Deans, James Alexander Graham (Oral history)

British NCO served as pilot with 77 Sqdn, No 4 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 1940; POW in Dulag Luft, Oberursel, Stalag Luft I, Barth, Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Stalag Luft VI, Heydekrug and Stalag 357, Fallingbostel, Germany, 9/1940-3/1945

REEL 1 Aspects of operations as pilot with 77 Sqdn, No 4 Group, Bomber Command, RAF in GB, 1940: background to joining RAF, 1936; opinion of Armstrong Whitworth Whitley; shooting down of his aircraft during raid on Bremen, Germany, 10/9/1940; capture by Germans and Dutch police at Venebrugge, Netherlands, 10/9/1940. Aspects of period as POW at Dulag Luft Interrogation Centre, Oberusel, Germany, 9/1940-10/1940: accommodation; character of interrogation; collaboration of some POWs. Recollections of period as camp leader in Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany, 10/1940-4/1942: character of camp; reunion with comrades; food supply problems. REEL 2 Continues: private parcels and use of combines; election of POW representative; his election as camp leader; role of camp leader; dealing with Germans; later attempted suicide case at Stalag Luft III, Sagan; discipline and POW organisation; his power of veto over escape attempts; effect of escape attempts on his relations with the Germans. REEL 3 Continues: role spying out land for escapers whilst on medical visit outside camp; feelings amongst some POWs that escapers were nuisances; inter-block sporting events; lack of German attempts to create differences between national groups; condition of Russian POW; suspected German 'plants'; POW work on radio; radio contact with GB. Aspects of period as camp leader with NCO compound in Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Germany, 4/1942-4/1943: relations with Senior British Officers; changing of POW identities; POW record keeping; reaction to executions of participants of Great Escape. REEL 4 Continues: Aspect of period as camp leader in Stalag Luft VI, Heydekrug, Germany, 4/1943-7/1944: greater availability of space; new POWs acting as source of news and information; welcoming of new POWs; his code work; radio contact with GB. Aspects of period as camp leader in Stalag, 357, Fallingbostel, Germany, 8/1944-3/1945: move to camp; character of camp; relations with and corruptibility of German guards; presence of Gestapo in camp. Recollections of POW march away from Stalag 357 at Fallingbostel, Germany, 3/1945-4/1945: route of march; arrangements for POWs to obtain Red Cross parcels; effects of RAF attack on POW column. REEL 5 Continues: his attempts to get RAF to stop air attacks on POW column; his return to POW column; liberation and arrangements for POWs return home; attitude towards Germans.