1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: This is great as Escapes, a show bringing you the 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:08,280 Speaker 1: wildest true escape stories. Now, today we're heading back to 3 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: World War Two and the biggest escape from an American 4 00:00:11,080 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: prisoner of war camp. I'm Martora Castro and today I'm 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:19,279 Speaker 1: joined by the comedian Canadian and public radio sization of 6 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: Fida Eisenberg. Hi you, Fear, I thank you so much 7 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: doing this. I'm so happy to see you. We've met 8 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: once before when you were hosting Ask Me Another Live 9 00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: on stage. Yes, Santo for Grace was on that pot 10 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: guests with me, and he wiped the floor with me. 11 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: Uh because there was a bunch of cereal questions. But 12 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: I had a fucking bliss and a trivia show. 13 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 2: Don't make don't make people think it was a serial podcast. 14 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 3: It was a trivia show. 15 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, we were talking about kidnapping, and suddenly he just 16 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:16,679 Speaker 1: started he started asking him questions about Cereal. 17 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 3: It was super weird. 18 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: Let me ask you something, what do you consider to 19 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: be your greatest escape? 20 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 3: You have a little bit of idea of this. 21 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 2: So I was living in Toronto and I decided that 22 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 2: I wanted to live in New York. Every stand up 23 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 2: comic and actor that I saw leave Toronto would do 24 00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 2: this thing where they would throw up goodbye party for 25 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 2: themselves and then they would be like see later, I'm 26 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 2: going to pilot season in La or steal later like 27 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 2: make it yeah, And then some of them never moved. 28 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 1: Back, and many of them did, oh man, like it's 29 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: about having to come back with the table to your legs, 30 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: because I think most people when they move for an 31 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: artistic reason. Every you got everybody saying like okay, like 32 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: fucking see you in about a month, right, So. 33 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 3: I concocted this plan. 34 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 2: I go to get this rental car the next day, 35 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:09,359 Speaker 2: and I started driving towards the border, just being. 36 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,959 Speaker 3: Like, you never see me again, go to America. 37 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 2: I'm gonna make it in New York City, baby, yeah. 38 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 3: And I got to the border to apply for this visa. 39 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 2: The guy said what are you applying for? I said, 40 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 2: graphic designer. He goes, where's the evidence of your work? 41 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,239 Speaker 2: And I was like, I have evidence of my work 42 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 2: and he goes, well, did you go to school in 43 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 2: graphic designer? I was like no, no, I went to 44 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 2: school in cultural anthropology. And he was like, but it's okay. 45 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 2: Just go back home to Toronto and just get the 46 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 2: stuff together and bring it back, like you can bring 47 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 2: it back later today, you could bring it back tomorrow. 48 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 1: What'd you do? Well? 49 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 2: The line was really really long to get back to 50 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 2: go to Canada, and then I just saw a sign 51 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 2: that said Buffalo Airport forty miles and so I just 52 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 2: gunned it and looked in my rear view mirror the 53 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 2: whole time going like, this can't be happening. This can't 54 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 2: be happening. This can't be happening. Did I just blow 55 00:02:58,760 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 2: through a border? 56 00:02:59,360 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: Oh my god? 57 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 3: And I was shaking the whole time. 58 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 2: And I dropped off the car at the Buffalo Airport 59 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 2: rental car Did you know you can do that? You 60 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 2: can drop a rental car off anywhere for hundreds of Yeah, that's. 61 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: Going to say, for a fee and a small child 62 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: of your firstborn. And you got away with it. 63 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 2: I seem to have gotten away with it as I 64 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 2: sit here right now. 65 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: Oh my god. But like, what a stroke of luck that, 66 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: after all that, you're suddenly in New York ready to 67 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 1: make it. Baby. 68 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 3: He's like, now I'm going to learn how to do 69 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 3: graphic design. 70 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: And now let me tell you about the story of 71 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: our great this escape. Are you ready? 72 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 3: I want to hear it. 73 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: Let's do it. So far our story, we're heading down 74 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: to America's southern border, to a sweep of land that 75 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: covers fifteen hundred acres outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Today, it's 76 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: called Papago Park and it's this beautiful area covered with large, 77 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,559 Speaker 1: jagged rock formations the rice up out of the red soil. 78 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,720 Speaker 1: Now why did the American government take that land? Besides 79 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: because it was filled with beautiful buttes, it was to 80 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: build your shit, of course, like a strange white pyramid tomb. 81 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: For Arizona's first governor, George Hunt. 82 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 3: It's like being a king. He's like, I want all the. 83 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 4: Beauty, all the buttes around me, the beautes of Arizona mine. 84 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: So the government put an army base in Papago Park. 85 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,919 Speaker 1: But eventually that base became a prison. And part of 86 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 1: the reason that they made that switch is that when 87 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: they were building, they had trouble digging in the rocky ground. 88 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: So they even had to like blast it with dynamite 89 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: to get through. So they thought that there was escape proof. 90 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 1: You know, They're like, we're not going to give them dynamite. 91 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: We're not that. 92 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 2: Stupid, right, Every prisoner just gets one stick and. 93 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 1: It was a coyote pushing that thing down. 94 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 3: So well, oh, that's my favorite cartoon. 95 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: So in nineteen forty four, the prison was used to 96 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: hold German prisoners of war. Right when they arrived at 97 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: Papaco Park in January that year, they were put to 98 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: work doing manual labor. In the spring they were digging canals, 99 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: and in the summer they were hired by local farmers 100 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: to do things like pick potatoes and pack analog and 101 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: bail hey, and of course entertained them by doing the 102 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 1: patient in germanoonstans. 103 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 3: Did you say antelopes? By the way, did you. 104 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: Say, yeah? They kept packing antelopes into these massive surfaces. 105 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 2: I was like the antelopes would have grooved out to 106 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 2: those tombs. 107 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,160 Speaker 1: So life in the prison was fairly routine for these soldiers, right, 108 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 1: and despite the fact that they were enemy combatants, security 109 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: was I mean somewhat lax, pretty lax, I'd say. Prisoners 110 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 1: were always moving in and out for work, and the 111 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: prison guards were confident that no real escapes were possible. Okay, 112 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 1: this is foreshadowing a little bit, but the show is 113 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 1: about escapes, right, So also, what the fuck man how 114 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: do you let these social paths out of it, like 115 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: to go pack antelopes, Like that's unacceptable on so many 116 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: levels now. 117 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 2: And also, is it Arizona not a prison in itself? 118 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 2: They actually need another thing. 