Military Model Scene

Title: Great Escape Forger
Author: Susan Holmstrom Kohnowich
Publisher: Pen & Sword
ISBN: 978-1-52676-798-1

The work of Carl Holmstrom, POW #221, an artist in Stalag Luft III. This is a collection of drawings and portraits from the author's father who was held prisoner at Stalag Luft III, the prison camp made so famous by the film of the Great Escape. A 170-page hard-cover book from Pen & Sword.
Carl Holmstrom was the bombardier in a B-17 shot down and crash landed behind enemy lines in Tunisia in January 1943. The opening text details his story, and the questioning he went through before ending up in Stalag Luft III at Sagen. As a talented artist then no surprise that he found himself part of the large team of forgers working on maps, passes, identity cards, passports etc for the escapers. While that is an element of his story the key to this book is his fantastic collection of sketches and portraits which he managed to keep hold of, even when made to walk in atrocious weather at the end of the war and the camp was evacuated in the face of the advancing Russian forces. The collection is split into groups of subjects, such as building of both Oflag XXI-B and Stalag Luft III along with illustrations from daily life in the camp, such as food, various daily duties, cleaning, washing, laundry plus how a prisoner, or Kriegie, spent their personal time. Add sketches of the guards and the guard towers and even the conditions they encountered on the 52-mile forced evacuation march. There are also a wide selection of detailed portraits of other prisoners, and even some of the guards.
Notes accompany many of the drawings and the skill of the artist is quite superb. The portraits captured men at their age in the camp, while the many sketches give an unrivalled picture of what life was like in the camp. There are many written accounts by POWs but capturing the 'look' of both people and places at the time has helped preserve them for eternity, frozen in time. While the title of the book suggest one thing, I feel that the many sketches and portraits presented in here are one of the most eye catching memorials to the men who were forced to live in the camp that was the scene of that most famous film, it also makes a great memorial to the 50 men who were killed after their recapture. The fact that Carl was able to keep them all safe amidst the chaos of the end of the war and how his daughter has done the work to make them available to us all is to be applauded.
Thanks to Pen & Sword for the review copy.

Robin