View source for Franz von Werra

{{Short description|German fighter pilot (1914–1941)}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Franz [[Freiherr]] von Werra
|birth_date= {{Birth date|1914|7|13|df=yes}}
|death_date= {{Death date and age|1941|10|25|1914|7|13|df=yes}}
|birth_place=[[Leuk]], [[Canton of Valais]], [[Switzerland]]
|death_place=[[North Sea]], off [[Vlissingen]], [[German-occupied Netherlands]]
|image=Franz von Werra.jpg
|caption=Franz [[Freiherr]] von Werra
|nickname=
|allegiance={{flag|Nazi Germany}}
|branch={{air force|Nazi Germany}}
|serviceyears=1936–1941
|rank=''[[Hauptmann]]'' (captain)
|commands=I./[[JG 53]]
|unit=[[JG 3]], [[JG 53]]
|battles=[[World War II]]
* [[Battle of France]]
* [[Battle of Britain]]
* [[Operation Barbarossa]]
|awards= {{plainlist|
* [[Iron Cross|Iron Cross, Second Class]]
* [[Iron Cross|Iron Cross, First Class]]
* [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]]
}}
|laterwork=
}}

'''Franz Xaver [[Freiherr]] von Werra''' (13 July 1914&nbsp;– 25 October 1941) was a [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[World War II]] fighter pilot and [[flying ace]] who was shot down over [[Great Britain|Britain]] and captured. He was the only [[Axis powers of World War II|Axis]] [[prisoner of war]] to escape from [[Canada|Canadian]] custody and return to Germany apart from a [[U-boat]] seaman, [[Walter Kurt Reich]], said to have jumped from a [[Polish people|Polish]] troopship into the [[St. Lawrence River]] in July 1940.{{sfn|Bernard|Bergeron|1995|p=99}}{{sfn|Quinn|2014|loc=chpt. 4}} Werra managed to return to Germany via the [[US]], [[Mexico]], [[South America]] and [[Spain]], finally reaching Germany on 18 April 1941.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luftwaffe.cz/werra.html|title=Aces of the Luftwaffe – Franz von Werra|work=luftwaffe.cz}}</ref>

''Oberleutnant'' von Werra was awarded the [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] on 14 December 1940. His story was told in the book ''The One That Got Away'' by Kendall Burt and [[James Leasor]], which was made into a [[The One That Got Away (1957 film)|film of the same name]], starring [[Hardy Krüger]].

==Biography==

{{more citations needed section|date=January 2011}}
Franz Freiherr von Werra was born on 13 July 1914, to impoverished [[Swiss people|Swiss]] parents in [[Leuk]], a town in the [[Cantons of Switzerland|Swiss canton]] of [[Canton of Valais|Valais]]. The title of [[Freiherr]] (equal to Baron) came from his biological father, [[Leo Freiherr von Werra]], who after bankruptcy, faced deep economic hardship. Because his relatives were legally obliged to look after the Baron's wife and six children, his cousin [[Rosalie von Werra]] persuaded her childless friend [[Louise Carl von Haber]] to permit the Baron's youngest, Franz and his sister, to enjoy the benefits of wealth and education. The von Habers did not tell the children their true origin.{{sfn|Meichtry|2001|p=}}

Werra joined the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' in 1936 and was commissioned a ''[[Leutnant]]'' in 1938. At the beginning of the Second World War he was serving with [[Jagdgeschwader 3|''Jagdgeschwader'' 3]] in the [[Battle of France]]. He became adjutant of II Gruppe, JG 3 and was described as engaging in boisterous 'playboy' behavior. He was once pictured in the press with his pet lion Simba, which he kept at the aerodrome as the unit mascot. Werra scored his first four victories in May 1940, during the Battle of France. Downing a [[Hawker Hurricane]] on 20 May, two days later he claimed two [[Breguet 690]] bombers and a [[Potez 630]] near [[Cambrai]]. In a sortie on 25 August during the [[Battle of Britain]], he claimed a [[Spitfire]] west of [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]], and three Hurricanes, as well as five destroyed on the ground for a total of nine [[RAF]] planes eliminated.  The details of the actions are unknown, as the incident has not been found in British records.