119 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,840 Speaker 1: That's it exactly so, which brings us to the fall 120 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: of nineteen forty four, when the prison plumber responsible for 121 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 1: maintaining the sewage plant noticed something weird the prison. Oh 122 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: is that sound of a fucking Oh? That is nasty 123 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: the prison. So yeah, yeah, I think that's good. Thank you. 124 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 3: So funny. 125 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 2: Why that's such an innocuous noise and we're both just 126 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:23,479 Speaker 2: totally creeped up. 127 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 1: Oh my god, It's just I don't know, because it's like, 128 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: once you say sewage and you hear that, you just 129 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:28,599 Speaker 1: think poop. 130 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 4: I yeah. 131 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:34,599 Speaker 1: So, the prison sewage pipes kept getting clogged. He would 132 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 1: open them up, clear them out, and find that they 133 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,280 Speaker 1: were blocked with packed dirt and rocks. He was maybe 134 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:42,359 Speaker 1: like slightly annoyed, but he wasn't going to replace the 135 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: whole prison sewage system just to fix where dirt was 136 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: getting in, which is what he thought was happening. But actually, though, 137 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: what the plumber was seeing was the first sign of 138 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: a massive attempt to escape. It was a breakout schedule 139 00:06:54,760 --> 00:07:01,600 Speaker 1: for Christmas nineteen forty four. Actually, there had already been 140 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: an escape attempt at Papago Park within the first month 141 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: of arriving. Five Germans hid in an army truck and 142 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 1: try to sneak out of the prison so they could 143 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: head for the southern border. They were hoping they could 144 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:14,400 Speaker 1: catch a ship back to Germany from the Mexican port. 145 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: It's like, these guys really wanted to get back into 146 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 1: the fight. You know. It kind of tells us like 147 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: who was being kept in this place? 148 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 3: What kind of person? Yeah? 149 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 2: Like, also, there wasn't there one guy that was just like, 150 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 2: I don't know when we just waited out. 151 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: I love them. They're being like honor system about this, 152 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 1: Like yeah, actually, yeah, no, they'll come back. I know. 153 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: They love antelopes, they love candelops, they love the Beatles. 154 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 3: I love them all. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The buttes are nice. 155 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 3: Do you know what they had before? Did they have buttes? 156 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 3: Have you seen the sky in Arizona? 157 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 1: Yeah? So two of them were arrested in Tuson, but 158 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 1: the others made it all the way to Mexico before 159 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 1: they were stopped. When they were returned to the prison. 160 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 1: The guards hadn't even realized that they were gone. Can 161 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: you fucking believe. 162 00:07:56,840 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 3: Those were the top notch guards. 163 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: They're like, oh, that's awkwreat I thought I just talked 164 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: to you in Well, so they sill they come back in. 165 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: So word got out to the local papers. Inspections around 166 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,560 Speaker 1: the prison found just how free and easy things were. 167 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: Roll called wasn't taken seriously, and prison gates were left 168 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: unlocked and some of the German prisoners of war were 169 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:20,000 Speaker 1: allowed to drive trucks so they could go in and 170 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: out of the prison regularly as part of their work. 171 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:24,119 Speaker 3: This is the best prison ever. 172 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: Do you think that, like, when you're guarding literal Nazis, 173 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: you'd be a little more fucking eye on the ball, kid, 174 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: you know. 175 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 3: It sounds a little bit like summer camp. 176 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: Yeah. And so they also had crocheting, you know, they 177 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: got to swim, They got to swim, They made friends. 178 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:43,320 Speaker 1: So the lackadaisical attitude towards security was especially fucking nuts 179 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: right because the prison held German naval officers, and in 180 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:52,080 Speaker 1: particular the commanders of German submarines called U boats. German 181 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: U boats commanders were hardcore, and they were the most 182 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:58,559 Speaker 1: ruthless and most fanatical officers in the German Navy. They 183 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: had to be the kind of men able to live 184 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: in a metal tube underwater for days and weeks at 185 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 1: a time. And they had to be fanatical and Nazis 186 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 1: willing to sink civilian ships without mercy, some real evil shit. 187 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 1: And they had to also be highly trained engineers who 188 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: were capable of fixing broken down systems underwater without any 189 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: help from the outside. 190 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:19,359 Speaker 2: And they still found these guys with those three insane criteria. 191 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know. I don't think I could be 192 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: in the tube underwater. Do you think you could ever 193 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: survive like in a submarine or sign up for that 194 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: that kind of duty. 195 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 2: I think in the beginning you would go crazy, and 196 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 2: then as time went on you would be like, you 197 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 2: know what, tubes looking nice today? 198 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, from the inside you're like, wow, this this turk 199 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: was really brings out your eyes. 200 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 2: But I just think I really do think, like the 201 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:46,960 Speaker 2: weirdest thing is that humans are unbelievably flexible, and that 202 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:50,200 Speaker 2: if some if you just go like twenty more days 203 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 2: in a tube, like I would need to do some 204 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 2: hash marks on the wall. 205 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 1: Oh, yeah, that's what you would in prison too. That's 206 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: what you would do. That's the yeah. 207 00:09:57,640 --> 00:09:58,959 Speaker 3: But I would also do it in the tube. It 208 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:00,080 Speaker 3: would be a different form. 209 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,240 Speaker 1: A prison, but that we know how you would spend 210 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 1: your days inside of. 211 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 2: Submarine and I'd be like, you know what, I can 212 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:07,680 Speaker 2: meditate in the morning, like I'm trying the upside. 213 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:10,239 Speaker 1: Nobody's asking you to do shit like so in this submarine. 214 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: In this scenario, nobody wants you to do anything around 215 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: the submarine. You're just kind of like there and like 216 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: having like just like working on yourself, you know, working 217 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 1: on anytime, anytime underwater. These U boats, right, because they 218 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 1: were filled with fucking psychopaths. They're filling guys like Jurgen Wottenburg. 219 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: And he was a naval officer who was already had 220 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 1: one wartime prison escape under his belt. Also, I'd like 221 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:35,319 Speaker 1: to think that he only responded to his name. But 222 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:38,319 Speaker 1: it was like Yoda and him like yur Agan, Like 223 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: it's just like hard to find somebody scared. There's like, ah, 224 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: I'm new, I'm. 225 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 3: He seems so nice, so gentle. 226 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:50,680 Speaker 1: Look he's he's troking the antelope in such a beautiful way. 227 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: So at the beginning of the war, Jurgen was one 228 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: was on the crew of a German battleship. His crew 229 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 1: lost a fight off the coast of Uruguay, and Wottenburg 230 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 1: navigated his damaged shipped to land, but was captured. He 231 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: escaped from a prison there and made his way back 232 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:08,080 Speaker 1: to Germany, where he was treated like a fucking hero 233 00:11:08,559 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 1: and then trained to command a German submarine. Right Jurgen's 234 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: U boat sank fourteen ships in nineteen forty two, including 235 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 1: a lot of civilian cargo ships. He was finally captured 236 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: northeast of Trinidad and sent to the desert with the 237 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 1: first batch of German soldiers in nineteen forty four. So 238 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,960 Speaker 1: when people like Wadenberg were slipping out of the American 239 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 1: prison and riding around in trucks, it did actually ruffle 240 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: some feathers in the army ranks. They made some changes 241 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 1: to the security of Paplco Park. For instance, the most 242 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,200 Speaker 1: uncooperative of the prisoners were all put together into a 243 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:41,719 Speaker 1: single area of the prison compound. One A. 244 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,440 Speaker 2: That's what I would do, Take all the batties and 245 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 2: put them together so they can scheme. 246 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:47,600 Speaker 1: Stupid fucking idea. 247 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 4: Huh. 248 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,720 Speaker 1: They're like, they're all the worst. Yeah, put them there together, 249 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 1: they'll learn from each other. They'll be real scared. 250 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, right right exactly, so they can all chat and 251 00:11:57,840 --> 00:11:59,320 Speaker 2: be like, who's got the best idea? 252 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 1: Thanks, I got it you. So the American prison guards 253 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 1: continued to underestimate the prisoners, and that was a mistake 254 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:16,680 Speaker 1: with serious consequences. When German prisoners were captured by the 255 00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:19,680 Speaker 1: Americans during World War Two, the first stop was Fort 256 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: Hunt in Virginia, where they would be questioned thoroughly. When 257 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:25,600 Speaker 1: it came to German submarine officers, the US Navy would 258 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: take the first crack at questioning them. So they're hoping 259 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 1: to learn everything from submarine technology to fleet movements, secret 260 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:36,320 Speaker 1: codes and trading methods and astrology signs, stuff like that. Right. So, 261 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:39,520 Speaker 1: what do you think the US military was doing to 262 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:41,840 Speaker 1: make German prisoners talk during World War Two? 263 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 2: I guess you could go two tactics. It could be torture. 264 00:12:44,679 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 2: That would be like one tactic just to torture them, 265 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 2: and the other tactic would be like butter them up, 266 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 2: making your friends so they would give you all the information. 267 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 1: That's exactly what the army did. They in order to 268 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: get them to talk. The Navy interrogators made them super comfortable. 269 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 1: They house them in cozy rooms where they had plenty 270 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 1: of food and books and magazines at their disposal. They 271 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 1: had a swimming pool, playing cards, cigarettes and liquor. This 272 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:14,480 Speaker 1: is not a joke, can you fucking believe? So this 273 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: was during wartime rationing too. So imagine how you would 274 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 1: have felt if you were in New Yorker at the 275 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:20,840 Speaker 1: time and you heard that this is what they were 276 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: getting when everybody else had to like tie to their belts, you. 277 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 2: Know, right back then, all the New Yorkers had to 278 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 2: eat the garbage food of the time, which was oysters, oysters. 279 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:30,679 Speaker 1: Yeah, they were all feasting on lobsters and oysters, and 280 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 1: we're like, what the fuck? They get meat loads also, 281 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 1: you know, not to go on a full tangent, but 282 00:13:38,679 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 1: I don't think people talk a lot about how instrumental 283 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,559 Speaker 1: the Canadian Army and Canadian military was in winning World 284 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,680 Speaker 1: War Two. Thank my grandfather or my grandma's step grandfather, 285 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,400 Speaker 1: I guess was fought and so and sold it. All 286 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,440 Speaker 1: of his brothers from Owen Sound, And it's incredible what 287 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 1: they did on D Day. And I don't think in movie. 288 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 1: I mean in movies they're barely mentioned. But I just 289 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: don't think it's in the general psyche. 290 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:04,320 Speaker 2: Because Canada, if you think about right now, we don't 291 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:07,199 Speaker 2: think of a Canadian military presence or even a lot 292 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:10,079 Speaker 2: of money put towards military, or that even being talked about. 293 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 3: I have been asked before, you know, like well. 294 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: What Canadian army? What? 295 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 3: Yeah? 296 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:14,679 Speaker 4: What? 297 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,440 Speaker 2: Sometimes I just say, yeah, we have a cannon in 298 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:18,560 Speaker 2: one of our museums. 299 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: Another thing that they used to butter these guys up 300 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: is that one American Navy guy let sex workers in 301 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:30,000 Speaker 1: to entertain some of their German prisoners. 302 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 2: Well, listen, I would have chopped, like, forget about the pool, 303 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 2: just do sex workers and cigarettes, Like why are you 304 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 2: spending your money on the rest of it. 305 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: So, when things inside the prison felt like they were 306 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 1: actually turning peaceful in the fall of nineteen forty four, 307 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 1: the guards really should have known that they were being 308 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:48,880 Speaker 1: lulled into a false sense of security. They even ignored 309 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: this big sign that said vivantu escape. It didn't seem 310 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: to like really register with them. They're like, we are escaping. 311 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: It just crossed out all the time. It's happening soon 312 00:14:57,880 --> 00:14:59,760 Speaker 1: and They're like, oh my god, there arts and crafts 313 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: really improved, you guys. 314 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:03,040 Speaker 3: I like all these signs. I feel like it's like 315 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:03,640 Speaker 3: word art. 316 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:07,320 Speaker 1: They seem like, you know, Amy Poehler and mean girls 317 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: where she's like I'm cool mom. Like they're like, I'm 318 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:11,360 Speaker 1: just like cool. I'm just like here to support. 319 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 3: I love that they have positive affirmations, you know, escape. 320 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 1: You are seeing, you are loved. One American officer in 321 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 1: charge of security at Public Park would later say that 322 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 1: he had a bad feeling about Compound one. A oh yeah, 323 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 1: bad fat feel good for you, champ, you hero, go on? 324 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 2: That is that what? That's a number one attribut I'm 325 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 2: looking for in a guard. 326 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 3: Hey do you do? You have bad feelings? 327 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: So that's like, go check. But man, I feel kind 328 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: of uneasy about it. Might be the oysters that they 329 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: keep shipping down from New York. 330 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 3: Does anyone else feel queasy? 331 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:42,080 Speaker 1: Mostly because there was a place in the middle. He 332 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: felt bad because there was a place in the middle 333 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: of it that couldn't be seen from any of the 334 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: guard towers. So, in other words, it was a blind 335 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 1: spot that. 336 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:50,400 Speaker 3: Was known a known blind spot. 337 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 1: And they're like, guys, that doesn't seem like a good idea, 338 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 1: but I'm not going to go look in there. 339 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:55,600 Speaker 3: Let's ignore the blind spot, how about you. 340 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: So so the security officer later said that he knew 341 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:00,080 Speaker 1: that the Germans were too smart not to know what 342 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 1: is a blind spot, and he thought it didn't make 343 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 1: any sense to put all their smartest prisoners right next 344 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:04,880 Speaker 1: to it. 345 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:08,720 Speaker 3: Oh my, this is the comedy of errors in prison style. 346 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: Is this should tell you something about this guy. He 347 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 1: also said that the Nazis were a bunch of fine men, 348 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:16,000 Speaker 1: So fuck that guy. 349 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 3: Well, we know, I see what's happening. 350 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: You understand what they're getting. I feel like they were enamored. 