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Tony Lesce
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Loompanics Unlimited
Port Townsend, Washington
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This book is soldfor informational purposes only. The publisher wilt
not be held accountnble for the use or misuse of the information con-
tained in this book.
Contents
Introduction
Part I:
1. PrisonSystems ..""7
2. Security . . .17
Physical
3. Security Systems . . .23
4. The Human Factor . . . ... .35
ESCAPE FROM CONTROLLED CUSTODY
o Part II:
1990 by Tony Lesce
Printed in USA 5. Escape and Evasion . " " "41
6. PlanningtheEscaPe .......45
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or 7. Preparations for EscaPe ' ' ' '61
stored in any form whatsoever without the prior written consent of 8. AtoZ ... "
the publisher. Reviews may quote brief passages without the written Escape Techniques, . '67
consent of the publisher as long as proper credit is given. g. ForgeryofPassesandl.D. ....."83
10. Tunnels ....89
Publishd by: Part III:
Ioompanics Unlimited
PO Box 1197 11. SomeClassicEscaPes ....'103
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Part IV:
12. If You're CaPtured . " " "125
Cover and Illustrations by Kevin Martin FurtherReading .. "
For '131
ISBN 1-ss95(}.()3&7
Index. ....135
Ubrrry of Congress
Crtelog Card Numbe: 9O461212
Introduction I
Introduction
..t !,
Escape from captivity is one of the most fascinating subjects of all
time. This is because the yearning for freedom is deeply seated in our
personalities. Gaining freedom from a political tyranny is rarely as in-
teresting as escaping from physical captivity. Many people who have
lived under tyranny all of their lives don't even know that they're op-
pressed. Most of us submit to som€ form of petty tyranny at various
times in our lives, anyway, and survive. However, it's imposible to
be confined to a cell or a barbed-wire compound without being acute-
ly aware of it and thinking of escaping.
From the moment the first jail or prison camp was occupied, in-
mates started thinking abut ways to escape. In many cases, the means
were simple, because the systems of captivity were un@mplicated.
Running away from a labor gang while the guard's distracted is a very
simple, but effective, woy of gaining freedom. The topof-the-line
prisons, on the other hand, are tough nuts to crack.
"They have their exits," as one British officer stated with regard to
leaving a maximum security prison camp without the owners'per-
mision. Devising means of escape from a foreign prison is a test of
intellect, as well as emotional stamina.
2
ESCAPE FROM CONTROLLEDCT]STODY
Introduction 3
of Pkeeoepplein agr eo tchoenrtsin ucaanpyii vdee.v ipsrinisgo mnso-rneo iwnt rnic"autee acntdo reefroic-i.eirn.tr imi eravns, systems. This section will explore techniques of exploiting the weak-
MienlmeiTlicathtatreiorssyn ibicnPo saoiodlawker .ms wI ts i'rl ela qndudei raeblst h wmerio tshree cbiuofrftithiyr imsiytisyltietlan rTyu, r"ae'an tda i omcuietv doil riaa ttno k espnereipsaionkng eo rtuhst.e. rnnyee.sP ssTea dhsrit is isnIcI o Isa vedneceyrtes iopcdrnr.iib sweosni l sls oysmshteoe mwo, f hathonewd g hrdoeeawtte rtemos cimanpeaedkse motfhe etnh e mt oTooswkte onaft-dieevatahcnh tc awegeneat uok--f
ilunoscteuaarlenllsay, t icnooonn arvulilclyet esr edpac foorJegfv nsv.iuezioebflcdjae etcripnitj gt'tf o rtatn dosiesffc eotiroieinfnr eolr fdo teghseu piinryi inmmgo isnpto icwia.e"sred.s ;.C ,I;inv;i ;lsi.ao nm"s"e, eftrhsaecmairp eec saf opintro rsresec'lloaerxcdnteinedgs s he isascntoadrp ylea. zsTinthoeersi esT swt,o eb cneatcienatuyhs oecu etth nsistou mrcyee niostf u thtrhyee ip rmaesrof esstce toe tniitm itnhege-
. most_effective prison systems and the most monstrous iyrannies to in-
This isn't just a book of escape stories. It's also a practical handbook fest the globe, and the people who broke free used greaf ingenuity and
c:tr-aa^l m:m:p*e pwor"o frrktoe mcohf n aki qntyuoreawsn.le.nTdichgare l p rtueogt piumbseer. .ilnr ieos pciaopuiinatr rt.h.e re"a diieirr iwt it.hv ap soowlid sh_oPwaertd IoVu tpstraensednintsg aem soutmiomnaal rys taomf ipnraa.ctical advice for anyone ever
taken prisoner.
