page_title: Swiss Red Cross Commission escape
section_title: Exploration of the castle
hierarchical_section_title: Swiss Red Cross Commission escape / Exploration of the castle
caption_attribution_description: English: Bruce (on right) during his imprisonment in Spangenberg
context_page_description: The Swiss Red Cross Commission escape occurred in 1941 at Schloẞ Spangenberg, involving Dominic Bruce, Eustace Newborn and Pete Tunstall, all prisoners of war, held at the castle. It has been described as the most audacious escape of World War II. Bruce's Military Cross citation described it as a "very clever escape."
  In late July and early August 1941, Bruce, Newborn and Tunstall, took an interest in the architecture of the building, suspecting there may be escaping materials. The three broke into a flat in the Schloss thought to belong to a forestry principal and inside the flat the trio obtained escape material such as disguises, maps and a compass. After sourcing the escape resources, they carefully crafted an escape plan that took advantage of the incompetent gate security of the castle, intending to walk to Kassel, break into Fliegerhorst Kassel, steal an aircraft and then fly to Basle.
  Patiently waiting many weeks for the conditions to be just right for the escape, on 3 September 1941 the trio brazenly walked across the moat bridge, posing as a German officer and two doctors of a Swiss Red Cross inspection team.
context_section_description: Whilst the wooden horse tunnel was being dug, Bruce and Tunstall, were planning, after they had escaped from the castle grounds, to steal an aircraft from Kassel airfield to fly to Basle Switzerland. To do this they also created Luftwaffe uniforms. As the tunnel was being dug by other prisoners, Bruce and Tunstall were also in the process of exploring the castle and keeping their options open for other escape possibilities in case the tunnel route was found. At this time, Bruce and Tunstall got to know a new prisoner called Eustace Newborn who was in the wooden horse tunnel syndicate. Newborn was a South African airman with plenty of experience flying Junkers Ju 52 and Junkers Ju 86 airplanes. Needing his experience with Junkers Ju 52 airplanes, Newborn joined their escape team. In the escape it was decided Tunstall, who could speak better German, would be a Feldwebel and Bruce and Newborn would be privates.
  Bruce, Newborn and Tunstall also wanted to explore a walled off flat. Inside the daily hustle of the castle and at the same time as Bruce, Newborn and Tunstall were planning on exploring a flat, Eric Foster and Joe Barker, who were planning a laundry cart escape, were taking a similar interest in the impressive architecture of the building. Though their interest was for the first floor of the building, not the same flat that interested Bruce, Newborn and Tunstall. At this moment in time, both groups did not know that they each had a keen interest in this area of the castle. Foster claims in his book it was "bad form" for want-to-be escapees to ask upfront questions about planned escapes involving other groups. 
  The flat that interested Bruce, Newborn and Tunstall had once been explored by a French lieutenant named Merlin, who had broke into the flat in 1939. It was rumoured the previous occupant of this apartment was a forestry school principal who was now at the front for Germany. They eventually found a way into this flat via a chamber found at the top of the staircase which had a plaster ceiling. This chamber led to the attic. They broke through this plaster ceiling in the chamber with a four foot long metal-pole that they claimed could break through anything and that they affectionately pun-named Napoleon. At first sight inside the attic Bruce, Newborn and Tunstall noticed a shadowy silhouette staring back at them, and this frightened them. The silhouette turned out to be a bust of Emperor Franz Josef on a plinth. From the attic they found a staircase down to the principals flat. Bruce and Tunstall picked the locked door at the bottom of the stairs. Inside the room they found escape material such as civilian clothes, officer uniforms, guns including a Luger pistol, maps, a compass, cases and stale cigars. Upon sourcing these materials Bruce and Tunstall then gave up their wooden horse tunnel escape completely and left it all to Hoare. Instead they began solely focussing on the bridge and gate security. Unfortunately the gate security had been increased because of a 1940 escape from the castle by three Canadians, Keith Milne, Don Middleton and Hank Wardle.
caption: Bruce (on right) during his imprisonment in Spangenberg
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