351 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 1: There's an enamorment by these prison guards. 352 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 3: Who side were they on? Where's the mole? 353 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 4: Yeah? 354 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:30,280 Speaker 1: Where's the mole? Oh my god, I love that reality 355 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:33,760 Speaker 1: TV series? Don't get me right? So good? Yeah, so 356 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: they really should have known better than putting all the 357 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:38,680 Speaker 1: most angry, most troublesome, the most dedicated Nazis together in 358 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,320 Speaker 1: one compound. But for some reason, that's exactly what they 359 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: fucking did. The first thing that the German captains did 360 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,840 Speaker 1: in Compound one A was a little landscaping. They started 361 00:16:50,880 --> 00:16:53,520 Speaker 1: plotting out flower beds and generally working on a plant 362 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,560 Speaker 1: to beautify the place, or so it seemed. The other 363 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,480 Speaker 1: part of the routine was whining. That's true. The guards 364 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:03,280 Speaker 1: started to get regular complaints from you again, Vattenberg. He 365 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:05,359 Speaker 1: winded about the food, he winded about the work. He 366 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 1: mostly whined that he was a high ranking officer and 367 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:09,320 Speaker 1: he didn't think it was fair that he was being 368 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 1: treated like a prisoner. He especially didn't like it when 369 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 1: low ranking guards were telling him what to do and just, 370 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:17,720 Speaker 1: uh god, can you. 371 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:20,639 Speaker 3: Believe they do to make him feel better. I know 372 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 3: they were on it. I know they were like you. 373 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: I know that they didn't let him. They did not 374 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:30,120 Speaker 1: let this one man go through such suffering. Anything I know. 375 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 2: About this story is they were like I everyone meet, 376 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 2: emergency meeting. 377 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:37,120 Speaker 1: They were like, oh my god, we're so so, so 378 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 1: so embarrassed. 379 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:38,880 Speaker 3: Urget is sad. 380 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:43,479 Speaker 1: But you guys, you guys sorry. Is it reported by 381 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:47,040 Speaker 1: the war No? No, no, no, Get's sad. He doesn't 382 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: want to plant daffodils today. So it wasn't a surprise. 383 00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:54,080 Speaker 1: One day you're going to approach the camp commander and 384 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:57,320 Speaker 1: ask for some shovels for the flower bit You know, and. 385 00:17:57,320 --> 00:17:59,639 Speaker 2: Of course they were like, we will give you the biggest. 386 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:00,000 Speaker 3: Heaviest shovel. 387 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: Oh my god, do you need a tractor because I 388 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 1: have one. 389 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:06,920 Speaker 3: The guns that look like shovels, do you want those? 390 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:09,240 Speaker 1: Oh my god. So for some of all about reason, 391 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:12,439 Speaker 1: the army guards decided that they should fucking agree. And yes, 392 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:15,160 Speaker 1: the gardening tools were supposed to be under close watch, 393 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:18,359 Speaker 1: but still none of them happens. Nothing is none of 394 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: them having to notice when a pickaxe went missing and 395 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: the gardens were popping up all over. 396 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:26,560 Speaker 2: It's not like in the like a classic movie where 397 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 2: you look at the shed and there's a shadow of 398 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:30,479 Speaker 2: where the pickaxe was supposed to go. 399 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly, like what is this? Must be? What an 400 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:41,000 Speaker 1: interesting design the shed maker created here? So they they 401 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,360 Speaker 1: were popping out everywhere with the gardens. There's gardens everywhere. 402 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 1: So that's when the Germans came up with the next idea. 403 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:49,159 Speaker 1: They asked the guards if they could have a sports 404 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,760 Speaker 1: field then their compound. They needed more digging tools and 405 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:54,399 Speaker 1: also rakes that they could use to smooth out the 406 00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:56,160 Speaker 1: dirt into a nice level playing field. 407 00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 3: Oh and what are they playing? 408 00:18:57,960 --> 00:18:58,160 Speaker 4: Oh? 409 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:00,639 Speaker 1: Oh well, thank you guys. What are you think they're playing. 410 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:05,320 Speaker 2: I think they're playing hide all of the tools and 411 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:08,359 Speaker 2: maybe killing the guards so they can escape. 412 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,560 Speaker 1: They started creating a volleyball court in the middle of 413 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: the compound. One volley and at least that's what it 414 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 1: looked like to the guards. I mean they're like, yeah, 415 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:20,679 Speaker 1: but they called it the volleyball Kurten. And behind their backs, 416 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,199 Speaker 1: the German U boat crews were actually working on a 417 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 1: different project. Surprise, Rice. They were actually working furiously to 418 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 1: dig a tunnel under the prison fence. Yes, you know 419 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: where it started in the blind spot. 420 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:34,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, of course. 421 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:36,919 Speaker 2: I was just gonna say the compound where all the 422 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:40,280 Speaker 2: smarty pants are one hundred evil smarty pants dudes. 423 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, And it was right next to the bathhouse. So 424 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 1: to get to ease the access, the prisoners losing the 425 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 1: boards in the bathhouse wall. Anytime they were going into 426 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:50,560 Speaker 1: the tunnel, they would walk in the door of their 427 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:53,280 Speaker 1: bath house, sneak out through the back wall, and then 428 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: get to work. And when then when they were done, 429 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,480 Speaker 1: it was back into the bathhouse and out the door again. Imagine, 430 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:00,440 Speaker 1: if you're a garden you're just like think thinking that 431 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 1: the Germans are showering for like three hours at a time. 432 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 2: You know, we have established these guards are not thinking no, 433 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 2: so they're. 434 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:08,920 Speaker 1: Like, really, guys, get really clean. 435 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:11,960 Speaker 2: Are you sure the sex workers weren't hanging out with 436 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 2: the guards because these guards seem oblivious. 437 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,440 Speaker 1: They're distracted. They were playing. The guards were playing volleyball 438 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:19,200 Speaker 1: this entire time. 439 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:21,160 Speaker 3: They're just like, wait, we're just playing with them. They're 440 00:20:21,280 --> 00:20:22,280 Speaker 3: very good at volleyball. 441 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:25,320 Speaker 1: So the biggest challenge for the digging Nazis was what 442 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:27,119 Speaker 1: to do with the dirt as they made progress on 443 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:29,720 Speaker 1: the tunnel. And at first they tried flushing it down 444 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: the toilets in the bathhouse, but as you know, it 445 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,159 Speaker 1: caught them and risk their plans. Don't don't do that 446 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 1: sound again? Pleased? I will fucking die. Stop. Oh my god, 447 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 1: that's a real shitty sound. Sorry, Oh my god. So 448 00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:45,680 Speaker 1: what's what I'm just listen. This is not a question 449 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: of mine, but my producers want me to do it. 450 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:52,400 Speaker 1: So what is your best worst clog toilet experience? 451 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, oh my god. 452 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 2: Okay, I have one. It's very female centric. I'm not 453 00:20:57,760 --> 00:20:59,439 Speaker 2: embarrassed by it, but I bet you will be. 454 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:02,919 Speaker 3: That's true. 455 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 2: Okay, So I've a budding young teen and I have 456 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:10,920 Speaker 2: a period like like young teens do, and I'm still 457 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:14,159 Speaker 2: getting used to how everything works with the products right, 458 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:17,199 Speaker 2: And basically, you know, we lived in a house that 459 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,920 Speaker 2: had a very ancient sewer system that you were not. 460 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:24,040 Speaker 1: To pull the chain like it was like the right, it. 461 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:25,680 Speaker 3: Was a sleeve on a pipe. 462 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 2: But no, it was always like, you know, don't even 463 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,160 Speaker 2: like put the good toilet paper down it kind of thing. 