===Capture and escapes===

On 5 September 1940, Werra's [[Messerschmitt Bf 109|Bf 109]]E-4 (''[[Serial code|W.Nr. 1480]]'') was shot down over Winchet Hill, Kent. It is unclear who was responsible for this victory, which was originally credited to [[Pilot Officer]] [[Gerald Stapleton|Gerald "Stapme" Stapleton]] of [[No. 603 Squadron RAF|603 Squadron]]. The Australian ace [[Flight Lieutenant]] [[Paterson Clarence Hughes|Paterson Hughes]] ([[No. 234 Squadron RAF|234 Squadron]]) was [[Posthumous award|posthumously given]] half of the credit, in ''[[The London Gazette]]'' 22 October 1940 citation awarding him a [[medal bar|bar]] to his [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|DFC]].  Some sources suggest that P/O [[George Bennions]] of [[No. 41 Squadron RAF|41 Squadron]] may have damaged Werra's fighter before Hughes and Stapleton also scored hits on it.  Other sources suggest F/L John Terence Webster of 41 Squadron was the victor.{{sfn|Burt|Leasor|2011|p=18}}

Werra crash-landed in a field on Loves Farm and was captured by the unarmed cook of a nearby army unit. He was initially held in [[Maidstone]] barracks by the [[Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment]], from which he attempted his first escape.  He was digging with a pick axe while guarded by [[Royal Military Police|Military Police]] Private Denis Rickwood, who was armed only with a small truncheon. There is no mention of this escape attempt in the book ''The One that Got Away.'' He was interrogated for 18 days at the London District Prisoner of War "cage" [[Trent Park]], a [[English country house|country house]] in [[Hertfordshire]] which before the war had been the seat of [[Sir Philip Sassoon, 3rd Baronet|Sir Philip Sassoon]]. Eventually, Werra was sent to POW Camp No. 1, at [[Grizedale Hall]] in the [[Furness Fells]] area of [[Lancashire]], between [[Windermere]] and [[Coniston Water]].

[[File:Von Werra BF109 Marsden Kent.jpg|thumb|left|Franz von Werra's [[Messerschmitt Bf 109|Bf 109E-4]], pictured at [[Marden, Kent]]]]

On 7 October he tried to escape for a second time, during a daytime walk outside the camp.  At a regular stop, while a fruit cart provided a lucky diversion and other German prisoners covered for him, Werra slipped over a [[dry-stone wall]] into a field. The guards alerted the local farmers and the [[British Home Guard|Home Guard]].  On the evening of 10 October at around 11:00&nbsp;p.m., two Home Guards found him sheltering from the rain in a hoggarth (a type of small stone hut used for storing sheep fodder that is common in the area). On being removed from the hut he knocked the lamp to the ground, extinguishing the light, then he quickly escaped and disappeared into the night.  On 12 October, he was spotted climbing a fell.  The area was surrounded, and Werra was eventually found, almost immersed in a muddy depression in the ground.  He was sentenced to 21 days of [[solitary confinement]] and on 3 November was transferred to Camp No. 13 in [[Swanwick, Derbyshire|Swanwick]], [[Derbyshire]], also known as the Hayes camp.

