Romualdas Marcinkus Romualdas Marcinkus ( 22 July 1907 – 29 March 1944 ) was a Lithuanian pilot . Marcinkus participated in an early trans - European flight on 25 June 1934 , and was the only Lithuanian pilot to serve in the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) during the Second World War . In his youth Romualdas Marcinkus was a Lithuanian multifold football champion and a playing coach for the Lithuania national football team . While serving in the Lithuanian Air Force , Marcinkus was a paratrooper instructor , and headed the Aviation sport and physical education department , and during his later years coached a junior football team . After the Soviet occupation of Lithuania early in the Second World War , Marcinkus left Lithuania and enlisted in the French Air Force . After the Battle of France and the French capitulation , Marcinkus escaped to Britain , where he flew for the RAF . As a pilot for No . 1 Squadron RAF , he took part in various missions , including escorting bombers and night combat . On 12 February 1942 , during Operation Cerberus , he was shot down , became a prisoner of war , and sent to Stalag Luft III . At Stalag Luft III Romualdas Marcinkus became an active member of an underground group of prisoners who organized and executed the Great Escape . Marcinkus was responsible for analyzing the German railway schedules - a vital part of the plan . On the night of 25 March 1944 , Marcinkus became one of 76 servicemen who escaped the Stalag . After several days he was recaptured by the Gestapo and executed . At the end of the Second World War , Lithuania lost its independence and Romualdas Marcinkus was largely forgotten . His memory was kept alive by the Lithuanian émigré press . After Lithuania regained its independence in 1990 , more detailed accounts of his life were published there and abroad . Early life . Romualdas Marcinkus was born on 22 July 1907 in the provincial Lithuanian town of Jurbarkas . At the time Jurbarkas , as well of the rest of Lithuania , was part of the Russian Empire . Romualdas ' father , Pranas Marcinkaus , served as a policeman in Jurbarkas , Tauragė , and Rumšiškės . His mother , Honorata Kroazė - Marcinkienė , came from town dwellers family of French origins . Romualdas Marcinkus ' cousin , Vanda Kroazė - Šestakauskienė , stated that the Kroazė family ' s origins in Lithuania began with a Frenchman named Courvoisier , who came to Lithuania with Napoleon ' s army during the French invasion of Russia in the 19th century and married a local Lithuanian woman . Romaualdas was the eldest of five children in the family . After his younger brother died during childhood he became the family ' s only son . Following the First World War Lithuania successfully reestablished its independence and the first gymnasium in Jurbarkas was established . Soon afterwords , Romualdas Marcinkus attended the institution , and became passionate about sports , especially football . Romualdas , or Romas as his friends called him , played football for the local team . Marcinkus was known for his stamina and discipline among his peers . In Lithuanian army service . At age 17 , Marcinkus moved from Jurbarkas to Kaunas , the temporary capital of Lithuania . In Kaunas , he attended the Higher German School . After graduating from the German School , he enrolled at the Kaunas Military School , intending to enlist in the Lithuanian army . During this time the Lithuanian army was expanding and modernizing . The Lithuanian Air Force was especially targeted for rapid development and service in this branch was prestigious . Some of its earlier members such as Jurgis Dobkevičius and Antanas Gustaitis were instrumental in improving on aeronautical designs . While at the military school Marcinkus played for the KSK ( " Kauno sporto klubas " ) football club . After his father ' s death in 1927 , Marcinkus took on the responsibility of supporting his remaining family , he also began playing football for LFLS Kaunas . The aviator Steponas Darius with associates had established the Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimo Sąjunga , which soon became one of the leading club in Lithuania . Marcinkus joined the club and won a national championship during his first season . On 27 July 1927 , Marcinkus played for Lithuania in an international match . Although they lost , Marcinkus managed to score his first goal in an international game . The Lithuanian team ' s coach predicted a bright future for Marcinkus in football . At that time football was among the most popular sports in Kaunas . In 1928 Romualdas Marcinkus graduated from the Kaunas Military School and received a commission as an infantry second lieutenant . From 1930 until 1932 he attended the Vytautas the Great Military Institute ' s aviation department and became a military pilot . While pursuing his military career , Marcinkus did not abandon his passion for football . He became a Lithuanian football champion three times . His team won the cup for the Baltic States ' championship twice , and he played over forty games for the national team . Eventually , Marcinkus became a coach for the national team . He also wrote several articles about football and ethics in sports . His many successes made him a celebrity in his home county . He is considered one of the best Lithuanian players of that time . In 1933 , Marcinkus advanced to the rank of lieutenant , which was conferred by Lithuanian President , Antanas Smetona . In the same year he married Aleksandra Lingytė . Lingytė was also a prominent Lithuanian sportswoman ; she won several basketball championships for Lithuania . Around the same time , inspired by Klemensas Martinkus , Marcinkus became a paratrooper instructor . Soon he became a parachuting master in the Air Force and participated in various air show s . In 1934 Marcinkus was transferred to the air reconnaissance department , there he started improving his expertise in independent flying , mapping , photography , and weapon systems . 1934 proved to be a challenging year for Marcinkus . Antanas Gustaitis , a prominent Lithuanian aircraft constructor and Commander of Lithuanian Military Aviation , invited Marcinkus to participate in a trans - European flight , along with Jonas Liorentas , Juozas Namikas , Jonas Mikėnas , and Kazys Rimkevičius . After detailed planning and preparation , the trans - European flight was begun in the same year . During the 25 days of their flight , the pilots flew three of Gustaitis ' designed aircraft , the ANBO IV s , over 10 , 000 kilometers and visited twelve European capitals . The Lithuanian pilots were warmly welcomed in the countries they visited . They were received by the British Royal Family and Italia n dictator Benito Mussolini . Upon his return , Marcinkus was promoted to the rank of Captain and decorated with the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Knight ' s Cross . He was also named head of the Aviation Physical Education Department . He went on to establish a junior football team and teach German . His superiors noted that Romualdas Marcinkus seemed more interested in sports than in his military duties at that time . His sporting career ended in 1938 , however , when he injured a knee and was forced to abandon football . Despite the fact that he was decorated with " Steel Wings " ( " Plieno sparnai " ) , the highest award in Lithuanian Military Aviation , the following year proved very trying on a personal level . He was burdened with debts and underwent a nervous breakdown . His military career was interrupted by a scandal and he was transferred to the reserves . While the Winter War was gathering momentum , Marcinkus argued for supporting Finland , but Lithuania remained neutral during the conflict . Nevertheless , some Lithuanians left to fight alongside the Finns . In 1940 Marcinkus also left Lithuania , apparently intending to help Finland , although the war had ended by the time he arrived . Soon afterwards he traveled to France , then at war with Germany . In French army service . Marcinkus arrived in France in mid - March 1940 and immediately requested acceptance into the French Air Force . Bureaucratic delays hindered his enlistment . By the time these hurdles were cleared , the Battle for France was rapidly drawing to a close . It is possible , however , that Marcinkus succeeded in shooting down several German military planes during his short career in the French Air Force . After France surrendered , Marcinkus managed to make his way to the French colonies in Africa ( Morocco and Algeria ) . He decided to go to Great Britain and continue fighting , but the French army ' s terms of armistice at Compiègne and tensions between Britain and France made this difficult . On 12 August 1940 he was finally demobilized from the French army . Marcinkus and some of his associates concocted a daring plan to commandeer several aircraft without authorization and fly to England . The plan was not executed due to increased security at airfields and other circumstances . He finally received the necessary documents enabling him to go to Britain in autumn of 1940 . In British service . In October 1940 , Romualdas Marcinkus reached Liverpool , and from there travelled on to London . On 24 December of the same year , Marcinkus became a pilot of the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) . To achieve that , he changed some of his personal data ; he stated that he was three years younger , otherwise he would have been too old for service in the RAF . At that time , his homeland Lithuania had already lost its independence , and the Lithuanian Air Force was rapidly liquidated by its occupiers . Throughout the years , Maricinkus maintained close contacts with the Lithuanian attaché in Britain in order to receive news about Lithuania and his family . On 1 January 1941 , Marcinkus was transferred to a training base . He demonstrated his flying skills , hoping to fly the British Hurricane fighter aircraft . He was successful and was transferred to No . 