464 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 3: But you know, I'm a I'm a young teenager girl. 465 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:35,679 Speaker 2: I'm on the run and I'm self obsessed with me 466 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 2: And i had my own room in the basement and 467 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:42,160 Speaker 2: there was a toilet there and anyways, it got clogged up. 468 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 2: It was overflowing, basically flooded the entire basement. But it 469 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 2: wasn't nothing could be seen what it was just water, 470 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:53,520 Speaker 2: and so my mother had to you know, hire a plumber. 471 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 2: They went into another room in the basement, took apart 472 00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,919 Speaker 2: these ancient pipes that hadn't been taken apart in a 473 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 2: hundreds of years. 474 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, there was like lead poisoning warnings. And then they. 475 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 2: Pulled out one super tampon holy smoked and it was 476 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 2: it was rinsed clean, so it was just white in case. 477 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:17,280 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't care, I'm just surprised by the 478 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:18,080 Speaker 1: fucking expansion. 479 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,640 Speaker 3: It was basically like a cotton umbrel. 480 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,120 Speaker 1: Were you dying as a teenage girl when you found 481 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:27,560 Speaker 1: it out. 482 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 2: It was like a full denial now, and we need 483 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:35,920 Speaker 2: to talk about what the fuck he's doing in those battoms. 484 00:22:36,119 --> 00:22:38,439 Speaker 1: Also, I didn't help. The diplumbers were all shirtless and 485 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:41,320 Speaker 1: incredibly hot like so there. 486 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 3: Was men as far as the eye could see in 487 00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 3: every direction. 488 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: The clogpipes bring us to the flower beds in the 489 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 1: volleyball court. Once those projects had been approved, that German 490 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:58,879 Speaker 1: prisoners started smuggling dirt out in the open right, raking 491 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: evenly across volleyball court and mixing it into the planting soil. 492 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:05,720 Speaker 1: Once the guards got used to seeing piles of dirt 493 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:08,160 Speaker 1: scattered around, they didn't really think much of it, even 494 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:10,440 Speaker 1: when the piles seemed to never get any smaller and 495 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,359 Speaker 1: they're like, that's fucking weird. The digging prisoners took it 496 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,920 Speaker 1: in turns to work through October and November and into December. 497 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:19,800 Speaker 1: Outside the fence, there was a drainage stage they had 498 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:21,919 Speaker 1: to get past, which meant that the tunnel had to 499 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:23,680 Speaker 1: go even deeper underground. 500 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:24,160 Speaker 4: Now. 501 00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 1: To light the tunnel, the Germans used a single bulb 502 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: on the bare wire that connected back through the tunnel 503 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:31,800 Speaker 1: into a socket in the bathhouse. 504 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 3: Are you kidding me? 505 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,879 Speaker 2: They had like a they well, I guess engineers and 506 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:37,200 Speaker 2: all this working together. 507 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: Of course, the water and bear wiring met that the 508 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 1: wire shocked them as they work, which makes me fucking laugh. Yeah. Now, 509 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:45,919 Speaker 1: digging the tunnel was only one part of the preparations. 510 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,840 Speaker 1: The Germans also started storing food, maps, and other supplies 511 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:53,360 Speaker 1: for the journey. They forged papers by making US government 512 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:57,159 Speaker 1: stamps that they could use to approve documents. Looking at 513 00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 1: the map, time, do you say they made them? Yes, 514 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:02,959 Speaker 1: the fors papers by making government stamps. 515 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 3: There are This is not just flower beds and. 516 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 1: No, no, no in these rocks. I know, I know. 517 00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:11,280 Speaker 1: It's just like, you know, they have that military mentality 518 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:13,200 Speaker 1: and like sort of like fucking you. 519 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:16,280 Speaker 2: Know, and every day they're just asking for more materials. 520 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:18,720 Speaker 2: They're like, we're gonna need some. 521 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 1: That's not related, but we're gonna need a swimsuit. Uh, 522 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,760 Speaker 1: we're gonna need We're gonna need a Do you guys 523 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:28,679 Speaker 1: have a vacuum cleaner up here in. 524 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:31,480 Speaker 3: The printing press. We're gonna need a printing press. 525 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 1: It was the beginning of three D printing. Not a 526 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 1: lot of people know this. So looking at the map, 527 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,520 Speaker 1: three of the Germans even decided that they were going 528 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 1: to build a boat. They saw that the Hilo River 529 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:45,359 Speaker 1: ran south into Mexico, so they plan to carry raft 530 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:49,000 Speaker 1: through the tunnel and use it to float to freedom. 531 00:24:49,359 --> 00:24:52,360 Speaker 1: God so, okay, this is crazy. They tested out each 532 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:55,520 Speaker 1: part of their boat in the prison bathtub before disassembling 533 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 1: it to be carried through the tunnel. 534 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:00,119 Speaker 2: What kind of beautiful, large sized bathtub. First of all, 535 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 2: prisons don't have bathtubs. 536 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,440 Speaker 1: There was clawfoot. It was just like palm trees are out. 537 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:05,400 Speaker 3: It fantastic. 538 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: So one of the craziest things that the Germans engineered 539 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: was a makeshift radio receiver. They used wire, racial blades, 540 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 1: and other savage pieces of equipment and they tapped into 541 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:18,960 Speaker 1: the prison sparb wire fence to use it as an antenna. 542 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:22,160 Speaker 1: The radio receiver was so effective that they were able 543 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: to pick up Nazi radio broadcasts from the German propaganda ministry. 544 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:28,760 Speaker 1: It allowed them to follow the news of the war 545 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:32,680 Speaker 1: from the Nazi perspective. Can you believe how? 546 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:34,880 Speaker 2: I mean again, why did they have to do all 547 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:36,440 Speaker 2: of this? They could have just said, we need a 548 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:38,119 Speaker 2: radio and a transmitter. 549 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:40,399 Speaker 1: They're going, You're right, why didn't it? 550 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 3: Just as they just they're kidding everything else? 551 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:45,199 Speaker 2: Like I need it for I need to I like 552 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 2: to talk to people when I'm bathing. 553 00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:51,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, Hey, Sandy, how is it going? How is little 554 00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:54,159 Speaker 1: h my God? Also, like I don't know, you know, 555 00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:56,280 Speaker 1: not not because of the story, but just in general. 556 00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:58,639 Speaker 1: I have some friends that are so handy at building 557 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,120 Speaker 1: shit out of nothing, and I just realize how ill 558 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,920 Speaker 1: equipped I would be for the apocalypse, you know what 559 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:05,879 Speaker 1: I'm saying. I'd just like be wandering around be like, 560 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 1: does anybody need acting? 561 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 4: Oh? 562 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 3: Trust me, I have thought about this a million times. 