Some approaches to escape and evasion are inspirational. They
tcrluaeim t htahat tm thoera wlei lils t ov esruyr vimivep oisr ttatnt"t,- otoJoi.*pfeoOrgta" nt factor. iwrh'ii*lef fivt,s
vitar. More to the point, vou."o,t.iu-ai";il"fii;;i;;;f fu? r?li"g
a book, no matter how inTtirational tn. tot may be. These have to
come from within vourself. Anyone who promises you oinr.*ir. i,
trying to sell you snike oil.
what you can pick up from a book is techniques and tactics for
overcoming practical problems. you can te"to tacticrt-;-;'"if*i'"g-
blocks, which you can later adapt to in. rit*tion yoo-i"r"
. Pl.t I lays out the apparatus of confinement and repression, show_
iTg l9*-" prison,svstem works. we'll study barbed *i* *"rrr,
pperlreoiscbotlrenicm' swfe inenc' elrles tcaarukniedti nangr igscoooonmd cp eleoltleson, it a agnutd a trtnnd.se --hrounmt "*arpinti yos ygos tfe* imtihr ret h rgai"urt" a-r.r"uid insisr, .tthhee
well
. arso study the methods prison administrators use to keep their
charges docile. Besides walls and a*orv r-*, captors use psycho-
logicat methods, atremptins to o.moiJ-ir;hg .;rd;;. ;-t iliffi*
galhering is a common ajrl gO p*on aamm$trators use informers
to keep a finger on the putse ortm prison, t" ol*"*r;;;;i;",
before they can bear fruit. ""i
Part II deals with techniques of escape and evasion. This will lay
out step-by-step the methods prisoners have used to nullify security
Part I
Prison Systems 7
I
Prison Systems
ft--tl-^t{ t $ ffi
Prisons serve different purposes, in both the civilian and military
categories. In civilian life, there are short-term holding facilities,
usually known as 'Jails." These consist of cells and perhaps a "day
room." Iong-term incarceration is in "penitentiaries," or what we
normally call "prisons." These have more elaborate physical plants,
including wortshops, classrooms, and other facilities for "rehabili-
tation." In states with capital punishment, prisons have "death rows"
and execution chambers. Overlaying everything about a criminal
prison is the heavy mantle of punishrqent. Although many inmates
claim that they were confined as a result of an imperfect system of
criminal justice, or even framed maliciously, they're confined because
of a real or alleged misdeed.
By contrast, prisoner of war camps are made for men (and some-
times women) who were captured fighting for their country, an
honorable enterprise. The German greeting to POWs: "For you, the
war is over," reflects the good-humored outlook. Although some
cultures, as we'll see, consider capture dishonorable, there still isn't the
same stigma as there is to being a criminal.
