William “Tex” Ash: WWII POW Escape Artist

Photos courtesy of UK National Archives

During World War II, William Franklin “Tex” Ash made 13 escape attempts and made it outside of six German POW camps by either going over the wire, cutting through the wire, or out the gate in disguise.

TEXAS TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH

William Franklin Ash was born in Dallas, Texas, on November 30, 1917. Ash grew up during the Depression and worked his way into college at the University of Texas, doing any work he could find. While in college, Ash wrote term papers for rich kids to fund his studies and improve his writing skills. While in college, the Spanish Civil War began, and Ash decided he would join when he was old enough, as he hated fascists and bullies. After graduating with honors, Ash found his degree useless. While working at a local bank as an elevator operator, one of his college professors ran into him and asked him if the bank knew he was an honors graduate. Ash replied, “Yes, but they’ve agreed to overlook it.” Later, Ash left the bank and turned hobo, riding the rails and looking for work.

During the lead up to America’s entry into World War II, Ash couldn’t wait any longer. Still too young to sign up for service in Spain, he hopped a train to Canada, renounced his U.S. citizenship, and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940.

FLYING OFFICER TO POW

On Tuesday, March 24, 1942, an air battle raged over the skies of Calais, France. Flying Officer William Ash of the Royal Canadian Air Force was piloting his Supermarine Spitfire Vb while returning to England after escorting bombers on a mission to the Comines power station near Belgium. 

His Spitfire was in bad shape, with several holes from flak, and inoperative machine guns. As the squadron made its way home, a pack of Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf 190s with Jagdgeschwader 26 started the festivities, shooting down three of the squadron’s Spitfires. Ash remembers thinking his time was up as he pulled the trigger, making “bang-bang” noises with his broken guns while the 190s shot up his Spitfire. He was hit several more times, and as he headed down, he popped the canopy. His Spitfire ended upside down near a church in the small town of Vieille-Église. Now, all he had to do was squeeze his way out of the cockpit, as the smell of fuel and the ticking noise of hot metal wafted through the air.

RESCUED BY THE LUFTWAFFE

With the help of the French Underground, Ash evaded capture for a few months and made it to Paris, where he lived in an apartment for a few weeks. Instead of hiding out of sight, Ash toured the city, visited the Louvre, and enjoyed his stay. One morning, he received a most abrupt wake-up call and was dragged out of bed by the gestapo, who took him to the Fresnes Prison south of Paris and interrogated him. Since he was uncooperative, even after the beating, the gestapo told him that he would be executed. News travels fast, and when the Luftwaffe got wind of the capture, they demanded Ash be turned over to them as the Luftwaffe was in charge of all aircrew POWs.

THE FIRST STALAG

In June 1942, Ash was transported to the Dulag reception center for processing before being transported to Stalag Luft III in Sagan/˙Zaga´n, Poland. Upon arrival, the staff emphasized how remote the camp was and that escape attempts were futile as there was nowhere to go.

OFLAG XXI-B – SZUBIN, POLAND

With the number of POWs steadily increasing, Stalag Luft III was over capacity, and in September 1942, the Luftwaffe decided to send a group of POWs to Oflag XXI-B located in the town of Szubin, Poland. Several other “escapologists” were included, and they were pleasantly surprised upon arrival, as the camp had originally been a girls’ school, with escape-friendly features such as blind spots, steep banks, and well-drained soil for easier tunneling. 

The guards assigned were old men, wounded in battle, or general layabouts. Another plus was that the Wehrmacht ran the camp, and their security was pitiful compared to the Luftwaffe camps. Shortly after arriving, Ash exchanged identities with an Army private and joined a work party outside the wire, where he promptly made a run for it. His escape was short-lived, as he was caught later that night. In the spring of 1943, Ash was part of a mass escape of over 30 POWs who made their way out of the camp via a tunnel dug through the latrines. 

He headed toward Warsaw, only to be captured four days later, and Ash was transferred back to Stalag Luft III. Ash learned that a new camp was under construction near Heydekrug, and Sergeant pilots were being moved there. Ash wanted to take advantage of the chaos of a new camp and, again, traded identities with another POW being sent to Stalag Luft VI.

STALAG LUFT VI – HEYDEKRUG, LITHUANIA/EAST PRUSSIA

While at Heydekrug, Ash organized a tunnel dig for another mass escape using a tunnel dug underneath the latrines. After Ash and seven other prisoners escaped, the tunnel was discovered. Following a few days on the run, Ash fell into the hands of a Lithuanian farmer. 