563 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:15,119 Speaker 2: I'd be like, I'm going to lighten the mood. 564 00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:19,480 Speaker 1: So because they had a radio. When the Nazi army 565 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:21,840 Speaker 1: launched the Battle of the bulg in Europe in December 566 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,760 Speaker 1: nineteen forty four, the prisoners in Compound one A were 567 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:27,639 Speaker 1: able to fall along and celebrate the advance of the 568 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,879 Speaker 1: German tanks across Belgium, which in and of itself the 569 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 1: Battle of the Bulch was a fucking insane plan by 570 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:36,240 Speaker 1: a drug addicted hitler. And I don't know how much 571 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:37,879 Speaker 1: you know about it, but I don't. 572 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:39,639 Speaker 2: As a matter of fact, when you said Battle of 573 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 2: the Bulch, I was like, that's where we got it from, yeah, right, 574 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:45,520 Speaker 2: because I was just like, I've only heard this in 575 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:49,440 Speaker 2: context of like dumb weight loss, but obviously, oh really, 576 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 2: I have. 577 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:53,399 Speaker 1: Never heard the term outside of the outside of the battle. Basically, 578 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:55,919 Speaker 1: he knew he was losing the war, he was losing 579 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:57,960 Speaker 1: in the East, and now he had gotten invaded in 580 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: D Day in the West. So fucking absolute meth head 581 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 1: that he was, he decided to throw everything everything he had, 582 00:27:07,119 --> 00:27:10,159 Speaker 1: full court press, full court press, so that they couldn't 583 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:11,920 Speaker 1: make it to the port. But they were all the 584 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,600 Speaker 1: way back out to Germany, I believe, and they'd worked 585 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:16,400 Speaker 1: at first, which is a crazy thing. They threw all 586 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:21,000 Speaker 1: their tanks or every available tank commanders over to the 587 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:24,040 Speaker 1: Allies and then in they are. Then forest was where 588 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,280 Speaker 1: they finally stopped because nobody sent them with extra fuel. 589 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:30,160 Speaker 1: They just had to calculate that they have enough fuel 590 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,440 Speaker 1: to get to a port and then capture the fuel supplies. 591 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:34,320 Speaker 1: But if it didn't work. There's just no point to 592 00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 1: this fucking advance because if they had no fuel, it 593 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:38,920 Speaker 1: would get up number one and number two. They didn't 594 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:41,480 Speaker 1: have enough troops to hold any of this territory, so 595 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:43,440 Speaker 1: it was literally just an insane. 596 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:44,880 Speaker 3: Fucking suicide for all these people. 597 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 1: It was a scary kind of to the Allies because 598 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:48,159 Speaker 1: you're getting attacked out and it was just like, you 599 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:51,240 Speaker 1: can't fucking win this. Why are we fighting? And it 600 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:54,680 Speaker 1: just goes to show you how fanatical people were and 601 00:27:55,119 --> 00:27:57,760 Speaker 1: listening to every order even if it made no sense 602 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:00,760 Speaker 1: and it meant their death. Now that you know, I 603 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:02,679 Speaker 1: love this. Some World War two histories are going to 604 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:03,600 Speaker 1: fact check the shit out of me. 605 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 2: If anyone writes into fact check you on anything. Just 606 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:08,200 Speaker 2: realize you've made their day? 607 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 4: Is it? That's it? 608 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:11,200 Speaker 1: They spend twenty four hours. 609 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:12,400 Speaker 3: Say happy right now. 610 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:18,919 Speaker 1: So back in the German camp, five days before Christmas, 611 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: the tunnel was complete. Both ends were this guy's with 612 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,520 Speaker 1: boards and brush, and it was time to put the 613 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:33,400 Speaker 1: rest of their escape plane into action. On the night 614 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:35,439 Speaker 1: of the summer of twenty third, nineteen forty four, the 615 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:38,440 Speaker 1: German prisoners threw a party next door in Compound one 616 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 1: B the guards try to shut them down a few times. 617 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:43,760 Speaker 1: So they were busy going in and out of Compound 618 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 1: one all night. 619 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:46,720 Speaker 3: Ye, here's what works at a prison. 620 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:48,400 Speaker 1: Why stop? 621 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:51,920 Speaker 2: So so all right, it's fun, it's fun. 622 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: I get it. Yeah, so the quiet, the quiet, Compound 623 00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:00,160 Speaker 1: one A got no attention. Just before nine pm, the 624 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: escape plan began. The twenty five soldiers organized into small, 625 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:08,320 Speaker 1: three man flight groups. He started dropping down into the tunnels. 626 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:11,120 Speaker 1: The tunnel was almost two hundred feet long, and it 627 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,560 Speaker 1: crossed under two lines of fences and even the perimeter 628 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,959 Speaker 1: road that went around the park. It took more than 629 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,360 Speaker 1: a half an hour for each group to crawl through 630 00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:23,200 Speaker 1: to the other side. Prisoners who stay behind the Papaco 631 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:26,360 Speaker 1: Park closed up the tunnel once they were through. What 632 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:27,440 Speaker 1: would you think if you were just one of the 633 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 1: dudes that was left be hiding, like, but you are 634 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 1: coming back, right? I was just wet here. 635 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:34,040 Speaker 2: Well, this sounds like they're like, you guys threw a 636 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,600 Speaker 2: party while we escape. I'd be like that, no, no, 637 00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:37,840 Speaker 2: wait this second. 638 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 3: No, no, yeah, that was what the party was. 639 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:43,520 Speaker 1: We like people that were like wait what I was 640 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:44,600 Speaker 1: having a fucking green. 641 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:46,520 Speaker 3: It was just like a blower just like. 642 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:51,400 Speaker 1: The far end of the tunnel opened into a clump 643 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:54,880 Speaker 1: of bushes on the bank of a nearby canal. As 644 00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:56,680 Speaker 1: the men started to emerge, he found that it was 645 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,840 Speaker 1: raining super hard. It was a cold December desert rain, 646 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,400 Speaker 1: but all the same, it will help screen their escape. 647 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:05,600 Speaker 2: So they even got lucky with the weather. That never 648 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:06,720 Speaker 2: happens for. 649 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,320 Speaker 1: Just for a little while. As each flight group had 650 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:11,520 Speaker 1: made it through the passage, they slid down into the canal, 651 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:13,760 Speaker 1: where the water was about three feet deep. If they 652 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:17,120 Speaker 1: stayed load, the escapees could then wade quietly forward, and 653 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,480 Speaker 1: the canal banks would keep them out of sight from 654 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 1: any prison guards looking their way. How the fuck the 655 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:25,120 Speaker 1: army thought that this was inescapable. There's like an escape 656 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 1: highway right outside. I will never know. 657 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:30,120 Speaker 2: Oh, Like, when you're building a tunnel, don't you think 658 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:32,080 Speaker 2: like when you get to the end, like you wouldn't 659 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:33,440 Speaker 2: just be like, Okay, now I'm going to go back 660 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:34,080 Speaker 2: and wait for the plan. 661 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 3: Wouldn't you just go well. 662 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They're like, I wouldn't have the 663 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 1: wherewithal to be Like, I'm like, fuck those guys they 664 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,120 Speaker 1: were having a party. I'm I'm just gonna pelt it 665 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,760 Speaker 1: out here. I'm just gonna run fast and make a 666 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:47,880 Speaker 1: lot of noise. I think that's how it was got so. 667 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 1: Once the Germans moved far enough to be out of 668 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:52,480 Speaker 1: side of the prison, the flight groups went their separate ways. 669 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:55,000 Speaker 1: They all look for places to lay low. The three 670 00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:58,120 Speaker 1: men carrying the pieces of the boat marched west towards Phoenix. 671 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:00,600 Speaker 1: They found a public school that was locked, and they 672 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,480 Speaker 1: went inside, where they prepared for their journey down the 673 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:06,120 Speaker 1: Hilo River, which they were going to reach the very 674 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:10,640 Speaker 1: next day. Oh Captain Jurgen Wattenburg took the other two 675 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:13,760 Speaker 1: men and marched northwest into the hills around Phoenix. They 676 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 1: found a cave where they would hide out and plot 677 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,520 Speaker 1: their next move, And with that, twenty five German navymen 678 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 1: had achieved the largest mass escape from any American prison 679 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 1: camp in World War Two. 680 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 3: Dun Dun Dunn. 681 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:29,800 Speaker 1: But for some of these ski piece so journey did 682 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:32,480 Speaker 1: not last long. One twenty two year old soldier only 683 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:35,720 Speaker 1: lasted one day because after being pounded by cold rain, 684 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 1: here we go, dring in the cold canal and trying 685 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:42,480 Speaker 1: to eat a meal of dried Brent cubs that he 686 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,720 Speaker 1: had packed for himself in his pockets, which is so 687 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:46,240 Speaker 1: fucking stupid it makes me laugh. 