Military prisons can be "stockades," designed for disciplining one's
own offenders, and various sorts of camps for housing enemy or other
8
ESCAPEFROMCONTROLLED CUSTODY Prison Systems 9
personnel. The regular Pow camp is usually a set of barracts sur- Nazis considered inferior, such as Jews and Gypsies, were headedfoi
r9u$9{_!V gun towers and barbed wire. In the best sense of the ter-, extermination camps from the start.
the Pow camp is a "human warehouse." The servicemrn *nnn"o
have committed no crime, and are just in "cold rtor"g.; uoiiiinr ."0 The standard of living of the captor nation also counted for a lot.
of the war. There are also special punishment camps run by the Even when strictly following the Geneva Convention and providing
military or by a para-military organization. Some of tttrr. u,"i"uo. POWs with the same rations served to one's own troops, there were
camps' others are death camps, daigned to kill the inmates. mr *n often large-scale dislocations. Italian Army rations were poor by
be very unpleasant. British and American standards, and though Italians tried very hard
to be humane, POWs in their hands suffered. Asian soldiers subsist
There are also differences-in mnfinement philosophy. some prisons on a few bowls of rice u duy, which Europeans found inadequate.
depend.on bars, walls, and fences.to keep people iri. OtUr"
prisons," in which the main restraint againrl oi"pe is the thre"a.t: ro-;gfLon- When the captor power is a subsistence economy, its captives can ex-
ing shot during,the attempt. prisons iriAmericansouthern states ieno pect little. This isn't calculated cruelty, but simply the result of econo-
to operate in this manner. prisoners working in "road gangs, and mics.
"chain gangs" have only the guards' firepower6et*ren tn"ii-"-oo n""- In Asia, standards were vastly different overall. The Japanese who
dom.
took American and British servicemen prisoners during WWII
followed the code of "Bushido," which considers surrender dishonor-
able. According to the code, surrender by a Japanese soldier was
Cultural Clashes
punishable by death. A Japanese soldier who had been taken prisoner,
whatever the circumstances, had to make up for it, and in August,
Apart from the differences in interests between the captors and 1944, over 1,000 Japanese POWs at Cowra, Australia, stormed the
captives, there are also other factors which can make the prisoners' fence armed with clubs and other improvised weapons for just this
lives unhappy, lld even tenuous. In World War I, tnrir'*.."-a nndo purpose. The Australian guards used gunfire to repel the Japanese, and
fundamental differences in outlook between French, British, shot 231 ofthem dead on the spot. Sti[,334 ofthem broke out, fan-
German Y.e1vs of prisoners of war. In World War iI, tt r.r'*.r, ning out in the surrounding countryside. They were quickly rounded
no-table differences, partly because of the greater numte, or up, either captured or killed.2
belligerents, and partly beiause of changes iil ttrinting.-on-trr"
German side, there was a vast difference beiween the treatirent siven Japanese, imbued with this attitude, viewed the Allied servicemen
British and French pows, and that reserved for the Silil p6wr, whom they had captured as scum, unworthy of decent treatment. This
*death
yhom the Nazis regarded as "subhuman." Another difference ** io is why they conducted such horrors as the various marches."3
PS:o-wtvs-r yfr oomf cthame -wpse sretesrenr vAeldlie fso rg ovta rreiolautsiv ccllays sgeoso do ft rceaapimtievnetr inM cilaita-pry, Treatment varied, depending on the situation and the personnel.
run.by the German a'.ned_ forces. onry 4vo or-mtisn, e*.tic"o, Aus- Front-line Japanese soldiers seemed to have had a more understanding
tralian, and New ze,aland soldiers iiGerman pow .r-p, JIJ i" and humane attitude towards their prisoners than rear-areas soldiers
captivity.t who did not see combat. The "combat men" did not impose any un-
necessary hardships, but the farther to the rear prisoners got, the more
- Guerrillas, such as "Maquis" and"partizaners," were not protected they experienced the calculated rigors of Japanese hospitality.4
by international law. These_often wound up in'death;;fi;li;; Overall, 28Vo of. the Anglo-American POWs taken by the Japanese
brisk intenogation by the Gestapo. Members or rtrrni. gioup, tt " died in captivity.5
"
IO
ESCAPE FROM CONTROLLED CUSTODY Prison Systems 11
In vietnam, Americans captured were mainly airmen shot down as legitimate troops would be affording them a status thatrthe govern-
over North vietnam. The North vietnamese saw them as war ment doesn't want them to have. The various Geneva Conventions
criminals because of the extended bombing of civilian targets in viet- dealt only with uniformed soldiers, and not civilians or guerrillas. Al-
nam. There wim an intense effort to obtain "confessionl," both for though the rebels might proclaim themselves to be "freedom fighters,"
propaganda and as reprisals against the prisoners. In certain instances, it's simpler to treat them as bandits, because it gives security police
there were deliberate tortures, such as tying a prisoner up into a ball.o officers greater latitude for interrogation. Criminals have no rights un-
Another torture used on airmen wtro reruseo io talk ** t uuiog irr.i. der international law; only the rights allowed by the national govern-
arms tied behind their backs, and being pulled up by the wristi until ment.
the arms became dislocated at the shoulders.T
We've seen this happen frequently during the last couple of decades
In primitive countries, prisoners of war can expect little in medical among the Western nations. The British do not recognize the lrish Re-
car9. Thrir captors simply don't have the means to treat disease andl publican Army and treat captives as criminals. Likewise, Italy treats
or injuries according to Western standards. its "Brigata Rosso" as bandis. Germany sees the "Red Army Faction"
in the same light as its predecesor, the "Baader-Meinhof'gang, as
Political Conditions criminals. In the United States, members of the "Symbionese" and
other "liberation armies" were not given POW status.
Strongly-affecting the way prisonen are treated is their political Another practical point is the relative strengths of the two sides. If
state, and the context in which they were captured and imprisoned. two approximately equal nations are fighting, anyone holding POWs
criminals, of course, are seen as evil-doen paying for theii has to consider the possibilities of reprisals against one's own captured
Uniformed servicemen are, theoretically, protlctJO by one "o.if- .thre. servicemen, and retribution after the war. If a national government is
Geneva conventions. It's important to note ttrat not af nations have fighting rebels who do not hold any POWs themselves, there's little
signed one of the Co.nventions (there were several, in 1g64, lg6g, to fear, unles the insurgents win.
L906, 1929, and 1949), and not all ofthem accept ali ofthe principlei Local conditions can be critically important. If one side is very short
completely. of supplies, or is encircled and has no room to house POWs, they're
"wIanr ccerrimtaiinn aclass."e sI, f ththee crea'sp tobre ecno nasnid eartsr oecviteyn, uthneif ocrampteodr sweirivl icpermobeanb alys leikveenlyts t oo fb eW eWxeIcIu tweda sa fttheer av eqrubiaclk ocridgearr ecttierc. uOlantee do fa tmheo nugn pAumbleicriiczaend
stage a public trial and sentence those found guilty to extra ienalties, troops at Anzio, ordering that no prisoners be taken. Any Germans
even death. Adolf Hitler ordered summarylxeiution for'the Red who surrendered were given a last cigarette, then taken "out back"
Armyls political commissars, o1 ghe grounds-that they were not rrliti- and shot.8
mate fighting men but "political indoctrinators." Wearing the enemy's uniform is forbidden by international law.
If the Pows are not rygmbep of regular armed forces, their captors There have been many soldiers captured while doing this being court-
probably will treat them like criminals. This is for several reasorrr,Lth martialed or even shot out of hand. Spies, and members of various
legal and practical. one is that the Geneva conventions coue. onty secret service organizations &ren't covered. An escaping POW, if he's
members of the armed forces, not "rebels" and "partisans." The 1949 wearing civilian clothing, can expect treatment given to a civilian or
convention deals only with prisoners taken in a declared war.-An- spy.
other is that the estabiished gou.ro,oroi, in case of a rebellion, Joes Guerrillas are not covered, and any civilian who fighs against the
not want to ascribe any legitimacy to the rebels, and recognizing them other side's armed forces can expect to be treated like a criminal. So
T2 ESCAPE FROM CONTROLLED CI]STODY
Prison Systems 13
can a mercenary, except where he's fighting as part of the other side's camp in WWII was "Oflag IVC" (Offiziers Lager) at Colditz, in
legally established armed forces. The "ioldiJr ofiortune,, can normatty Germany.13
expect a "terrorist" label, and summary execution or perhaps u ,t o*
trial. Members of para-military groups arso get summary treatment, Another serious concern for the captors was extracting military in-
4though they may view themselv-es aslegitima'te fightintm"o. F."n"i, formation from their prisoners. In this respect, officen were generally
Gary Powers, pilor of therJ-2 shot dow-n over Rrisia io igio, ;ru", in better positions to obtain valuable information than enlisted men,
got recognition of his military status, and stood trial as a clvilian. and captured officers got most of the attention from interrogators.
