and Dowse as a Danish worker.
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while observers and gunners were training. The
Germans invaded France and the French surrendered before he was involved in any combat. He flew to
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in Poland). He was amongst the early groups of arrivals in late spring 1942 and he immediately began preparing to escape. Król and his friend,
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was delayed and then an air raid closed down the station causing them to change their plan. Instead of taking a direct railway journey to
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1206:. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3 – Air. Vol. IV (1st ed.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial.
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Król 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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He also was a member of the
Caterpillar Club and efforts are currently being made to return his pin to his family.
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535:. Unusually, his name was not on the list of murdered officers which was published by newspapers on 20 May 1944.
507:. Król was never seen alive again after 12 April 1944. Król was one of the 50 escapees who had been listed by
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from where he sailed on a
British ship to England. In England, Król continued to fly and was commissioned as a
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over France. He was captured and went straight into the prison camp system as prisoner of war number 1392.
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For twelve days and nights they marched through the snow following the railway lines eastwards past
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221:. He is notable both as a persistent escaper and for the part he played in the 'Great Escape' from
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Under the Wire: The
Wartime Memoir of a Spitfire Pilot, Legendary Escape Artist and 'Cooler King'
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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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participated in a tunneling escape attempt which failed and saw them back in the "cooler".
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before the
Germans adopted a policy of banishing persistent trouble-makers and escapers to
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as none of the other relevant decorations then available could be awarded posthumously.
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for further interrogation as this was his fourth escape and that Król was to go back to
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by Mark Kozak-Holland. The prisoners formally structured their work as a project. This
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Mark V (serial number "W3263") on his eleventh sortie, a fighter sweep in the area of
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and on 23 June 1940 he boarded the French ship "President Del Piaz" and sailed to
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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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preparing to fly as a fighter pilot. He was a championship standard fencer.
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On 1 March 1940, he was with a group of Poles assigned to the air base at
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Memorial to "The Fifty" down the road toward Żagań (Kiewnarski at right)
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fighter pilot flying from
England when he was taken prisoner during the
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Western Morning News, Dundee Courier, Yorkshire Post, etc. 20 May 1944
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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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Yale Avalon Project-War Crimes Trial Part 8 – victim Kiewnarski
288:, he boarded the French ship "Ville de Strasbourg" and reached
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member and some Home Guard men. They were placed in prison at
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in March 1944 being one of the men recaptured and shot by the
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His conspicuous bravery as a prisoner was recognised by a
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Project Lessons from the Great Escape (Stalag Luft III),
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Participants in the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III
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1047:The Eagle Unbowed: The Poles and the Polish in WW2
398:in the province of Lower Silesia near the town of
213:(22 March 1916 – 12 April 1944) was a Polish
371:On the afternoon of 2 July 1941, Król was flying
1329:Polish military personnel killed in World War II
1314:World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
8:
1359:People executed by Nazi Germany by firearm
386:He passed through several camps including
327:. He was posted to No. 57 and later No. 7
17:
487:on 11 April 1944. During interrogation,
339:pilot. On 6 May 1941, Król was posted to
271:on 1 September 1939, but the aircraft at
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503:and later to the concentration camp at
351:to fly bomber escort missions over the
1339:Extrajudicial killings in World War II
515:for execution so he was amongst those
284:aboard the ship "Aghios Nikolaos". At
983:Andrews (1976), p.182-183 and p.186-7
946:Northolt Memorial PDF file – S Z Krol
367:Model of Stalag Luft III prison camp.
7:
1009:RAF Fighter Command Losses, Volume 1
85:Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery, Poland
491:was told that he was being sent to
14:
1163:Stalag Luft III: The Secret Story
542:Nationalities of the 50 executed
1203:Air Power Over Europe, 1944–1945
761:Vance (2001), p. 37-38 and p.157
105:
935:CWGC details – Stanislaw Z Krol
280:sailing on 15 October 1939 to
211:Stanisław Zygmunt "Danny" Król
1:
1354:Polish people executed abroad
1097:. W.W. Norton & Company.
798:Polish Museum – Great Escape
480:and visited by agents of the
1166:. Patrick Stephens Limited.
864:"Stalag Luft III: The Fifty"
1349:Executed military personnel
1257:Vance, Jonathan F. (2001).
