The Only Pilot the Allies Never Beat
7,272The guards on board the Duchess of York passenger liner were agitated as they accompanied the first batch of German prisoners from Britain to Canada in early 1941. And while captured soldiers would not likely attempt to escape in the middle of the Atlantic, Franz Von Werra was not a typical inmate.
The Swiss soldier had already tried to escape twice from British prisons, and almost achieved it both times.
During the current voyage, Von Werra and several prisoners plotted to take the ship and get it to a port in occupied France. The plan called for assault parties to overtake the vessel, and they would then call for U-boats roaming the Atlantic to escort them.
At dawn on the assault day, Von Werra and his fellow conspirators hurriedly stepped out of their cabins and did not find any ships on the horizon. However, much to their surprise, they soon spotted a battleship right astern, which halted their plans.
Von Werra would now have to wait until they got to shore to try and escape again in the middle of the harsh Canadian winter...
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