Franz von Werra
Franz Xaver Freiherr von Werra (13 July 1914 – 25 October 1941) was a German World War II fighter pilot and flying ace who was shot down over Britain and captured. He was the only Axis prisoner of war to escape from Canadian custody and return to Germany apart from a U-boat seaman, Walter Kurt Reich, said to have jumped from a Polish troopship into the St. Lawrence River in July 1940. Werra managed to return to Germany via the US, Mexico, South America and Spain, finally reaching Germany on 18 April 1941.
Franz Freiherr von Werra | |
|---|---|
Franz Freiherr von Werra | |
| Born | 13 July 1914 Leuk, Canton of Valais, Switzerland |
| Died | 25 October 1941 (aged 27) North Sea, off Vlissingen, German-occupied Netherlands |
| Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
| Service/ | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1936–41 |
| Rank | Hauptmann |
| Unit | JG 3, JG 53 |
| Commands held | I./JG 53 |
| Battles/wars | World War II
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| Awards | |
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 film of the same name, starring Hardy Krüger.