After finally convincing him that he was a POW, Ash was allowed to work on the farm for room and board. Later deciding he could not remain a farmer for the rest of the war, Ash left and headed to the Baltic Sea, hoping to cross to Sweden. He found a sailboat stored for the winter but needed help getting it in the water. He approached a group of farmers working in a field and asked for help. 

There was no response until one of the men stopped digging and, in English with a heavy German accent, told Ash, “We would love to help you, but we are soldiers of the German army, and you are standing on our cabbages.”

Ash was returned to Heydekrug but not to the camp; he ended up in a building in the town and was once again in the hands of the gestapo. When questioned, he gave them the identity of the man he had switched with at Stalag Luft III: Don Fair. He was fingerprinted and left in his cell for a few days. Ash was taken to the train station under armed escort, and the entire party boarded the train. Ash assumed he was being returned to Stalag III. As the train arrived at the station, Ash discovered he was in Berlin; he was now in the belly of the beast. Ash was moved to a large, official-looking building and placed in a cell in the basement. 

Morning came, and the gestapo greeted him once again. The interrogations began, and Ash was accused of being a professional escapologist who was not shot down but was parachuted in to train POWs in the art of escape and was the man responsible for several escapes.

Ash would be charged with espionage and, if found guilty, executed as a spy. Once again, luck shone on Ash. The English Bomber Command was ramping up missions over Berlin, causing delays in all areas. Ash’s case was postponed, and a few days later, he was sent back to Stalag Luft III.

BACK HOME TO SAGAN AND THE GREAT ESCAPE

The 1963 movie, starring Steve McQueen, is loosely based on Ash and his fellow Kriegies. Ash inspired McQueen’s character, Virgil Hilts, while Richard Attenborough, aka Roger “Big X” Bartlett, played Roger Bushell, one of Ash’s fellow POWs. Although Ash was the inspiration, he was not part of the Great Escape as he was, you guessed it, in the Cooler.

When he returned home, he discovered that the camp had grown to approximately 10,000 Kriegies. Immediately after arrival, Ash learned of the most ambitious escape plan yet. Now that they had been moved to the new north compound in the spring of 1943, Bushell and his team devised the most daring escape attempt ever. The Kriegies were to dig three separate tunnels named Tom, Dick, and Harry, with the intent to break out 200 or more prisoners. They believed that even if one tunnel was discovered, the Germans wouldn’t think there were two more. Ash was ready to break out once again. 

However, he had racked up several charges after leaving Sagan, including breaking out of Heydekrug and impersonating another POW, and he was sent to the Cooler. Upon his release, Ash felt the escape itch once again. While near the front inner gate, he saw a truck loaded with old machinery being inspected by one of the guards. After inspection, Ash jumped into the back and lay down. When the truck arrived at the outer gate, a guard discovered Ash, and it was back in the Cooler with him.

During this stay in the Cooler, Ash was woken by the sound of alarm sirens early in the morning. The Great Escape had occurred. When Ash was released, he learned that one of the guards at the north compound had seen a prisoner emerge from one of the tunnels and had sounded the alarm.

While at a roll call a few days later, Ash learned the fate of Roger and his crew. Instead of the usual head count, the German officer began to read off the names of prisoners. Fifty of them, to be exact. The officer then announced that the 50 had been recaptured and were shot trying to escape. The collective gasp was heard by all in formation, who knew they were executed. 

THE LAST CAMP – MARLAG MILAG NORD

In January 1945, the Russians were making massive headway westward, approximately 45 miles from the camp. Sagan was being emptied, and Ash and the rest of the Kriegies began their journey to Marlag Milag Nord in Lower Saxony, Germany. The thousands of POWs were marched out of camp in staggered shifts and finally reached their new home on February 4. The eight-day march had taken its toll, and Ash had jaundice. 

As he recovered, the chaos grew, culminating in a battle between the 15th Panzergrenadier Division and the 32 Guards Brigade. The fight was fierce, with the prisoners caught in the middle, with rockets screaming, shells bursting, and shrapnel raining down on them. Ash decided that if this were the end, he would go out on his terms and escape. He ran through the battle and reached the road, where friendly forces took him in.

POSTWAR

When Ash returned home, he discovered he was persona non grata for renouncing his citizenship, so he traveled to England, where he became a naturalized British citizen. He was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his escape attempts and later worked for the BBC in Britain and India. 

THE LAST DAYS

In 2012, Ash wrote about his wartime adventures in the best-selling book, Under the Wire, and observed, “I’ve discovered the secret of success — all you have to do is dig a hole and wait 70 years.” On April 26, 2014, Ash died at the age of 96.

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