The video, “Behind the Wire—Allied Airmen in Captivity in Germany”, is a WWII documentary about the experiences of Allied airmen who were shot down, some of whom evaded capture or escaped after capture, and others who endured life as prisoners of war (POWs).  It was produced in 1994 by the U.S. 8th Air Force Historical Society (at https://www.8thafhs.org/) with the cooperation of the British Bomber Command Association (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bom…). It begins with a useful set of definitions followed by scenes of aerial combat and interviews with 23 airmen (see list below) who were shot down.  It includes newsreel footage of POWs, war graves at crash sites, and the Luftwaffe interviewing airmen. Several airmen are interviewed for the documentary at some length, including several members of the Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society (AFEES) who are also interviewed in more detail in other videos elsewhere on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/results?searc…). Outrages by the enemy inflicted on helpless prisoners in violation of the Geneva Convention are included. The story of “The Great Escape” from Stalag Luft III and the forced marches during the later stages of the war make up the final portion of the documentary. Our thanks to Debra Kujawa, Managing Director of the 8th Air Force Historical Society, for permission to post the video on YouTube, and to William (Bill) T. Curtis, member of the 8th AFHS for providing a re-done master copy of the video for posting.

Airmen interviewed during the 1994 “Behind the Wire” Documentary

• • Armstrong, Roger – 91^st BG
  • Balay, Buford – 493^rd BG
  • Brower, Clarence – 96^th BG
  • Chivers, Max – RAF Bomber Command
  • Clark, Albert – 31^st FG
  • Cordwell, John – RAF Bomber Command
  • David, Clayton – 303^rd BG
  • Doherty, Bob – 96^th BG
  • Dolph, Harry – 466^th BG
  • Edgar, Dick – 493^rd BG
  • Grant, Norman – 493^rd BG
  • Guderly, George – 463^rd BG/15^th AF
  • Joseph, Burton – 100^th BG
  • Loevsky, Lou – 466^th BG
  • Patton, Ralph – 94^th BG
  • Peterson, Cliff – 392^nd BG
  • Radcliffe, Douglass – RAF Bomber Command
  • Shalinsky, Milt – 385^th BG
  • Shields, Tex – 96^th BG
  • Skalley, Bob – 388^th BG
  • Thomas, Tom – 96^th BG
  • Weaver, John – 92^nd BG
  • Weinstein, Ira – 445^th BG