1 Squadron RAF . Marcinkus became the only Lithuanian pilot to fly for the RAF during the Second World War . Marcinkus wrote in his letter about the new challenges lying ahead : In one of the Marcinkus ' s letters to the Lithuanian envoy , Bronius Balutis , Romualdas notes that he shot down his first German bomber Dornier Do 17 in March . Marcinkus also wrote that he was gathering skills and knowledge in order to make a contribution towards liberating Lithuania and restoring its independence . In the RAF , Romualdas Marcinkus carried out multiple tasks – various training missions , night combat , escort of bombers and others . In June , Marcinkus and his squadron members engaged in prolonged air combat with Germans . As later reports confirm , the Germans lost four Me 109 fighter aircraft , one of which was shot down by Marcinkus . The original report submitted by Marcinkus claiming one Me 109 shot down on 21 June 1941 is held in The National Archives ; he states that he fired two short bursts from his guns from 100 yards behind the German , a Sergeant Blasil , also of 1 Squadron , then witnessed the plane break up in the air . On the allied side , one American pilot was missing . The last mission Marcinkus carried out as a RAF pilot was on 12 February 1942 . On 11 February 1942 , German operation code named Operation Cerberus had commenced , in which a German " Kriegsmarine " squadron consisting of " Scharnhorst " , " Gneisenau " , " Prinz Eugen " , supported by a number of smaller ships , attempted to sail to their home bases via the English Channel . Six fighters from No . 1 Squadron RAF were tasked with intercepting German ships and attacking German torpedo boats . Marcinkus was among the pilots . On 12 February , while attacking the " Scharnhorst " , his plane was shot down by anti - aircraft fire and crashed into the sea . Romualdas Marcinkus suffered a spinal fracture and was rescued by Germans , subsequently becoming a prisoner of war . During the course of the battle , the British lost approximately forty planes and failed to prevent the German fleet from returning to Kiel and Wilhelmshaven . The Great Escape and death . Marcinkus was sent to Stalag Luft III , a prisoner - of - war camp near Sagan that housed captured air force servicemen during the Second World War . The camp was restructured several times in order to accommodate more POWs . It would eventually hold over 10 , 000 inmates . Marcinkus was the only known Lithuanian at the camp . RAF Squadron Leader Roger Bushell selected inmates and began planning an escape , at first focused on digging a tunnel . Already experienced from earlier escapes , Bushell became the nominal leader of this endeavor . The group expanded and accepted Marcinkus into their ranks — his fluent command of several languages , most importantly German , was seen as valuable . The prisoners delegated various tasks amongst themselves in order to better implement their escape . Marcinkus began working on creating forged documents that would aid the escapees once they were out of the confines of the Stalag . He also contributed his intelligence to analyses of the Baltic and Low countries . His extensive knowledge of Germany ' s military and transport positions led to his nickname as " Know - it - All . " He analyzed German news reports , but his most important contribution was his compilation of the German railway schedules , an essential part of the escape plan . Bertram James remembered Marcinkus ' contribution to the escape operation : During March 1944 , final preparations for the escape gathered momentum . In its original form about 200 prisoners were to escape . As cover stories , they were to pose as foreign workers from a number of countries . According to the plan , Marcinkus needed to be among the first escapees . He was selected to lead a group of four prisoners posing as Lithuanian workers traveling back to Lithuania . The group ' s prospects hinged on the hope that the Germans encountered on the way would not speak or understand Lithuanian , as Marcinkus was the only member fluent in that language . On the night of 25 March , the prisoners enacted their plan . Serious problems arose immediately . The tunnel hatch proved difficult to open and the tunnel exit was several metres short of the relatively safe forested area . These problems led to delays and only 76 POWs managed to make their break for freedom . As originally intended , Marcinkus was one of the first ten to escape . Marcinkus and the three prisoners in his group posing as Lithuanians - Tim Walenn , Henri Picard and Gordon Brettell - managed to reach a train heading towards Danzig ( now Gdansk , Poland ) . Most likely , they intended to travel to East Prussia , cross the Lithuanian border , and somehow cross the Baltic Sea to neutral Sweden . However , officials at the Stalag had discovered the escape and began manhunts . Marcinkus and his group travelled further than most of the escapees , but were captured by the Gestapo near Schneidemühl on 26 March . Marcinkus and his associates were brought to Stalag XXB and spent the night there . On the following day they were handed over to the Danzig Gestapo . Its officers took Marcinkus to a forest near Prusce and executed him . On 29 March his body was cremated in Danzig ' s Gestapo crematorium . The executions of the fifty recaptured servicemen were sanctioned by Adolf Hitler . Only three escapees managed to reach their final destinations . The Gestapo claimed that the recaptured servicemen were shot after resisting arrest and while attempting to escape again . By the time of his death Marcinkus held the rank of Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve . Commemoration . Details of the Great Escape executions reached the British Government . Its Foreign Secretary , Anthony Eden , then delivered this speech to the House of Commons : The remaining inmates at Stalag Luft III erected a memorial to their fifty executed comrades at the end of 1944 . Following the war , the Allies launched an investigation into the escaped prisoners ' executions and named seventy - two individuals as responsible . Marcinkus ' killer was convicted in 1948 . In the same year Marcinkus ' burial place was identified and an urn containing his ashes was transferred to the British section of the Old Garrison Cemetery in Poznan , his grave is marked by a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone . Marcinkus was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches in the 1944 King ' s Birthday Honours , he also received the 1939 – 45 Star , the Air Crew Europe Star , and the War Medal 1939 – 1945 . British authorities attempted to contact his relatives in Lithuania , but Lithuania — as a Soviet Socialist Republic — was behind the Iron curtain , and they were advised to stop these attempts since his relatives might suffer negative consequences . At the time Soviet authorities saw those people who maintained contacts with the west as untrustworthy . Marcinkus was seldom mentioned during the Cold War and his pre - war biography was only reprinted in the Lithuanian émigré press , particularly in the US During the 1950s articles about Marcinkus began to appear in these newspapers , including " Karys " , " Vienas iš daugelio " ( 1950 ) , " Paskutinis žuvusiojo lakūno atvirukas " ( 1955 ) , and " Kapitono Marcinkaus mirtis nelaisvėje " ( 1956 ) . The first significant publication discussing Marcinkus in Soviet Lithuania appeared in a 1967 issue of the journal " Švytūrys " . Thereinafter Marcinkus ' s life was more frequently mentioned , although much of the information presented was inaccurate and incomplete . After Lithuania successfully re - established its independence , interest in his story gained momentum in Lithuania and elsewhere . In Jurbarkas , a street was named after him . The Lithuanian Air Force now sponsors the " Marcinkus Pistol Marksmanship Cup " . In 2001 the British Ambassador in Vilnius gave Marcinkus ' previously unclaimed war medals to a surviving relative , his nephew , Alvydas Gabėnas , during a commemorative ceremony . The RAF provided a fly - past of Harrier jets from Marcinkus ' No . 1 Squadron RAF , in which one aircraft saluted the ceremony . In the same year a plaque was dedicated to honour the famous Lithuanian pilot in Kaunas . Gražina Sviderskytė , a CNN award - winning journalist , wrote a detailed account of Marcinkus ' life in her book " Uragano kapitonas " ( Hurricane Captain ) , which was published in 2004 . A documentary film with the same title was produced in 2004 . Marcinkus ' life story was reprinted in various foreign publications in the USA , Canada , and Japan .