World War II Honoree

Francis W. 'Frank' Frudd

Hometown

Detroit, Michigan

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

JOINED THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE (RCAF) PRIOR TO THE UNITED STATES ENTERING THE WAR. HIS PARENTS HAD IMMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES FROM ENGLAND AND HE HAD CONCERNS THAT A GERMAN INVASION OF ENGLAND WAS IMMINENT, AND HE COULD HELP. RECEIVED HIS AVIATION TRAINING IN TRENTON, ONTARIO, CANADA, BECAME A FLYING OFFICER IN 1941, AND DEPLOYED TO ENGLAND. HIS BOMBER AIRCRAFT WAS SHOT DOWN ON THE NIGHT OF JULY 3-4, 1943, ON HIS 33RD MISSION, WHILE RETURNING FROM A MISSION OVER COLOGNE, GERMANY. HE WAS INITIALLY LISTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, BUT SOME TWO MONTHS LATER HIS STATUS WAS CHANGED TO 'CAPTURED.' HE WAS IMPRISONED AT STALAG LUFT III SAGAN IN LOWER SILESIA, GERMANY, SOME 100 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BERLIN. DURING HIS CAPTIVITY, HE PLAYED AN ACTIVE ROLE IN TUNNEL CONSTRUCTION AND LOGISTICS FOR ESCAPE ATTEMPTS. HIS WIFE ROUTINELY SENT HIM 'CARE' PACKAGES VIA THE RED CROSS FILLED WITH TOBACCO, CANDY, FOOD, TOILETRIES AND OTHER GOODS AND RECREATION ITEMS. HE WOULD USE THE ITEMS TO BRIBE GUARDS FOR ARTICLES, SUCH AS CIVILIAN CLOTHING, TRAIN SCHEDULES, AND MAPS, WHICH COULD BE USED TO FACILITATE ESCAPES. THE LUFTWAFFE-RUN PRISONER-OF-WAR (POW) CAMP WAS TOUTED AS BEING ESCAPE-PROOF, HOWEVER SOME 76 PRISONERS SUCCEEDED IN ESCAPING VIA TUNNELS AT ONE TIME ON MARCH 24, 1944 IN A ‘GREAT ESCAPE.’ HE AND FELLOW PRISONERS WERE EVACUATED JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON JANUARY 27, 1945, DUE TO THE ADVANCE OF THE RUSSIAN RED ARMY. THEY WERE FORCE-MARCHED IN A BLIZZARD, IN BELOW-FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND IN 6 INCHES OF SNOW SOME 50 MILES TO THE CITY OF SPREMBERG, BRANDENBURG, GERMANY. ABOUT FEBRUARY 2, 1945, PRISONERS WERE MOVED BY TRAIN IN FILTHY, CROWDED BOXCARS TO STALAG XIII-D NUREMBERG-LANGWASSER IN BAVARIA IN SOUTHERN GERMANY. WHEN AMERICAN FORCES APPROACHED STALAG XIII-D ON APRIL 13, 1945, PRISONERS WERE MARCHED TO STALAG VII-A AT MOOSBERG IN SOUTHERN BAVARIA, GERMANY. HIS CAMP WAS LIBERATED ON APRIL 16, 1945 BY ADVANCE ELEMENTS OF THE U.S. ARMY AND HE WAS REPATRIATED.