In Camp No. 13, Werra joined a group calling itself {{lang|de|Swanwick Tiefbau}} A.G. (Swanwick Excavations, Ltd.), which was digging an escape tunnel. The tunnel can still be seen at the [[Hayes Conference Centre]].  On 17 December 1940, after a month's digging, it was complete.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/33/a5957733.shtml WW2 People's War]</ref> The camp had forgers who equipped the escape group with money and fake identity papers. On 20 December, Werra and four others slipped out of the tunnel under the cover of anti-aircraft fire and the singing of the camp choir. The others were recaptured quickly, leaving Werra to proceed alone. He had taken along his flying suit and decided to masquerade as Captain van Lott, a Dutch [[Royal Netherlands Air Force]] pilot. He told a friendly locomotive driver that he was a downed bomber pilot trying to reach his unit, and asked to be taken to the nearest RAF base. At [[Codnor Park and Selston railway station|Codnor Park railway station]], a local clerk became suspicious but eventually agreed to arrange his transportation to the aerodrome at [[RAF Hucknall]], near [[Nottingham]]. The police also questioned him but von Werra convinced them he was harmless. At Hucknall, a [[Squadron Leader]] Boniface asked for his credentials and von Werra claimed to be based at [[Dyce]] near [[Aberdeen]]. While Boniface went to check this story, von Werra excused himself and ran to the nearest hangar, trying to tell a mechanic that he was cleared for a test flight. Boniface arrived in time to arrest him at gunpoint, as he sat in the cockpit, trying to learn the controls. Von Werra was sent back to the Hayes camp under armed guard.

In January 1941, von Werra was sent with many other German prisoners to [[Canada]] on the {{SS|Duchess of York|1928|6}}, in a convoy departing Greenock on 10 January 1941, guarded by {{HMS|Ramillies|07|6}} among others. His group was to be taken to a camp on the north shore of [[Lake Superior]], [[Ontario]], so Werra began to plan his escape to the [[United States]], which was still neutral. On 21 January, while on a prison train that had departed [[Montreal]], he jumped out of a window, again with the help of other prisoners and ended up near [[Smiths Falls, Ontario|Smiths Falls]], Ontario, 30 miles from the [[St. Lawrence River]]. Seven other prisoners tried to escape from the same train but were soon recaptured. Werra's absence was not noticed until the next afternoon.

After crossing the frozen St. Lawrence River, von Werra made his way to [[Ogdensburg, New York|Ogdensburg]], [[New York (state)|New York]], arriving several months before the US entered the war and turned himself over to the police. The immigration authorities charged him with entering the country illegally and Werra contacted the local German consul, who paid his bail.<ref>Crestview, Florida, "Nazi Ace in U.S. After Escape", ''The Okaloosa News-Journal'', Friday 7 February 1941, Volume 27, Number 5, page 1.</ref> He came to the attention of the press and told them a very embellished version of his story.  While the U.S. and Canadian authorities were negotiating his extradition, the German vice-consul helped him over the border to [[Mexico]].  Werra proceeded in stages to [[Rio de Janeiro]], ([[Brazil]]), [[Barcelona]], ([[Spain during World War II|Spain]]) and [[Rome]], ([[Italy in World War II|Italy]]). He finally reached Nazi Germany on 18 April 1941.

===Return and death===

On his return to Nazi Germany, von Werra became a hero. [[Adolf Hitler]] awarded him the [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] ({{Lang|de|Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes}}). Werra was assigned the task of improving German techniques for interrogating captured pilots, based on his experiences with the British system.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Secrets of the Nazi Interrogators: How the Luftwaffe tricked Allied airmen into talking | publisher=Weider History Group | date=March 2008 | author=Corum, James S. | journal=World War II Magazine | pages=42–49}}</ref> Werra reported to the German High Command on how he had been treated as a POW, and this caused an improvement in the treatment of Allied POWs in Germany.  He wrote a book about his experiences titled ''{{lang|de|Meine Flucht aus England}}'' (My Escape from England), although it remained unpublished.{{sfn|Burt|Leasor|2011|p=268}}

On 22 June 1941, German forces launched [[Operation Barbarossa]], the invasion of the Soviet Union. Two days later, ''Oberleutnant'' [[Wilfried Balfanz]], the commander of I. ''Gruppe'' of [[Jagdgeschwader 53|''Jagdgeschwader'' 53]] (JG&nbsp;53—53rd Fighter Wing), was [[killed in action]]. In consequence, ''Oberleutnant'' [[Ignaz Prestele]] briefly commanded the ''Gruppe'' until von Werra was appointed the {{lang|de|Gruppenkommandeur}} (group commander) on 1 July. At the time, I. ''Gruppe'' was based at [[Hostynne]].{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=102}}

