James 'Dixie' Deans
Encyclopedia
James 'Dixie' Deans was a RAF Sergeant and World War II bomber pilot shot down in 1940 who became a renowned prisoner of war
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 'Long March'
.
On 10 September 1940 Deans (of 77 Squadron) took off from Linton-on-Ouse in a Whitley bomber to attack Bremen
. His aircraft was hit by flak and crash landed at Venebrugge (Overijssel), ENE of Zwolle
, Holland.
Warrant Officer Deans was imprisoned first at Stalag Luft I
, then moved to Stalag Luft III
, where as camp leader held meetings with the Germans on behalf of the NCO POWs.
He was then transferred to Stalag Luft VI
at Heydekrug
, in Lithuania
. As with other camps he set up covert intelligence gathering networks and the use of radios built in the camps obtained through bribery of selected guards. This enabled the POWs to keep up to date with events from the BBC
. He was also responsible for helping to organise the passing of secret information to MI9
via specially coded letters.
In March 1945, Deans took charge of 2,000 POWs on a month-long march across Poland and Germany in what became known as one of the 'Long Marches' to Stalag XI-B
at Fallingbostel.
From here Deans and the thousands of POWs were marched north-east towards Lübeck
. 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 were he accepted Oberst Ostmann's surrender.
When Deans returned home to England he found work as an executive officer at the London School of Economics
, until he retired in 1977. Shortly after the war Deans was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
, which he fought for the rest of his life. Deans was awarded the MBE
.
Deans was a founder member and first President of the RAF Ex-POW Association.
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
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 'Long March'
The March (1945)
"The March" refers to a series of death marches during the final stages of the Second World War in Europe. From a total of 257,000 western Allied prisoners of war held in German military prison camps, over 80,000 POWs were forced to march westward across Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany in...
.
On 10 September 1940 Deans (of 77 Squadron) took off from Linton-on-Ouse in a Whitley bomber to attack Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. His aircraft was hit by flak and crash landed at Venebrugge (Overijssel), ENE of Zwolle
Zwolle
Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...
, Holland.
Warrant Officer Deans was imprisoned first at Stalag Luft I
Stalag Luft I
Stalag Luft I was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp near Barth, Western Pomerania, Germany, for captured Allied airmen. The presence of the prison camp is said to have shielded the town of Barth from Allied bombing...
, then moved to Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
, where as camp leader held meetings with the Germans on behalf of the NCO POWs.
He was then transferred to Stalag Luft VI
Stalag Luft VI
Stalag Luft VI was a German prisoner-of-war camp during World War II located near the town of Heydekrug, Memelland . It was the northernmost POW camp within the confines of the German Reich.-Camp history:...
at Heydekrug
Heydekrug
Heydekrug may refer to places in former East Prussia:* Šilutė, now Lithuania, the site of Stalag Luft VI - a World War II German allied aircrew POW camp...
, in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. As with other camps he set up covert intelligence gathering networks and the use of radios built in the camps obtained through bribery of selected guards. This enabled the POWs to keep up to date with events from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. He was also responsible for helping to organise the passing of secret information to MI9
MI9
MI9, the British Military Intelligence Section 9, was a department of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence, part of the War Office...
via specially coded letters.
In March 1945, Deans took charge of 2,000 POWs on a month-long march across Poland and Germany in what became known as one of the 'Long Marches' to Stalag XI-B
Stalag XI-B
Stalag XI-B was a German Army POW camp near Fallingbostel in Lower Saxony, north-western Germany.-Timeline:* Originally a work camp at the west end of the huge German Army training grounds Bergen, it was transformed into a POW camp at the end of 1939, to serve as a base for prisoners working in...
at Fallingbostel.
From here Deans and the thousands of POWs were marched north-east towards Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
. 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 were he accepted Oberst Ostmann's surrender.
When Deans returned home to England he found work as an executive officer at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, until he retired in 1977. Shortly after the war Deans was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, which he fought for the rest of his life. Deans was awarded the MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
.
Deans was a founder member and first President of the RAF Ex-POW Association.
See also
- The March (1945)The March (1945)"The March" refers to a series of death marches during the final stages of the Second World War in Europe. From a total of 257,000 western Allied prisoners of war held in German military prison camps, over 80,000 POWs were forced to march westward across Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Germany in...
- Prisoner of warPrisoner of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
- Prisoner-of-war campPrisoner-of-war campA prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
- List of German WWII POW camps
- Death marches (Holocaust)Death marches (Holocaust)The death marches refer to the forcible movement between Autumn 1944 and late April 1945 by Nazi Germany of thousands of prisoners from German concentration camps near the war front to camps inside Germany.-General:...