WW2 PoW stuff: - Page 2

Kptlt. Neuerburg · 08-20-14, 10:44 PM

That looks interesting, I do know that the glider was built and even displayed for a period of time after the Americans liberated Colditz and then afterwards when Colditz ended up as part of East Germany the glider vanished, some say the Russians burned it, other say it's still hidden there but who knows. In the game Prisoner of War they got the location of where the glider was constructed but it was launched in the wrong direction

.

@Eichhornchen you probably can get Hogan's Heroes on DVD in the UK although I'm really not sure you could get it the Region 2 format, you could change the regions with Windows Media Player but it's limited to 5 times.

TarJak · 08-20-14, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eichhornchen

Years ago, when my second home was the pub, a bunch of like-minded pals and I determined we would get hold of the board game "Escape From Colditz" and immerse ourselves in some regular alcohol-fuelled adventure. The beer-goggles would have proved a hindrance to escape, I'm sure, but then the Germans wouldn't have been able to shoot straight either. I don't think any of us would've got far.

My mate Keith said he would only play if he could be the Germans. Fair enough, but we never got around to it. Has anyone played the game and was it any good? It probably would have still been much more fun than the best pc game, and we might even have finished the evening locked up for real...

I played it with some mates as a kid back in the late '70's. It was a bit of fun. The series Colditz was pretty fun as well. I sat and watched the whole lot a few months ago on youtube. Brought back some good memories of watching it when it was first on TV.

Eichhörnchen · 08-21-14, 01:29 AM

Yes I remember him well, but you got me, Pal: I speak about as much Welsh as your average Berliner. Cariad Bach (and I'm not even sure if THAT'S the correct spelling) means something like "dearest love" and used as a term of endearment. Well, my dad was at the checkout in a supermarket in Pwllheli once and asked the girl if he could have a carrier-bag (this is true, by the way). Well the way he used to speak English, he'd have said something like "currier bug". She gave him what my Mum would call an "Old-Fashioned Look".

Eichhörnchen · 08-21-14, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joefour

If the British military had used Welsh or for that matter, Gaelic as a code language and encrypted it, that would have really confounded the hell out of german intelligence. As it was, the B-Dienst was reading almost as much of Allied coms as Bletchley Park was reading Enigma. The problem was that the High Command had their head up their Arsch in insisting that Enigma was unbreakable.

Windtalkers was an excellent movie. By the way, remember The Tom Jones show? Forgive me if I screw up badly with the spelling but... Gwyn eich byd a dymunaf i chwi lawenydd bob amser!

Sorry, Joefour, I didn't realise this had become so popular and we'd turned the page: see above for my reply...

Eichhörnchen · 08-21-14, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

I can't say 'shibboleth' after two tots myself!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth

I just read this and I suppose we shouldn't be at all surprised that those Gileadites thought of it first, but the BELGIANS?

Eichhörnchen · 08-21-14, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mako88sb

Talking about Colditz reminds me of a movie I seen ages ago. Must be about 40 yrs since I seen it and like the pow's at Colditz, they decided to build a glider. Unlike the actual facts, they managed to launch it. I can't remember much else about it such as if anybody actually escaped. One thing I do remember is that they were trying to find some way to cover the frame and ended up using their breakfast porridge to help with that. Obviously they were using some type of fabric and I'm not sure what exactly the porridge was supposed to do. I just remember the camp cook saying he didn't understand what was going on because all the prisoners were coming back for seconds when usually they couldn't stand it.

I had searched IMDB about a year ago under pow movies but nothing came up. Just tried under google and found the movie I'm talking about:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066833/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

I'll have to see if I can track down a copy.

Yes! Yes! I'd forgotten all about that movie but I did see it too, YEARS AGO. Now I gotta have it! The porridge was supposed to "dope" the fabric and make it taut. Thanks for finding that for me, chum...

Eichhörnchen · 08-21-14, 01:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kptlt. Hellmut Neuerburg

That looks interesting, I do know that the glider was built and even displayed for a period of time after the Americans liberated Colditz and then afterwards when Colditz ended up as part of East Germany the glider vanished, some say the Russians burned it, other say it's still hidden there but who knows. In the game Prisoner of War they got the location of where the glider was constructed but it was launched in the wrong direction

.

@Eichhornchen you probably can get Hogan's Heroes on DVD in the UK although I'm really not sure you could get it the Region 2 format, you could change the regions with Windows Media Player but it's limited to 5 times.

You're right about the glider, but there is a one-third scale replica hanging in a museum at East Kirkby airfield, Lincolnshire. I think the camouflage was a blue Gingham-Check.

I've seen the DVDs on sale and, as you say, I'd have to use that special thingy to switch regions (is that still included in Windows 8?) No matter, since there would probably be too many discs to convert.

Eichhörnchen · 08-21-14, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TarJak

I played it with some mates as a kid back in the late '70's. It was a bit of fun. The series Colditz was pretty fun as well. I sat and watched the whole lot a few months ago on youtube. Brought back some good memories of watching it when it was first on TV.

I got the boxed-set. I remember my Mum (again...) had a thing about the German security officer. Wasn't he about the only German actor in that? He looked the part, though. And in the way that some of these characters were fictionalised for film and TV, I think he was loosely based on a bloke called Reinhold Eggers (are you reading this, Reinhold?) who himself wrote a book.
By all accounts he was a pretty good Eggers, too...

TarJak · 08-21-14, 02:27 AM

This is supposed to be a photo of the original glider:

Eichhörnchen · 08-21-14, 03:13 AM

Yes, got that photo; you can go up into this roofspace and work on the glider in the pc game, as pointed out by Kptlt. Hellmut above. They did a pretty good rendition of the castle, with lots of places to sneak about in...

Eichhörnchen · 08-21-14, 04:42 AM

(Published in 1973)

I had a friend who owned a second-hand bookstore and he regarded me through half-closed eyes once as he dropped another "kriegie" volume into my bag and said he thought there must be something deep within my psyche (something wrong, I assume) for me to be collecting all this stuff. "I think it must say something about you" he told me.

He should've got on my wife's case: she's the gentlest soul, with her card-making and all, but she's into zombie slasher movies...

mako88sb · 08-21-14, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eichhornchen

Yes! Yes! I'd forgotten all about that movie but I did see it too, YEARS AGO. Now I gotta have it! The porridge was supposed to "dope" the fabric and make it taut. Thanks for finding that for me, chum...

Your welcome. Actually, your thread reminded me to search for it again so I owe you some thanks as well. I ordered it off amazon.ca last night and should have it by Monday. Sounds like about 10 mins has been edited out of it however although it's been so long since I seen it that it shouldn't be a problem.

Joefour · 08-21-14, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eichhornchen

I just read this and I suppose we shouldn't be at all surprised that those Gileadites thought of it first, but the BELGIANS?

The man knows his Bible. I looked into the Welsh language quite some time ago because I had come across some recordings of Welsh mens' choruses.
Spectacularly beautiful, they send chills up and down your spine. One I always like to listen to is Cwm Rhondda (pronounced Koom Rhontha, with the th voiced), often called in english "Bread of Heaven".

Eichhörnchen · 08-21-14, 11:00 AM

Do you know the last time I heard that, I was standing in the Cathedral in 's-Hertogenbosch listening to a Welsh male-voice choir. I'd gone to Holland with my dad on his (as it happens) last veterans' anniversary trip.

It was unbelievable the way even young people outside in the City streets were running up to these old guys with flowers and hugs as they marched by. I really can't see us Brits demonstrating our gratitude in quite such a manner if it'd been us. We'd probably hide indoors until they'd gone.

Aktungbby gets all the credit for providing the historical contexts (see his link above, but I don't know what happened to his original reply)

August · 08-21-14, 02:24 PM

Here's a good one:

Stalag 17

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046359/

Otto Preminger as camp commandant!

This is the movie that inspired the TV show Hogans Heroes. Even has a character named Sgt Schultz (played by Sig Ruman).

08-20-14, 10:44 PM	#16
Kptlt. Neuerburg Admiral Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 2,280 Downloads: 54 Uploads: 0	That looks interesting, I do know that the glider was built and even displayed for a period of time after the Americans liberated Colditz and then afterwards when Colditz ended up as part of East Germany the glider vanished, some say the Russians burned it, other say it's still hidden there but who knows. In the game Prisoner of War they got the location of where the glider was constructed but it was launched in the wrong direction. @Eichhornchen you probably can get Hogan's Heroes on DVD in the UK although I'm really not sure you could get it the Region 2 format, you could change the regions with Windows Media Player but it's limited to 5 times. __________________ "When you're born into this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show. If you're born in America you get a front row seat." - George Carlin

08-21-14, 01:29 AM	#18
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 17,421 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Tom Jones? Yes I remember him well, but you got me, Pal: I speak about as much Welsh as your average Berliner. Cariad Bach (and I'm not even sure if THAT'S the correct spelling) means something like "dearest love" and used as a term of endearment. Well, my dad was at the checkout in a supermarket in Pwllheli once and asked the girl if he could have a carrier-bag (this is true, by the way). Well the way he used to speak English, he'd have said something like "currier bug". She gave him what my Mum would call an "Old-Fashioned Look".

08-21-14, 03:13 AM	#25
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 17,421 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Yes, got that photo; you can go up into this roofspace and work on the glider in the pc game, as pointed out by Kptlt. Hellmut above. They did a pretty good rendition of the castle, with lots of places to sneak about in... Last edited by Eichhörnchen; 08-21-14 at 03:37 AM.

08-21-14, 04:42 AM	#26
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 17,421 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Herr Eggers' book (Published in 1973) I had a friend who owned a second-hand bookstore and he regarded me through half-closed eyes once as he dropped another "kriegie" volume into my bag and said he thought there must be something deep within my psyche (something wrong, I assume) for me to be collecting all this stuff. "I think it must say something about you" he told me. He should've got on my wife's case: she's the gentlest soul, with her card-making and all, but she's into zombie slasher movies... Last edited by Eichhörnchen; 09-02-14 at 03:40 AM.

08-21-14, 11:00 AM	#29
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 17,421 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	Do you know the last time I heard that, I was standing in the Cathedral in 's-Hertogenbosch listening to a Welsh male-voice choir. I'd gone to Holland with my dad on his (as it happens) last veterans' anniversary trip. It was unbelievable the way even young people outside in the City streets were running up to these old guys with flowers and hugs as they marched by. I really can't see us Brits demonstrating our gratitude in quite such a manner if it'd been us. We'd probably hide indoors until they'd gone. Aktungbby gets all the credit for providing the historical contexts (see his link above, but I don't know what happened to his original reply) Last edited by Eichhörnchen; 08-21-14 at 01:34 PM.

08-21-14, 02:27 AM	#24
TarJak Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17,052 Downloads: 150 Uploads: 8	This is supposed to be a photo of the original glider:

08-21-14, 02:24 PM	#30
August Wayfaring Stranger Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 23,217 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Here's a good one: Stalag 17 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046359/ Otto Preminger as camp commandant! This is the movie that inspired the TV show Hogans Heroes. Even has a character named Sgt Schultz (played by Sig Ruman). __________________ Flanked by life and the funeral pyre. Putting on a show for you to see.