Where did this story originate?

[Amy]

Someone recently related this WWI story to me and I'm curious of its origin. *The story goes something like this:

There was a French(?) pilot who was shot down by the Germans and taken prisoner. *While a POW in Germany, he somehow acquired a pet dog. *Since he had a lot of time on his hands, he sewed the dog a little shirt (with a pocket) to wear. *Under the watchful eye of German guards, he and his little dog were able to make trips into the local town. *During one trip into town, a local woman made small talk with the group and petted the little dog. While she was petting the dog, she secretly slipped a note in the dog's shirt pocket.

The French pilot retrieved the note later. *The note contained instructions for an escape to take place. *'Don't have the details, but the escape involved heading to the Swiss border in a car. *Along in the escape car was one of French flyer's German guards, who wanted out before they hit Switzerland. *The French pilot asked the German guard what he did for a living before he joined the army and the guard told him something like he was a carpenter. *The French flyer asked the German how much money he earned as a carpenter and the French flyer told him he knew where he could make much more than that in France(?). *And with that news, the German guard decided to go on with them.



The details are very sketchy, but has anyone ever heard of a story similiar to this? *Does anyone know where this little story comes from? *Is it from a book--fiction or non-fiction? *Is it from a movie? *Anyone recognize it?

Thanks in advance.

Amy

[rammjaeger]

Sadly, I have never heard this story. Sounds more like "Young Indiana-Jones" but who knows ...?

Amy: I can't buy into the whole ball of wax, but the story has elements of Roland Garros' escape from the Germans. Visits to town, notes and, if I'm not mistaken, a drive into Switzerland. Alas, the real story has--I think--a sad ending. Garros, who returned to a pursuit squadron without recognizing that a new day had dawned in air fighting, was killed using tactics that no longer worked.
DD

[leo]

It might make a good movie.

leo

[Amy]

Thanks for the replies guys. I've received an anonymous email with the answer to my question.

This story belongs to the French ace Georges Madon. His escape story can be found in the book titled, High Flew the Falcons (1965) by Herbert Molloy Mason, Jr.

Apparently Madon became lost in bad weather and mistakenly landed in Switzerland where he became interned. Madon made his dramatic escape back to his homeland of France in December, 1915. *But once back home, the French imprisoned him for 60 days for mistakenly landing in Switzerland and getting himself interned there.

Amy: Thank you for straightening that out. I have the Mason book, but I was a victim of laziness and bad memory. It reinforces what a wise old English prof once said to a room full of fresh faced kids: "Forgetting," he said with arching eyebrows, "begins immediately." True, true.
DD

[Amy]

I have the Mason book, but I was a victim of laziness and bad memory.

Denny: Yes, I've been guilty of that a few times myself!