posted
Generally that's a contradiction in terms, but I'll explain.
When I was a boy I was fascinated by several books I read about British P.O.W.'s who were imprisoned in a German castle called Colditz during WWII. Colditz was the ultimate high-security prison; and only held officers who had escaped and been recaptured from other camps. In Colditz the guards outnumbered the prisoners; it was floodlit at all times despite the blackout, prison quarters were on the top floors of buildings with hundred-foot-plus drops from barred windows, and roll-call counts of prisoners were held at a minimum of six times a day. Yet over the course of the war over 300 prisoners escaped from Colditz, and eighteen made it out of Germany. The ingenuity and determination of those men was truly remarkable; they dug tunnels, climbed over rooftops with home-made ropes, created false documents, civilian clothing and German uniforms; built their own radio receivers, etc.
The most astonishing feat was the construction, in the prison, of a glider designed to be launched from a rooftop; the war ended before it could be used, and the glider was left behind when the Castle was evacuated.
Tonight on PBS, "Nova" is showing a documentary of Colditz, with interviews of surviving prisoners and guards and their stories. Best of all, the Nova producers had the glider rebuilt from the original plans, and the men who designed it will find out, after all these years, if it would really have flown.
Now this is what I call "must watch" television. 8pm, on PBS.
------------------ "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Raoul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson)
Cam Finest Kind Signs 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988"
Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
That's fascinating,Cam. My bro-in-law was telling me about that a couple of weeks ago. I believe he said that the glider did fly. Those are among the types of things that fascinate me. If I had cable, I would certainly be watching that too.
Have you heard about the Confederate submarine "H. L. Hunley" that was raised from the bottom of Charleston Harbor just this past year. Archaeologists are working on in now and it will be fascinating to hear what they discover. It was the first submarine ever to sink an enemy warship.
------------------ Wayne Webb Webb Sign Studio creators of "woodesigns" "autograph your work with excellence" webbsignstudio@digitalexp.com
Posts: 7405 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
I get PBS with rabbit ears.. in fact.. it is not available on satellite in my area. Nova is a great show. PBS, one of those programs your tax dollars are being cut from supporting. But let's get going on Star Wars... YEAH! There's the place we want to send billions and billions of taxpayer $$$. LE
------------------ LazyEdna in RL known as Sara Straw from southern Utah 5 National Parks within 3 hours drive Red Rock Heaven
Posts: 776 | From: Aurora, Utah, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
PBS is the best. I like "Nova", "The American Experience", and anything Ken Burns does such as "The Civil War", "Baseball" and "Jazz". i also like black and white reruns of "Andy Griffith" LOL
sounds interesting cam, i will be on the lookout for it.
posted
Lessee....topic is "good tv" PBS documentary about WWII POWs? hmmmmm, how can we flip this into a thread on politics? Some people could turn a conversation about bass fishing into bitch and moan partison politics!
------------------ Don Coplen aka "SaintPete" Coplen Designs St.Petersburg, FL dcoplen@mindspring.com
[This message has been edited by Don Coplen (edited February 06, 2001).]
posted
Well its rabbit ears and PBS here too. Nova and Frontline and the friday nite polital shows, British comedies and Mystery and BBS news, Lair newshour, nature shows and Masterpiece Theater. And hey Glenn here in the boonies of the Ozarks we have Red Drawf on late Saturday night. I would love to see Dr Who return. But as LE said the government has been greatly reducing funds to PBS over the last several years, and they find it harder to get all the money needed for these excellent programs. Non the less they are doing an excellant job.
There also is NPR, National Public Radio in most areas.
------------------
[This message has been edited by Sarah (edited February 06, 2001).]
posted
Can anyone imagine the tenacity of those prisioners? They even built a dummie wall to conceal the project. Then to see the reproduction glider lift off like a dove.......
posted
Hey Cam, just wanted to say Thanks for the info on the program. It was super cool, I like those kinds of documentary's. What a trip it must have been for those old timers to see after so many years past that the glider would have flown! Gracias...
------------------ FranCisco Vargas aka: Cisco aka:Traveling Millennium Sign Artist http://www.franciscovargas.com Fresno, CA 93703 559 252-0935
"to live life, is to love life, a sign of no life, is a sign of no love"...Cisco 12'98
Posts: 3576 | From: Fresno, Ca, the great USA | Registered: Dec 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
Was that cool, or what? When that glider went almost straight up, then soared almost out of site, and the look on the faces of those old warriors, knowing, after all these years, what might have been...
Having read and re-read the stories of these experiences over the years, it was great to see the men whose names I recognized; feeling like I know them. And the scene of them returning to that castle after fifty years gave me a cold chill, thinking about what they had been through, the efforts they made to escape, the desire to never see those walls and bars again; then seeing them up in the secret room where they built the glider, and talking about how they showed it to their captors after their liberation.
------------------ "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Raoul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson)
Cam Finest Kind Signs 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988"
Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic