Recently my Wife and I returned from a specialist WWII coach tour that visited the Mohne and Eder Dams, Colditz castle which we had always wanted to visit, Dresden, Zagan (Stalagluft III) of the Great Escape and Wooden Horse fame, and Berlin (where I last went 30 years ago when it was still divided). We also paid our respects at several Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemeteries en route, especially that of Wing Commander Guy Gibson V.C. and his Navigator Jim Warwick at Steenburgen.
It was a long tiring tour by coach at times due to the distances involved, but to be able to visit the old East Germany was something we could not do when we were stationed at Laarbruch 81-84. It was also very emotive seeing the graves of RAF AIrcrew who did not return from Ops' and to read their ages upon their headstones.
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Colditz, Dambusters and the Great Escape coach tour.
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Re: Colditz, Dambusters and the Great Escape coach tour.
It sounds like a great trip. The Steenbergen visit strikes a note with me, due to the RAF Winthorpe connections.
Jim Warwick was an instructor at 1661 HCU / RAF Winthorpe when Gibson asked him to fly with him - the Dutch Resistance commissioned a commemorative plaque for the loss and it is now displayed in Hangar 1 at the museum and is mentioned in this Memorials booklet http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/newsItem.php?id=828 when the plaque was unveiled at Newark the 'deed' was undertaken by my oldest son!
Jim Warwick was an instructor at 1661 HCU / RAF Winthorpe when Gibson asked him to fly with him - the Dutch Resistance commissioned a commemorative plaque for the loss and it is now displayed in Hangar 1 at the museum and is mentioned in this Memorials booklet http://www.newarkairmuseum.org/newsItem.php?id=828 when the plaque was unveiled at Newark the 'deed' was undertaken by my oldest son!
Re: Colditz, Dambusters and the Great Escape coach tour.
Thanks for posting this.
I did the Stalag Luft III, Dresden, Colditz trip as a road trip a few years ago. We flew to Poland, hired a car and made our way west and then back again. Stalag Luft III was one of the camps my father was a POW at before the escape. He was among the aircrew of a Whitley of 51sqn shot down in 1940.
For anyone interested the link should take you to an album of photos from the Zagan portion of that trip.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjB5PV6h
I did the Stalag Luft III, Dresden, Colditz trip as a road trip a few years ago. We flew to Poland, hired a car and made our way west and then back again. Stalag Luft III was one of the camps my father was a POW at before the escape. He was among the aircrew of a Whitley of 51sqn shot down in 1940.
For anyone interested the link should take you to an album of photos from the Zagan portion of that trip.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjB5PV6h
Re: Colditz, Dambusters and the Great Escape coach tour.
Thankyou for posting the link to the Stalag luft 3 pictures, much appreciated and enjoyed looking through a piece of historytim_raper wrote:Thanks for posting this.
I did the Stalag Luft III, Dresden, Colditz trip as a road trip a few years ago. We flew to Poland, hired a car and made our way west and then back again. Stalag Luft III was one of the camps my father was a POW at before the escape. He was among the aircrew of a Whitley of 51sqn shot down in 1940.
For anyone interested the link should take you to an album of photos from the Zagan portion of that trip.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjB5PV6h
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