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The Colditz Cock was a glider built by British prisoners of war for an escape attempt from Oflag IV-C (Colditz Castle) in Germany.

Background[edit]

Following the execution of 50 prisoners who had taken part in the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III, the Allied High Command had discouraged escape attempts, though the plan to build a glider was encouraged in order to divert the energies of the prisoners from descending into boredom and tedium. The idea for the glider came from Lieutenant Tony Rolt. Rolt, who was not even an airman, had noticed the chapel roof line was completely obscured from German view. He realised that the roof would make a perfect launching point from which the glider could fly across the River Mulde, which was about 60 metres below.

Construction[edit]

The team was headed by Bill Goldfinch and Jack Best. Goldfinch and Best were aided by their discovery in the prison library of 'Aircraft Design', a two-volume work by C.H. Latimer-Needham which explained the necessary physics and engineering and included a detailed diagram of a wing section. The glider was assembled by Goldfinch and Best and 12 assistants known as 'apostles', in the lower attic above the chapel. Future RAF Air commodoreGeoffrey D. Stephenson assisted in the project.^[3] The 60 ft long runway was to be constructed from tables and the glider was to be launched using a pulley system based on a falling metal bathtub full of concrete, using a gravity-assisted acceleration to 30 mph (50 km/h).^[4]

The officers who took part in the project built a false wall to hide the secret space in the attic where they slowly built the glider from stolen pieces of wood. Since the Germans were accustomed to looking down for tunnels, not up for secret workshops, the officers felt quite safe from detection. Nevertheless, they placed many lookouts and created an electric alarm system to warn the builders of approaching guards.

Over thirty ribs had to be constructed (around a third being structural compression ribs), predominantly formed from bed slats, but also from every other piece of wood the POWs could surreptitiously obtain. The wing spars were constructed from floor boards. Control wires were made from electrical wiring in unused portions of the castle. A glider expert, Lorne Welch, was asked to review the stress diagrams and calculations made by Goldfinch.

The glider constructed was a lightweight, two-seater, high wing, monoplane design. It had a Mooney-style rudder and square elevators. The wingspan, tip to tip, was 32 ft (9.75 m), and it was 19 ft 9 in (6 m) from nose to tail. Prison sleeping bags of blue and white checked cotton were used to skin the glider, and German rationmillet was boiled and used as a form of dope to seal the cloth pores.^[5] The completed glider weighed 240 lb (109 kg).

The take-off was scheduled for the spring of 1945 during an air raid blackout but by then the Allied guns could be heard and the war's outcome was fairly certain. The British escape officer decided that the glider should be available for use in case the SS ordered the massacre of the prisoners as a way to get a message out to approaching American troops. The glider was approaching completion when the American Army liberated the camp on 16 April 1945.

Although the Colditz Cock never flew in real life, the concept was fictionalized, depicting a successful flight and escape, in the 1971 TV film The Birdmen starring Doug McClure, Chuck Connors, René Auberjonois and Richard Basehart. One episode of the BBC TV series Colditz depicts the decision to build a glider as an escape attempt. It is also depicted in the final escape from Colditz Castle in the fictional story depicted in Prisoner of War, a video game released in 2002.

The fate of the glider is not known, but the castle was in the zone controlled by the Soviets, who did not co-operate with its reclamation. The only evidence of its completion was a photograph, said to have been taken by an American soldier. However, Goldfinch had kept his drawings, which enabled a one-third scale model to be constructed. This was eventually launched from the castle roof in 1993.

Modern replica[edit]

A flyable expanded polystyrene model of the glider was produced by the model kit manufacturer Airfix in its Skycraft range in the 1970s.^[6]

In 1999, a full-sized replica of the Colditz glider was commissioned by Channel 4 and was built by Southdown Aviation Ltd at Lasham Airfield. The glider was test flown successfully in 2000 by John Lee on its first attempt at RAF Odiham with Best, Goldfinch and about a dozen of the veterans who had worked on the original more than 55 years earlier proudly looking on. Ciel solution 2013 plus keygen cracks. Jack Best died later that year. The replica is now housed at the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum at Flixton, Suffolk.

The programme was shown in 2000 by Channel 4 in the UK as part of a 3-part documentary series called 'Escape from Colditz'. The Channel 4 material was edited to 60 minutes and shown in the US in 2001 as 'Nazi Prison Escape' on the Nova television series.

In March 2012, a radio-controlled, full-sized replica glider was built by Tony Hoskins' UK based glider maintenance/repair company South East Aircraft Services in the Chapel attic and was flown from Colditz for a Channel 4 documentary and launched it (unmanned) from the same roof as had been planned for the original. The radio-controlled replica made it safely across the river and landed in a meadow 180 metres below.^[7] The documentary aired in North America on PBS under the title 'Escape from Nazi Alcatraz' on 14 May 2014.^[8] The glider built for this 2012 documentary now forms part of a new museum display in the Chapel Attic in Colditz castle, and opened to the public on the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Colditz in April 2015.

The book Flight from Colditz by Tony Hoskins was published by Pen & Sword in the UK in April 2016. It tells not only the story of the original example built by the prisoners, but also details the other replicas built and on display.

Specifications[edit]

Data from British Gliders and Sailplanes^[9]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 20 ft 0 in (6.1 m)
• Wingspan: 32 ft 0 in (9.75 m)
• Aspect ratio: 6.4
• Airfoil:Clark Y-H
• Empty weight: 240 lb (108.86 kg)
• Gross weight: 560 lb (254.02 kg)

Performance

• Stall speed: 31 mph (50 km/h, 27 kn)
• Lift-to-drag: 12:1
• Wing loading: 3.45 lb/sq ft (16.84 kg/m²)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^P.R.Reid 'The Latter Days at Colditz', chapter XXV
2. ^P.R.Reid 'Colditz: The Final Story', photograph caption
3. ^http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.com/raf1939/stephenson.html
4. ^http://www.colditzappreciationsociety.com%2FSeptember%25202007%2520Newsletter.pdf
5. ^'Building the Colditz Glider'. Nova. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
6. ^James, D.B. (2009). 'The Airfix Kit Range'. pws.prserv.net. Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
7. ^'Colditz Castle glider escape plot realised more than 65 years after the war'.
8. ^PBS Nova, 'Escape from Nazi Alcatraz: A crack team rebuilds a glider that POWs hoped to catapult off the top of Colditz Castle' Aired 14 May 2014
9. ^Ellison, Norman (1971). British Gliders and Sailplanes 1922-1970 (1st ed.). London: Adam & Charles Black. ISBN0 7136 1189 8.

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 51°07′53″N12°48′26″E / 51.13139°N 12.80722°E

Pan Am Flight 121 was a scheduled Pan American World Airways flight from Karachi to Istanbul. Office 2010 latest version number. On the evening of June 18, 1947, the Lockheed L-049 Constellation serving the flight, known as the Clipper Eclipse (previously Clipper Dublin), suffered an engine failure. This led to the overheating of the remaining engines until one caught fire, which spread to the aircraft. The heat from burning magnesium parts caused the engine to fall from the aircraft, leaving it unable to maintain altitude. Early in the morning of June 19, 1947 the plane crashed in the Syrian desert 4 miles (6.4 km) from the town of Mayadin. Fifteen people were killed, including 7 crew and 8 passengers. The three surviving crew members were third officer Gene Roddenberry (who went on to create the original Star Trek television series), the chief purser, and one stewardess. After rescuing passengers from the burning wreckage, Roddenberry took control as the ranking flight officer and organized scout parties to find aid. By midday, the Syrian Army took the survivors to the hospital at Deir ez-Zor. The majority returned to the United States quickly while Roddenberry remained in Syria for two weeks to answer questions about the crash from the local government.

