Michael Alexander
Encyclopedia
Michael Charles Alexander (November 20, 1920 – December 19, 2004) was a British Army
officer, a German
Prisoner of War
held captive at Oflag IV-C
, and later a writer.
Alexander was commissioned into the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
from Sandhurst
. He joined the Commandos
and later the Special Boat Service
. He was promoted Lieutenant
in 1941.
Captured in North Africa
, as an SBS Commando he would have expected execution rather than prison
as Germany
regularly killed "saboteurs". When he informed Corporal Gurney, who had been captured with him, Gurney had a flash of inspiration and declared falsely, that Alexander was related to General Harold Alexander. After that pronouncement they were quickly visited by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
, who decided not to execute both men, but instead transfer them to a German prison.
At this time Alexander was transferred to Colditz Castle
to join the Prominente. There are no records of what happened to Gurney. At Colditz, Alexander and the other prominent figures like him were kept in somewhat better conditions than the other prisoners and had a few special privileges. However they were kept separate from the other prisoners and their obvious "hostage" status was shaky at best.
During the night of Thursday April 12, 1945, as American
gunfire was heard in the distance, the prisoners were led away from Colditz by the SS
guards on the direct orders of Adolf Hitler
and Heinrich Himmler
. The group made their way towards the mountains, from where it had been inferred that Hitler and his followers would make their last stand. Hitler ordered that the Prominente were all to be killed. Obergruppenführer
Gottlob Berger
, a General of the Waffen-SS
, personally broke this news to the prisoners, but then informed them that he would not carry out his order. Instead he loaded the Prominente aboard two trucks and provided them with an armed escort, who were under orders to fire on any who opposed them. The convoy headed towards the American lines and they were soon safe and in their hands.
Alexander was promoted Captain
in 1946 and invalided out of the Army in 1951.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer, a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Prisoner of War
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...
held captive at Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
, and later a writer.
Alexander was commissioned into the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by The Rifles....
from Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. He joined the Commandos
British Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
and later the Special Boat Service
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
. He was promoted Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1941.
Captured in North Africa
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
, as an SBS Commando he would have expected execution rather than prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
as Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
regularly killed "saboteurs". When he informed Corporal Gurney, who had been captured with him, Gurney had a flash of inspiration and declared falsely, that Alexander was related to General Harold Alexander. After that pronouncement they were quickly visited by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
, who decided not to execute both men, but instead transfer them to a German prison.
At this time Alexander was transferred to Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...
to join the Prominente. There are no records of what happened to Gurney. At Colditz, Alexander and the other prominent figures like him were kept in somewhat better conditions than the other prisoners and had a few special privileges. However they were kept separate from the other prisoners and their obvious "hostage" status was shaky at best.
During the night of Thursday April 12, 1945, as American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gunfire was heard in the distance, the prisoners were led away from Colditz by the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
guards on the direct orders of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
. The group made their way towards the mountains, from where it had been inferred that Hitler and his followers would make their last stand. Hitler ordered that the Prominente were all to be killed. Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
Gottlob Berger
Gottlob Berger
Gottlob Berger was a German Nazi who held the rank of Obergruppenführer during World War II and was later convicted of war crimes.In 1939, he was Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler's main recruiting officer...
, a General of the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
, personally broke this news to the prisoners, but then informed them that he would not carry out his order. Instead he loaded the Prominente aboard two trucks and provided them with an armed escort, who were under orders to fire on any who opposed them. The convoy headed towards the American lines and they were soon safe and in their hands.
Alexander was promoted Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in 1946 and invalided out of the Army in 1951.