In early August 1941, I. ''Gruppe'' withdrew to Germany to re-equip with the new Bf&nbsp;109&nbsp;F-4 at [[Coleman Army Airfield|Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield]]. On 20 September, the ''Gruppe'' relocated to the Netherlands where they were based at airfields at [[Katwijk]], specifically {{lang|nl|[[Valkenburg Naval Air Base|Fliegerhorst Katwijk]]}}, and [[Haamstede]] where they were tasked with patrolling the Dutch airspace.{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003a|p=92}} On 25 October 1941, Werra took off in Bf&nbsp;109&nbsp;F-4/Z, ''Werknummer'' (factory number) 7285, on a practice flight. His aircraft suffered engine failure and crashed into the sea near Katwijk.{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003a|p=96}} von Werra was presumed killed, though his body was never found. ''Hauptmann'' [[Herbert Kaminski]] succeeded him as commander of I. ''Gruppe''.{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003a|p=93}}

==Film==

Von Werra's story was the subject of the 1957 film ''[[The One That Got Away (1957 film)|The One That Got Away]]'' starring [[Hardy Krüger]] as Franz von Werra. The film was based on a book by Kendall Burt and [[James Leasor]] published in 1956. A documentary called ''von Werra'' (with clips from ''The One That Got Away'') was released in the 2000s.

==Summary of career==

===Aerial victory claims===

According to Obermaier, von Werra was credited with 21 aerial victories, eight of which over the [[Allies of World War II|Western Allies]] and thirteen on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]], plus five further aircraft destroyed in [[ground attack]] missions.{{sfn|Obermaier|1989|p=223}} Mathews and Foreman, authors of ''Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims'', researched the [[German Federal Archives]] and found records for fourteen aerial victory claims, plus five further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes eleven aerial victories on the Eastern Front and three on the Western Front.{{sfn|Mathews|Foreman|2015|p=1406}}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders collapsible" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none; text-align:right; width: 100%;"
|-
! colspan="10" | Chronicle of aerial victories
|-
| colspan="10" style="text-align: left;" |
{{legend|#faecc8|This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman.|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
|-
! colspan="10" | – ''Stab'' II. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 –{{sfn|Mathews|Foreman|2015|p=1406}}<br /><small>Battle of France — 19 May – 25 June 1940</small>
|-
| 1
| 22 May 1940
| 16:28
| [[Hawker Hurricane|Hurricane]]
| {{Convert|15|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of [[Arras]]{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2001|p=164}}
| style="border-left: 3px solid grey; background:#faecc8" | 3?{{Refn|According to Mathews and Foreman, this claim is unconfirmed.{{sfn|Mathews|Foreman|2015|p=1406}}|group="Note"|name="unconfirmed"}}
| 22 May 1940
| 12:52
| [[Bréguet 693|Bréguet 690]]
| [[Cambrai]]{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2001|p=164}}
|-
| style="background:#faecc8" | 2?<ref group="Note" name="unconfirmed"/>
| 22 May 1940
| 12:36
| Bréguet 690
| [[Saudemont]]{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2001|p=164}}
| style="border-left: 3px solid grey; background:#faecc8" | 4?<ref group="Note" name="unconfirmed"/>
| 22 May 1940
| 14:26
| [[Potez 63]]
| southwest of Cambrai{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2001|p=164}}
|-
! colspan="10" | – ''Stab'' II. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 –{{sfn|Mathews|Foreman|2015|p=1406}}<br /><small>Action at the Channel and over England — 26 June – 5 September 1940</small>
|-
| 5
| 28 August 1940
| 17:10
| [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]]
| {{Convert|3|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]]{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2002|p=217}}
| style="border-left: 3px solid grey; background:#faecc8" | 7?<ref group="Note" name="unconfirmed"/>
| 28 August 1940
| {{Center|—}}
| Hurricane{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2002|p=217}}
|
|-
| style="background:#faecc8" | 6?<ref group="Note" name="unconfirmed"/>
| 28 August 1940
| {{Center|—}}
| Hurricane{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2002|p=217}}
|
| style="border-left: 3px solid grey; background:#faecc8" | 8?<ref group="Note" name="unconfirmed"/>
| 28 August 1940
| {{Center|—}}
| Hurricane{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2002|p=217}}
|
|-
! colspan="10" | – ''Stab'' I. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 53 –{{sfn|Mathews|Foreman|2015|p=1406}}<br /><small>Operation Barbarossa — 1 July – 7 August 1941</small>
|-
| 9
| 7 July 1941
| 09:05
| [[Ilyushin DB-3|DB-3]]
| south of [[Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine|Ploskirov]]{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=108}}<br />Kraskoje
| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 15
| 18 July 1941
| style="background:#faecc8" | 12:03?{{Refn|According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 12:05.{{sfn|Mathews|Foreman|2015|p=1406}}|group="Note"}}
| [[Tupolev SB|SB-3]]{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=110}}
|
|-
| 10
| 7 July 1941
| 17:10
| DB-3{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=108}}
|
| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 16
| 26 July 1941
| 10:53
| SB-3{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=110}}
|
|-
| 11
| 11 July 1941
| 18:40
| SB-3
| Kudno{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=108}}
| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 17
| 29 July 1941
| 17:05
| SB-3
| south of Smola{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=111}}
|-
| 12
| 11 July 1941
| 18:42
| SB-3
| Kudno{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=108}}
| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 18
| 31 July 1941
| 15:05
| Pe-2{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=111}}
|
|-
| 13
| 12 July 1941
| 10:32
| style="background:#faecc8" | DB-3{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=110}}?{{refn|According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a [[Tupolev SB|Tupolev SB-3]].{{sfn|Mathews|Foreman|2015|p=1406}}|group="Note"}}
|
| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 19
| 31 July 1941
| 15:08
| V-11 (Il-2){{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=111}}
|
|-
| 14
| 17 July 1941
| 17:50
| I-153{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2003b|p=110}}
|
| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" |
|
|
|
|
|}