• 1Flight history

Flight history[edit]

Prior to the fatal flight, the Lockheed L-049 Constellation known as the Clipper Eclipse had suffered engine problems during a flight earlier that week. This had required it to turn back near Gander, Newfoundland on the outbound leg of the journey, and delayed it for two days.^[1] A cylinder was replaced in the number 2 engine, as a failure in the top piston ring was found.^[2] A further problem was found in that engine later in the week while in Rome. Captain Joseph Hart, Jr., 42, and chief purser Anthony Volpe were walking under the wing when Volpe spotted what he thought was oil dripping from the engine. It turned out to be hydraulic fluid and required a replacement pump to be installed.^[3][4]

Captain Hart's flight crew included first officer Robert McCoy, 25, from Maugansville, Maryland,^[5] and third officer Gene Roddenberry, 25, of River Edge, New Jersey.^[1] Roddenberry had no role on the plane to perform, as he was 'deadheading' – riding as a passenger on the flight without any set duties – although that changed during the flight.^[3] There were a total of 36 passengers and crew on the plane.^[1]

The plane departed Karachi at 3:37pm on a flight to Istanbul.^[3] This was the first leg of the return leg of the journey back to New York.^[6] The flight was expected to take ten and a half hours, and fly at a cruising altitude of 18,500 feet (5,600 m).^[7] Five hours into the flight, Roddenberry took over from Hart at the wheel to give the Captain a break. While Hart was out of the cockpit, the number one engine developed a fault with the exhaust rocker arm, and so Roddenberry shut the engine down.^[3]

Hart returned to the cockpit and evaluated the situation. Knowing that the plane could fly on three engines, and that the local airstrips would not be able to make immediate repairs, he decided to continue on to Istanbul. The remaining engines, however, could not take the increased load and began to overheat. Hart descended the plane in an attempt to cool them, also reducing the power in order to keep them going. At 10 pm, he ordered radioman Nelson Miles to advise local fields of their position, which was recorded as being at 14,000 feet (4,300 m), and 50 miles (80 km) east of Baghdad, Iraq. The Royal Air Force field at Habbaniya suggested that the Eclipse should land there, but Hart was worried once again about repair facilities and decided to press on. A cockpit alarm activated at around 11:30 pm, indicating that the number 2 engine had caught fire.^[8]

Fire suppressant measures failed to put out the fire, and the engine quickly became so hot that the magnesium components began to burn. Hart sent Roddenberry back to the passenger compartment to ready them for a crash landing, knowing that the engine would quickly fall from the plane causing the plane to become un-airworthy. Hart wanted to take the plane to the airstrip at Deir ez-Zor, Syria, but it became apparent that he did not have sufficient time to make it there. So he began to take the plane down, and ordered Miles to radio a distress message.^[8] Roddenberry reassured the passengers that everything was under control. He ordered the stewardess to stay in her seat while he and Volpe reiterated the crash procedures to the passengers. The chief purser sat next to the stewardess near the front of the plane, while Roddenberry sat three rows from the rear.^[9]

The fire spread to the wing and shortly afterwards, the engine separated from the plane. This ruptured the gasoline lines, feeding the fire. As the plane was coming down, a passenger screamed loudly and Roddenberry moved to comfort her; seconds later the plane struck the ground. Roddenberry suffered two broken ribs, not having been strapped down.^[10] The aircraft crashed near Mayadin and the Euphrates river at around 3:30 am local time.^[1][6][11]

The pilot's attempt to bring the plane down safely in the desert was later praised by one of the surviving passengers. A passenger said that the landing would have been successful had an engine on the port wing not dug into the ground, dragging the plane in that direction in a ground loop and breaking it in two.^[12] There were 15 people killed in the crash, 8 passengers and 7 crew members.^[6] The impact killed the crew in the cockpit, and ripped the sides of the fuselage away from the plane. This enabled some of the passengers to jump directly from the burning plane to the ground.^[13]

Roddenberry plus the surviving crew members began evacuating the injured from the burning plane. Injured passengers were handed them over to the uninjured passengers who took them further away. A passenger's seatbelt would not release until Roddenberry forced it open and helped her to safety. He continued to help passengers, and attempted to put out fires with a pillow as they spread through the passenger cabin. Soon the fire had spread so much that further trips couldn't be made into the aircraft for survivors. ^[14] 'The last passenger Roddenberry pulled out died in his arms.'^[15]

Search and recovery[edit]

Equipment was gathered from the burning wreckage, including several first aid kits, a number of the passengers' coats and an inflatable life raft. As the only surviving flight officer, Roddenberry took command of the situation,^[16] but did so without knowing if the plane's position had been radioed to authorities.^[17] First aid was conducted,^[16] and after sunrise, the raft was inflated and propped up to provide shade and shelter. Shortly afterwards, a number of desert tribesmen approached the survivors. Roddenberry approached them,^[17] and later stated he had influenced them to the extent that they only robbed the dead and spared the survivors.^[18]

