118:. Deans took charge of the daily details of survival on the march and bullied the Germans left in charge for food, transport for the sick, and for better overnight accommodation. He also demanded that the German commandant, Oberst Ostmann, allow him to set off to warn the approaching British armies of the POW columns ahead. He made contact with the British Army and on returning guided his men to safety where he accepted Oberst Ostmann's surrender.
42:(POW) camp leader. Deans spoke perfect German and when captured commanded his fellow POWs as the elected camp leader, gaining the respect and trust of both prisoners and German captors alike. In 1945, he guided 2,000 Allied POWs across Europe in what was known as the
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In March 1945, Deans took charge of 2,000 POWs on a month-long march across Poland and
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Deans was a founder member and first president of the RAF Ex-POW Association; he is also listed as a contributor to
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232:– includes descriptions of James 'Dixie' Deans' experience and skills whilst a POW.
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When Deans returned home to
England, he found work as an executive officer at the
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On 10 September 1940, Deans (of 77 Squadron) took off from Linton-on-Ouse in a
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The Last Escape – John Nichol, Tony
Rennell – 2002 Penguin UK
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bomber pilot shot down in 1940 who became a renowned
57:. His aircraft was hit by flak and crash-landed at
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248:Evacuation of Fallinbostel POW camp – April 1945
298:World War II prisoners of war held by Germany
129:, which he fought for the rest of his life.
30:(25 January 1914 – 18 February 1989) was a
293:Members of the Order of the British Empire
273:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
197:'Dixie' Deans MBE RAF Ex-POW Association
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174:List of German World War II POW camps
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283:British World War II bomber pilots
228:'Under the Wire' autobiography by
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61:(Overijssel), east north-east of
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68:Deans was imprisoned first at
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103:via specially coded letters.
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278:British World War II pilots
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79:He was then transferred to
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123:London School of Economics
179:Death marches (Holocaust)
213:20 February 2014 at the
17:James Alexander Graham
132:Deans was awarded the
169:Prisoner-of-war camp
303:Shot-down aviators
243:POW life Stalag VI
127:multiple sclerosis
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288:English aviators
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159:The March (1945)
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146:The Last Battle
74:Stalag Luft III
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32:Royal Air Force
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44:'Long March'
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268:1989 deaths
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230:William Ash
108:Stalag XI-B
65:, Holland.
257:Categories
185:References
59:Venebrugge
53:to attack
93:Lithuania
89:Memelland
85:Heydekrug
211:Archived
153:See also
143:'s book
116:Lübeck
91:, now
63:Zwolle
55:Bremen
25:Deans
21:Dixie
134:MBE
110:at
101:MI9
97:BBC
87:in
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