379:when he was shot down by a
1375:
1160:Durand, Arthur A. (1989).
834:Polish Air Force – SZ Król
751:Polish Air Force – SZ Król
714:Franks (1997), 2 July 1941
695:Polish Air Force – SZ Król
675:Polish Air Force – SZ Król
629:
335:to complete training as a
1309:Polish Air Force officers
1242:. Mainstream Publishing.
1121:. Naval Institute Press.
1067:; Foley, Brendan (2005).
1045:Kochanski, Halik (2013).
1007:Norman LR Franks (1997).
898:Andrews (1976), p.188-189
420:From May 1943, he joined
329:Operational Training Unit
267:He was commissioned as a
1200:Herington, John (1963).
1344:Polish prisoners of war
1026:Andrews, Allen (1976).
965:Read (2012), pp.294–297
907:Kochanski (2012), p.497
815:Vance (2000), p.268-269
779:Vance (2000), p.268-269
632:Stalag Luft III murders
499:. Dowse was removed to
203:Mentioned in Despatches
1183:The Last of the 39-ers
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368:
31:Stanisław Zygmunt Król
1263:. Pacifica Military.
1238:Carroll, Tim (2004).
925:Burgess (1990), p.168
889:Carroll (2004), p.250
824:Carroll (2004), p.205
770:Burgess (1990), p.167
656:Vance (2000), p.36-38
617:Mention in Despatches
454:
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355:and Occupied France.
325:Free Polish Air Force
128:Years of service
121:Free Polish Air Force
1219:Read, Simon (2012).
1181:Feast, Sean (2015).
1011:. Midland Counties.
880:Andrews (1976), p.34
853:Andrews (1976), p.54
803:20 July 2011 at the
788:Carroll (2004), p.16
741:Carroll (2004), p.87
732:Carroll (2004), p.85
665:Carroll (2004), p.63
381:Messerschmitt Bf 109
373:Supermarine Spitfire
337:Supermarine Spitfire
215:Supermarine Spitfire
974:Vance (2000), p.310
844:Vance (2001), p. 37
723:Burgess (1990), p.9
705:Vance (2001), p. 37
685:Vance (2001), p. 37
341:No. 74 Squadron RAF
164:No. 74 Squadron RAF
1240:The Great Escapers
916:Read (2012), p.306
457:
369:
300:fighter aircraft.
180:Invasion of Poland
1270:978-0-935-55347-5
1260:A Gallant Company
1173:978-1-85260-248-2
1152:978-1-55591-536-0
1128:978-1-59114-097-9
1104:978-0-393-32579-9
1080:978-0-593-05408-6
1028:Exemplary Justice
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572:2 New Zealanders
567:3 South Africans
408:Flight Lieutenant
269:second lieutenant
239:Król was born in
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1223:. Berkley.
1049:. Penguin.
547:21 British
513:Arthur Nebe
307:to fly the
263:War service
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1303:Categories
1073:. Bantam.
1030:. Harrap.
645:References
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235:Early life
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28:Birth name
557:6 Polish
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388:Oflag VIB
345:Gravesend
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241:Zagorzyce
144:porucznik
131:1937–1944
76:, Germany
57:Zagorzyce
1139:(2005).
1115:(1990).
1091:(2004).
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611:Awards
501:Berlin
493:Berlin
446:Danzig
442:Berlin
298:Morane
286:Beirut
282:Beirut
273:Dęblin
257:Dęblin
245:Kielce
199:Awards
155:P.0237
110:
101:branch
94:Poland
81:Buried
404:Żagań
402:(now
400:Sagan
305:Tours
296:with
253:Chelm
39:Danny
1292:book
1265:ISBN
1244:ISBN
1225:ISBN
1208:OCLC
1187:ISBN
1168:ISBN
1147:ISBN
1123:ISBN
1099:ISBN
1075:ISBN
1051:ISBN
1032:ISBN
1013:ISBN
636:The
474:Oels
463:and
317:Oran
294:Lyon
160:Unit
142:and
136:Rank
64:Died
44:Born
476:or
390:at
343:at
331:at
251:at
189:POW
1305::
866:.
531:,
509:SS
243:,
231:.
1273:.
1252:.
1233:.
1214:.
1195:.
1176:.
1155:.
1131:.
1107:.
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