Spotting telegraph poles and wires in the distance, Roddenberry sent two teams of two men each to follow the wires in both directions and report back once they saw something. After they departed, local townsmen arrived at the crash site. They too stole from the wreckage, and also from the survivors, and after a short while, only their clothing remained. A team reported back that they had found the town of Mayadin, and Roddenberry made the 4 miles (6.4 km) desert trek into the town, where he found a telephone and reported in to the airstrip at Deir ez-Zor at around 8am. Syrian Army planes and ground troops were dispatched to recover the survivors.^[18] The first public reports of the crash came from a message sent to Pan Am's office in Damascus, who the surviving crew members were.^[1] Initial reports had confused the Clipper Eclipse with the Clipper America, which at the time was conducting Pan Am's inaugural around-the-world flight.^[1]

By midday, the survivors had been transported by the Syrian Army to the Presbyterian mission hospital at Deir ez-Zor. The most seriously injured of them were transported by plane to Beirut. Roddenberry and the uninjured passengers were flown to Damascus.^[19] Several survivors of the Eclipse arrived in the United States on June 23, at La Guardia Airport, New York City.^[20] Roddenberry was delayed in Syria, as the government wanted him to aid their investigation into the crash.^[21] Following two weeks of questioning, he departed for the United States.^[22]

Later in July, surviving crew were questioned at the Civil Aeronautics Board at the Lexington Hotel in New York City. Robert W. Crisp, who was presiding over the investigation, entered into the record a commendation for all three. The purser and stewardess received further commendations from the Transport Workers Union of America, and one from Roddenberry who wrote of their heroism to the Pan Am flight service department.^[23] In February 1948, the official report placed the blame for the crash on Pan Am for failing to replace the number two engine entirely when it developed repeated failures.^[24] Roddenberry resigned from Pan-Am following another flight incident;^[25] after that, he became a television writer and producer, ultimately creating the Star Trek franchise.^[26]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

1. ^ ^abcdef'Fifteen Killed in Crash of Pan-Am Plane in Syria' (The Emporia Gazette). June 19, 1947. p. 8. Retrieved June 26, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
2. ^Alexander 1995, p. 81.
3. ^ ^abcdAlexander 1995, p. 82.
4. ^'Pan-Am Clipper Crashes, 15 Die'. The News-Palladium. June 19, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved June 26, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
5. ^'Fear County Pilot Killed'. The Daily Mail. Hagerstown, Maryland. June 19, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved June 26, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ ^abc'15 Perish in Constellation Crash in Syria'. Alton Evening Telegraph. June 19, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved June 26, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
7. ^Freeze, Christopher. 'Clipper Eclipse'. Check-Six.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
8. ^ ^abAlexander 1995, p. 84.
9. ^Alexander 1995, p. 85.
10. ^Alexander 1995, p. 86.
11. ^http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1947/1947-42.htm Date: June 19, 1947 Time: 23:40
12. ^'Pilot in Clipper Crash is Praised'. Albuquerque Journal. June 22, 1947. p. 2. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
13. ^Greenwald, Edwin B. (June 21, 1947). 'Waiting for Plane Crash'. The Decatur Daily Review. p. 1. Retrieved June 26, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
14. ^Alexander 1995, p. 87.
15. ^https://www.snopes.com/roddenberry-plane-crash/ 'The last passenger he pulled out died in his arms.'
16. ^ ^abAlexander 1995, p. 88.
17. ^ ^abAlexander 1995, p. 89.
18. ^ ^abAlexander 1995, p. 90.
19. ^Alexander 1995, p. 91.
20. ^'Syria Crash Survivors Welcomed'. The Decatur Herald. June 24, 1947. p. 22. Retrieved June 26, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
21. ^Alexander 1995, p. 93.
22. ^Alexander 1995, p. 94.
23. ^Alexander 1995, p. 95.
24. ^Alexander 1995, p. 96.
25. ^Alexander 1995, p. 103.
26. ^Alexander 1995, p. 206.

References[edit]

• Alexander, David (1995). Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry. New York: Roc. ISBN0-451-45440-5.