688 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 3: That's like ridiculous. One of them was dumb. 689 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 1: One of them was incredibly dumb. He was the guy 690 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: that was like, I thought we were going back to 691 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:54,840 Speaker 1: the pat I don't know what they don't. So he 692 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: hitchhike directly to the local sheriff and asked to be 693 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 1: brought back to the prison. The sheriff called Papaco Park 694 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:03,840 Speaker 1: just as prison officials. We're discovering the missing men the 695 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:06,760 Speaker 1: next day. Also, the descert gets really fucking cold to night, 696 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,920 Speaker 1: so I'm thinking, particularly in the winter, you get rained, 697 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: you're a fucked Yeah. 698 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:14,040 Speaker 2: Can you imagine how great your life is at that 699 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 2: prison if you escape and with the taste of freedom, 700 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 2: you go, this is hard. 701 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:19,800 Speaker 3: I should go back. 702 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:22,080 Speaker 1: I'm going back with the sex work stuff. And like 703 00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:25,280 Speaker 1: they have baths, they have cloth to baths, Like no 704 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:25,840 Speaker 1: one does that. 705 00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:29,600 Speaker 2: No one's Like I'm a prisoner of war in another country. 706 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:32,560 Speaker 2: I escaped and it's like feels hard and I'm hungry. 707 00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:35,120 Speaker 1: God, I have one hundred and fifty percent. You are 708 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 1: so fucking rare, Like there is no prison where you 709 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:40,680 Speaker 1: exactly where you're Like we were you suddenly don't have 710 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:43,240 Speaker 1: a fucking five force meal and you're like, actually, I 711 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:46,200 Speaker 1: don't mind. I'm not it's not for me. Not for me. 712 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:47,920 Speaker 3: I liked it when I had friends. 713 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:50,920 Speaker 1: What a great point of me. So other flight groups 714 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:53,080 Speaker 1: have been less lucky in trying to find spots to hide, 715 00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:55,400 Speaker 1: so instead of empty schools and farms, at least two 716 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:57,760 Speaker 1: of them went directly into a farmhouse and knocked on 717 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: the door on Christmas Eve asking for food and shelter. 718 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:03,400 Speaker 1: They were quickly turned in by no, no, no, not 719 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:06,080 Speaker 1: in Christmas. They're like, well not Christmas. Any other day, Yes, 720 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:07,800 Speaker 1: we would have your picking cantalope. 721 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,400 Speaker 3: The army jumped into the day It's family, Yes, it's right. 722 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:14,080 Speaker 1: The day it was vin Diesel actually at the time 723 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:17,160 Speaker 1: catching all of them, so they called them the FBI, 724 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:20,560 Speaker 1: the Border Patrol, and every other agency that would lend 725 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: a hand. A reward was offered of twenty five dollars 726 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:27,240 Speaker 1: for each German pow captured. That's like four hundred dollars 727 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:29,960 Speaker 1: of today's money. But yeah, I don't no, no, it 728 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 1: doesn't seem like they would trying very hard. 729 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:33,640 Speaker 3: Right, Oh, no, Like how much do you get when 730 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:34,440 Speaker 3: you win the voice. 731 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:36,200 Speaker 1: They're like, I don't know. We got twenty dollars at 732 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 1: a bus pass. Anybody any takers. 733 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:41,760 Speaker 3: Yes, it should be the equivalent to one million dollars. 734 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:46,960 Speaker 1: So ranchers, farmers, and local trackers all started combing the desert. 735 00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:49,920 Speaker 1: Once they found the prisoners tracks, it was actually pretty easy. 736 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:52,160 Speaker 1: Most of the fight groups were caught as they tried 737 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:55,560 Speaker 1: to cross the desert on foot, but the V shapes 738 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:57,560 Speaker 1: had been cut into the soles of the prison shoes, 739 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:00,440 Speaker 1: so their tracks easily stood out. They're like, it's either 740 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:04,760 Speaker 1: here or there's like some mighty offensive ostriches walking around. 741 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:07,240 Speaker 2: Oh that's hilarious. No one ever thought to do that 742 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:10,200 Speaker 2: to change their so whatever. 743 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 1: Had a little arrow, like literally, it had a little 744 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:14,359 Speaker 1: arrow pointing in the direction that they went. 745 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:14,920 Speaker 4: So this. 746 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:20,200 Speaker 2: Is getting more and more road runner every single second. 747 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:23,000 Speaker 1: But what about the three boatmen. You know, they might 748 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:25,480 Speaker 1: have actually escaped if there wasn't a major flaw in 749 00:34:25,520 --> 00:34:28,000 Speaker 1: their nautical plan. Not with a boat, mind you. That 750 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:30,800 Speaker 1: worked great because they tried it out in their beautiful 751 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,360 Speaker 1: claw foot bath the but they dragged it thirty miles 752 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:37,319 Speaker 1: over the desert and finally they'd reached the Heelo River, 753 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:40,960 Speaker 1: and here, my friends, was a flaw. Germans had assumed 754 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:43,240 Speaker 1: that if a map showed the river, they would count 755 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:45,600 Speaker 1: on a river. But what they didn't know was that 756 00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:49,080 Speaker 1: by December, the Heel River was hardly more than a 757 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:52,440 Speaker 1: trickle running through puddles a mud, so there was nowhere 758 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:56,520 Speaker 1: they could flow their fucking boat. Got your motherfucking I 759 00:34:56,560 --> 00:35:00,000 Speaker 1: can just it just gives me such joy, like I imagine. 760 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:02,439 Speaker 1: And they try to just like slush through the shit 761 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:06,040 Speaker 1: like it's not working. It's not working, just thick mud 762 00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: and shale. And you've spent. 763 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:11,400 Speaker 2: Hours building a boat ahead of the finest days. 764 00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:13,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, you could have been playing volleyball this. 765 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:15,560 Speaker 3: Entire time, Yes, smelling roses. 766 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:18,560 Speaker 1: They try to find deeper spots to launch, but they 767 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,000 Speaker 1: could never go down more than the short stretch of 768 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:24,520 Speaker 1: the muddy river bed before they would get stuck again. Eventually, 769 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:27,200 Speaker 1: they abandoned the boat and decided to walk. Two days later, 770 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:28,839 Speaker 1: when they stopped for a breather, two of the men 771 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:30,840 Speaker 1: laid down for a nap, and the third decided he 772 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,600 Speaker 1: would take a bath and wash his underwear. Okay, and 773 00:35:33,640 --> 00:35:35,960 Speaker 1: that's what he was doing when the cowboys caught up 774 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:40,120 Speaker 1: with him. They literally found him with his pants down. Ah, 775 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:44,040 Speaker 1: how about the rest of the slippery Nazis. Well, one 776 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:46,840 Speaker 1: of the eskps ended up breaking down under questioning and 777 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,480 Speaker 1: telling the prison guards how it all went down. Following 778 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:52,879 Speaker 1: his testimony, they finally discovered the hidden tunnel. The other 779 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:55,480 Speaker 1: German prisoners had been hoping that if they didn't give 780 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 1: the tunnel away, the guards would never find it and 781 00:35:58,239 --> 00:36:00,520 Speaker 1: other prisoners could use it again to escape the future. 782 00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:03,680 Speaker 1: Another one of the escapees gave up after he had 783 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:06,759 Speaker 1: a run in with a Chola cactus. The spines had 784 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:09,160 Speaker 1: dug their wig into his foot and he didn't know 785 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:11,439 Speaker 1: how to deal with it. It hurts so fucking bad 786 00:36:11,480 --> 00:36:13,279 Speaker 1: that they just asked the farmer to drive them back 787 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:15,799 Speaker 1: to the station. Apparently the Chola actors is also the 788 00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:20,000 Speaker 1: worst kind of thing. Oh yeah, fucking haha, Nazi piece 789 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:20,319 Speaker 1: of shit. 790 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:26,160 Speaker 4: So, just like the Battle, Tarantino came into this podcast. 