Angler POW escape
Encyclopedia
In April 1941, inmates at the Angler POW Camp near Neys Provincial Park
on the north shore of Lake Superior
planned the largest escape from a Canadian POW camp during World War II
. The escape was the largest of its kind in Ontario
, Canada.
. As a result, several German POWs were held there; however, the Angler Camp held not only enemy soldiers but also innocent Japanese Canadian citizens (who were not placed in the camp until about a year after the escape attempt). There were over 650 people of Japanese descent in the camp by the summer of 1942. Though they stayed in a camp with people who had threatened safety of Canadian citizens, the innocent Japanese Canadians had done nothing but been born into a Japanese family. They were not alone, however, as many other Canadian and American prisoner of war camps of World War II
also held innocent citizens of foreign descent.
.
A tunnel was dug 45 m (150 ft) long that reached outside the wall, with side tunnels entering some of the barracks. The ground under and around the camp was mostly sand, making it easier for the prisoners to dig a tunnel. This, however, also made the ground less stable, and the prisoners faced the challenge of supporting the tunnel. They made reinforcements from wood braces taken from under the barracks. Unfortunately, three days of rain began to fill the tunnel with water. By noon on April 18, 1941, the day of the escape, the tunnel was already filled with 30 cm (12 inches) of water. That night, 80 prisoners attempted to escape; 28 made it outside the walls.The initial intent was for 100 prisoners to escape, but the escape was interrupted, when a guard heard noises made by the prisoners and alerted the rest of the camp.
Four others boarded a boxcar on a freight train, but were arrested by Royal Canadian Mounted Police
officers riding on board. Most of the others were quickly apprehended. However, two prisoners, Horst Liebeck and Karl Heinz-Grund, boarded a westbound freight train and made it to Medicine Hat, Alberta
before being recaptured and returned to the Angler camp.Though they were given 28 days of solitary confinement at the Camp for their actions, they were asked to sign autographs in Alberta before returning and were greeted upon their return by the Commandant who said, “As a sportsman, I congratulate you…” Horst Liebeck was sent back to Germany after the War with the other POWs, but he later returned to Canada and got a job there.
Neys Provincial Park
Neys Provincial Park is a Natural Environment Class provincial park on the north shore of Lake Superior, just west of Marathon, Ontario, Canada. This 5384 ha park includes the historic Coldwell Peninsula and the surrounding island system consisting of Pic Island, Detention Island, and the...
on the north shore of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
planned the largest escape from a Canadian POW camp during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The escape was the largest of its kind in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada.
Angler Camp background
The Angler Camp was designed to hold prisoners who were a threat to CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. As a result, several German POWs were held there; however, the Angler Camp held not only enemy soldiers but also innocent Japanese Canadian citizens (who were not placed in the camp until about a year after the escape attempt). There were over 650 people of Japanese descent in the camp by the summer of 1942. Though they stayed in a camp with people who had threatened safety of Canadian citizens, the innocent Japanese Canadians had done nothing but been born into a Japanese family. They were not alone, however, as many other Canadian and American prisoner of war camps of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
also held innocent citizens of foreign descent.
Plan of Escape
The prisoners’ plan to escape included tools made from whatever they could find at the camp. For example, compasses were made from magnetized needles, prisoner uniforms were modeled to look like civilian clothes, and candles were made from tin cans filled with fat. A radio was obtained by blackmailing a guard and hidden inside a model of the German battleship, BismarckGerman battleship Bismarck
Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later...
.
A tunnel was dug 45 m (150 ft) long that reached outside the wall, with side tunnels entering some of the barracks. The ground under and around the camp was mostly sand, making it easier for the prisoners to dig a tunnel. This, however, also made the ground less stable, and the prisoners faced the challenge of supporting the tunnel. They made reinforcements from wood braces taken from under the barracks. Unfortunately, three days of rain began to fill the tunnel with water. By noon on April 18, 1941, the day of the escape, the tunnel was already filled with 30 cm (12 inches) of water. That night, 80 prisoners attempted to escape; 28 made it outside the walls.The initial intent was for 100 prisoners to escape, but the escape was interrupted, when a guard heard noises made by the prisoners and alerted the rest of the camp.
Killed or Recaptured
Five of the escaped prisoners were found sleeping in a construction site, and were shot. The original report stated that they had rushed the two Canadian soldiers who found them, but later research indicated that four had been shot while still lying down, killing two of them, while the fifth had run into a nearby forest, where he was quickly captured.Four others boarded a boxcar on a freight train, but were arrested by Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
officers riding on board. Most of the others were quickly apprehended. However, two prisoners, Horst Liebeck and Karl Heinz-Grund, boarded a westbound freight train and made it to Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, known to locals as "The Hat", is a city of 61,097 people located in the southeastern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is enclaved within Cypress County along with the nearby Town of Redcliff, although neither is part of the county....
before being recaptured and returned to the Angler camp.Though they were given 28 days of solitary confinement at the Camp for their actions, they were asked to sign autographs in Alberta before returning and were greeted upon their return by the Commandant who said, “As a sportsman, I congratulate you…” Horst Liebeck was sent back to Germany after the War with the other POWs, but he later returned to Canada and got a job there.