===Awards===
* [[Iron Cross]] (1939) 2nd and 1st Class{{sfn|Dixon|2023|p=56}}
* [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] on 14 December 1940 as ''[[Oberleutnant]]'' and [[adjutant]] of the II./''Jagdgeschwader'' 3{{sfn|Scherzer|2007|p=781}}{{sfn|Fellgiebel|2000|p=443}}

==Notes==

{{Reflist|group="Note"}}

==References==

===Citations===
{{Reflist|25em}}

===Bibliography===
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  |trans-title=The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches
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  |trans-title=The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 5—Defense of the Reich—10 May 1940 to 31 December 1941—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—October 1940 to November 1941—Action in the West—22 June to 31 December 1941—The Supplementary Fighter Groups—Action from 1941 until their Breakup in Early 1942
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  |trans-title=The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/II—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941
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  |trans-title=The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives
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  |publisher=Scherzers Militaer-Verlag
  |isbn=978-3-938845-17-2
}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==

{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Mombeek |first1=Eric |title=L'as Franz von Werra: il fut "le seul qui s'évada |journal=Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire |date=August 1997 |issue=53 |pages=4–9 |trans-title=The Ace Franz von Werra: The One who Got Away |language=French |issn=1243-8650}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==

* {{IMDb title|qid=Q224926|id=tt0050803|title=The One That Got Away (1957)}}
* ''[http://www.animatedsoftware.com/misc/theworld/vonwerra/fw4101nw.gif Barron Von Werra Begins Tour of "Sights" After Arrival In New York City]'', Ogdensburg Journal (27 January 1941)
* {{PM20|FID=pe/018475}}
* [https://www.psywar.org/content/vonWerra Interrogation of Oberleutnant Franz von Werra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103135121/https://www.psywar.org/content/vonWerra |date=3 January 2020 }}

{{Knight's Cross recipients of JG 3}}
{{Subject bar
| portal1=Aviation
| portal2=Biography
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Werra, Franz Von}}
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[[Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]]
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[[Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents]]
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