791 00:36:26,239 --> 00:36:28,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, so ha ha ha yeah what I like what? 792 00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:31,240 Speaker 1: I like his stories. I like stories because it's fun, 793 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:34,120 Speaker 1: because it's fun. Violence, it's fun. So that's my terrible 794 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:37,279 Speaker 1: one to replace. I guess I'm not getting cast in 795 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:38,080 Speaker 1: his last film. Shit. 796 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:41,200 Speaker 3: So just like the Battle of the bulls. 797 00:36:41,239 --> 00:36:43,600 Speaker 1: The escape was a big Nazi plan that made splashy 798 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:47,040 Speaker 1: headlines before ending in complete fucking failure, and the last 799 00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:50,360 Speaker 1: Gairman call was whiny little Jurorgan Vazenburg. He mentioned to 800 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:52,360 Speaker 1: hide out in his cave until the end of January, 801 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:54,319 Speaker 1: when he tried to make his way to a train 802 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:57,040 Speaker 1: in Phoenix. He went to a hotel, had dinner, and 803 00:36:57,080 --> 00:36:59,239 Speaker 1: then asked a gas station attendant the way to the 804 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:02,799 Speaker 1: train station. Now, fortunately the attendant had recognized Wattenburg. The 805 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:05,640 Speaker 1: Arizona Republic had just published a story about him that 806 00:37:05,800 --> 00:37:08,920 Speaker 1: morning titled the big Shots Still at Large. When the 807 00:37:08,960 --> 00:37:11,400 Speaker 1: police stopped Addenburg, he said, I'm the big shot you 808 00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:12,120 Speaker 1: are looking for. 809 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:15,879 Speaker 2: Oh my god, the guy had way too much ego. 810 00:37:17,719 --> 00:37:20,120 Speaker 1: Yeah. So in the end, all of the Germans were 811 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:23,520 Speaker 1: recaptured in the state of Arizona. People around Phoenix were 812 00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:27,000 Speaker 1: especially furious when the Arizona Republic reported that some of 813 00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:31,120 Speaker 1: the escapees were caught with milk, gum, tobacco, and slaps 814 00:37:31,120 --> 00:37:32,840 Speaker 1: of bacon in their fucking packs. 815 00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:37,799 Speaker 4: It was clear just slaps, some just thick cut bacon, which, 816 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:41,160 Speaker 4: by the way, bacon, as you may know, is and 817 00:37:41,239 --> 00:37:43,440 Speaker 4: I'm sure at the time the luxury food. 818 00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:45,120 Speaker 3: That is the luxury food. 819 00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:48,520 Speaker 1: Oh my god, foods. There's very little I won't do 820 00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:49,680 Speaker 1: for some thick cut bacon. 821 00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:52,120 Speaker 2: It was the most expensive. If you raise pigs, it 822 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,160 Speaker 2: means that you don't. You're like, because pigs are. They 823 00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:56,080 Speaker 2: don't do anything else. 824 00:37:56,800 --> 00:38:00,840 Speaker 1: They just exist and they cuddle and then they die 825 00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:03,279 Speaker 1: for you to have some bacon. Yeah, all of our 826 00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:05,920 Speaker 1: vegan all of our vegan listeners are like, fuck you, guys. 827 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:09,000 Speaker 1: We know how it works. We've been telling you for centuries. Sorry, guys. 828 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:11,959 Speaker 1: So it was clear that the prisoners had been giving 829 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:13,719 Speaker 1: things that were scarce at the time, while most of 830 00:38:13,760 --> 00:38:16,440 Speaker 1: the country was rationing for the war. The papers made 831 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:18,719 Speaker 1: sure to point out that the prison at Papago Park 832 00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:22,200 Speaker 1: held the most ruthless and fanatical Nazis, for instance, like 833 00:38:22,239 --> 00:38:25,719 Speaker 1: fucking Jurgen. After in nineteen forty five, he got sent 834 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:28,960 Speaker 1: back to Germany. There he put his prison experience to 835 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:31,759 Speaker 1: good use. He became the branch manager of the Bavaria 836 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:34,240 Speaker 1: and Saint Pauli Brewery in Luba. 837 00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:38,480 Speaker 2: Are you kidding me? This guy talk about failing up. 838 00:38:38,560 --> 00:38:41,040 Speaker 2: They talk about men failing up in life, but this guy, 839 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:41,799 Speaker 2: oh my god. 840 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:44,719 Speaker 1: For like Nazis fucking failing up makes me particularly mad. 841 00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:49,600 Speaker 1: Like but brewery, they're like, well, this is like give 842 00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:52,240 Speaker 1: him a beer, give okay, fine, RelA tiation him was lesson. 843 00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:54,719 Speaker 1: Give him a beer. Give him as many beers as 844 00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:54,960 Speaker 1: he won. 845 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:57,520 Speaker 3: The Jurugan's got a couple stories? Oh really does? You're 846 00:38:57,560 --> 00:38:58,520 Speaker 3: gonna have a couple of stories. 847 00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:02,560 Speaker 1: And the brewery has since been demolished, but the legend 848 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,400 Speaker 1: says that you can still hear his whiny, little shitty 849 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:10,279 Speaker 1: voice on the Southwest. That's it, that's the sound hear it. 850 00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:11,920 Speaker 3: I am not in the. 851 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,719 Speaker 1: And that is our story. Thank you so much, a 852 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:17,640 Speaker 1: fear for coming. 853 00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:23,680 Speaker 2: You know what, Jurgen is the luckiest motherfucker, laniest motherfucker 854 00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:24,800 Speaker 2: I've ever heard of. 855 00:39:25,200 --> 00:39:27,439 Speaker 1: But what is what is the biggest takeaway from the story? 856 00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:29,279 Speaker 1: What do you think you're going to remember from it? 857 00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:31,080 Speaker 2: You know, if you look at it from the point 858 00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,120 Speaker 2: of view, is that in the beginning, you know, at 859 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:34,520 Speaker 2: one point in the story we were talking about how 860 00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:37,600 Speaker 2: the Germans were coddled in order for the Americans to 861 00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:39,719 Speaker 2: get information out of him. 862 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:40,560 Speaker 3: That was the tactic. 863 00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:44,719 Speaker 2: But if you look at this crazy like insanity of 864 00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:47,239 Speaker 2: the lifestyle they were given. How stupid these guards were 865 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:50,480 Speaker 2: in Arizona. You just like I'm amazed that any of 866 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:51,360 Speaker 2: this is possible. 867 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:53,360 Speaker 1: Listen, I gotta tell you, this has been some of 868 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:55,680 Speaker 1: the most fun I've had during episode. 869 00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:56,160 Speaker 3: That's very sweet. 870 00:39:56,239 --> 00:39:58,640 Speaker 2: I loved, I loved, I learned a little something, so 871 00:39:58,760 --> 00:39:59,799 Speaker 2: thank you, Urduro. 872 00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:00,000 Speaker 1: Thank you. 873 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:00,520 Speaker 4: Well. 874 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:02,520 Speaker 1: I think when they fact check me, it turns out 875 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:05,360 Speaker 1: that none of this was true, but we learned to 876 00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:07,680 Speaker 1: get it. But the Angelope thing was her with you. 877 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:11,239 Speaker 1: When for our listeners, where can they find you? 878 00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:13,920 Speaker 2: Oh, they can find me in all the socials at 879 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:18,000 Speaker 2: O Fira e uh and I play all around tour 880 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:20,240 Speaker 2: and all around. You can also listen to my podcast 881 00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:23,759 Speaker 2: parenting as a joke on iHeart Weekly Episodes. 882 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,200 Speaker 1: Awesome, Thank you so much, Afirah. We'll see you next time, 883 00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:31,160 Speaker 1: and here's a mop of music to play us out. 884 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:48,239 Speaker 1: Grady's Escapes is a production of iHeartRadio and Film Nation 885 00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:52,359 Speaker 1: Entertainment in association with Gilded Audio. Our executive producers from 886 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,239 Speaker 1: me Or Touro Castro, Lissa Martino and Milan Popelka from 887 00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:58,640 Speaker 1: Film Nation Entertainment, Andrew Chug and Winning Donaldson from Gilded 888 00:40:58,680 --> 00:41:02,280 Speaker 1: Audio and Dylan Fagan from iHeartRadio. The show is produced 889 00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:05,480 Speaker 1: and edited by Carl Nellis and Ben Chubb, who are also, respectively, 890 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:09,000 Speaker 1: our research overlord and music Overlord. Our associate producer is 891 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:12,000 Speaker 1: Tory Smith, who's our other overlord. Nick Dooley is our 892 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:15,840 Speaker 1: technical director. Additional editing by Whitney Donaldson. Special thanks to 893 00:41:15,880 --> 00:41:19,840 Speaker 1: Alison Cohen, Dan Welsh, Ben Riizek, Sarah Joyner, Nicki Stein, 894 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:35,440 Speaker 1: Olivia Canny, and Kelsey Albright. Hey, thank you so much 895 00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:37,680 Speaker 1: for listening, and if you're enjoying the show, please drop 896 00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:40,000 Speaker 1: a rating or review. My mom will call you each 897 00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:42,759 Speaker 1: personally and thank you, and we'll see you all next 898 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:43,120 Speaker 1: week