several American fliers shot down ove, Red china wtrite oo ,ecoo-
As a start, both sides subjected prisoners to ruses. One was the "Red
naissance missions during the Korean war were treated as spies.e Cross" form, which had spaces for name, rank, and serial number, but
Finally, an important point is who wins the war. The winner can also unit designation, home base, and other information of military
put the loser's leaders on trial for "war crimes," while simultaneously value.la
violating international law. Soviet Russia, for example, did not release
the last of its German pows until r949.io In the end, of the Ge'naos Those whom the camp administration assessed as having valuable
ptaokweenr sp riinso ntheer bwye tshte u ssoevdie Gtse, rm50aTno dpieodw, wsh ifloer incl ecairpinigiv ,iitryin..;--n[Jjioi*, ainpfoprrmoaacthioens wwohuincdh uthp eb einfotreer rsokgilaletdo risn tteonookg.a tFoenw. ,T hife raen wye, rien vsoelvveeradl
around the end of the war.r2 violence. There was, however, other pressure, such as very uncomfort-
able cells which, the interrogator assured the prisoner, was only a
temporary accommodation, as the prisoner would soon be moved to
Initial Treatment and Classification a much more comfortable camp after the formalities were over.
Physical pressure would also come in being made to stand for hours,
In both prisons and POW camps, the administrations sometimes naked. In other cases, prisoners did not get to go to the
classify and separate their charges at the outs;t. tn criminal prisons, bathroom for many hours, and some had to urinate in their pants.rs
ythoeu nagdemr ipnriisstoranteorrss wsheoek m toa ys ebep astuastec etphteib lhea trod -tchoerier irneflcuideinvciset.s rrrrrrlmy trre Tfohri negxsa mweprlee, quusieted dbiaffmerbeonot askmeownegr st huen Edears ttehren fninagtieornnsa. ilTsh teo J paeprasnueasdee,
assess their inmates according to security risks. obviousty,conoeinn"erroo prisoners to talk.
prisoners and "lifers" are slited for maximum security.'Those with Allied captives in Germany, and German captives in Britain, were
mild sentences, who have much to lose from an escape attempt, are the subjects of various sophisticated low-key tactics to gain
more likely to find themselves trustees or to go ioto *ort-irr.*', b.o- information. One would be the tea and cigarette approach, with an
grams.
informal chat about home and family. This would inevitably lead to
f^ro Imn tPhOe Wen_lisptmedp sm, eonn. eT hoifs tihse p fairrstlty etfofo brtrse aisk ttoh es ecphaarinat eo rt hceo momflicaenros mif ohree ihmapdo rptaanrat cthouptiecsd. iAnntoo thoecrc uwpaiesd b yte srruigtogerys,ti nmg itghhatt bthee ap rsispoyn eor,r
and discipline, and partry a ca.ry-ovet from the oro euiopean ciass saboteur instead of an airman. Of course, answering a few "routine
systeT. Even- today, for example, officers are not, in principte, questions" would clear up the matter.
ex_
pected.to perform-physical work,p wohwile enlistedn'.o -iy fi;f tir.- Another trick was the "stool pigeon," a turncoat prisoner who
serves rn road or harvest gangs. camp administraiors also are would start a conversation and feed whatever information came out
concerned with security risks, and those whom they mnsider titety to to his captors. Not all camp administrators used stool pigeons. A
try to escape go into maximum security camps. The most famouss"uch microphone in a double-occupancy cell would pick up conversations,
J
