Project lessons from The Great Escape

© 2013 Mark Kozak-Holland Project Lessons from the Great Escape www.lessons-from-history.com

Dedicated to Sagan’s 50 and others

Presentation at APM South Wales and West of England branch November 13th, 2013 Mark Kozak-Holland BSc (Hons), PMP, IPMA-D, Cert.APM

“Lessons From the Past that Assist the Projects of Today to Shape the World of Tomorrow”

www.lessons-from-history.com

http://www.thegreatescapememorialproject.com/

Project Lessons from the Great Escape (Stalag Luft III)

New publication from the lessons-from-history series

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http://www.thegreatescapememorialproject.com/

© 2013 Mark Kozak-Holland 2 Project Lessons from the Great Escape www.lessons-from-history.com

Incredible story of mass escape of Allied PoWs from Stalag Luft III in March 1944. Today we can learn from this project.

How it was originated and developed?

How complex problems were solved?

How it was managed and implemented?

Its outcome based on events in March 1944?

Please prepare questions for the end.

This presentation is the property of Mark Kozak-Holland


Table of contents

1. Background

2. Problems

3. APM BOK

4. Solutions

5. Timeline to Escape

6. Post Mortem


The defeated PM - what excuse is it today?

Intimidating scope

No resources

Time constraints

Uncoordinated team

Too many problems

Unclear objectives

Hostile groups trying to close project

No executive sponsor


Imagine life as Allied Airman shot down during World War II, in a Prisoner of War (PoW) camp.

Bailing out

– Hostile population

Captured by Luftwaffe

– Interrogation

– Monitored by Gestapo

Behind barbed wire

– No outside news

Scrutinized 24 hours a day

– Continuous surveillance

– No privacy

– Communications censored

Length in captivity

– 1940-1944


Consider the living conditions as a PoW

Climate

– -25C to +25C

Daily calorie intake

– Rec. 3,000, actual 1,500 - 1,900

• Breakfast – 2 slices of bread, jam, ersatz coffee

• Lunch - Watery soup

• Dinner – 2 slices of bread

Daily regime

– Roll call twice, morning and night

– Boredom

Hygene

– Cold water only

– Fleas lice, scabies, and bed bugs


Living conditions as a PoW were grueling to harsh

No extra clothing

Living space

– 600 PoWs, 60 acres.

– 1 heater/hut – 1 coal lump/person

Cooler

– 5-15 days, harassment and beatings

Diseases

– 40% - Upper Respiratory

– 20% - War wounds (fractures)

– 10% - Gastrointestinal

– 10% - Skin

– 10% - Diphtheria

– 10% - Other


So what were the options for individual POWs, some imprisoned for 4 years.

Lessons for

today – weigh

up the

options.

Wait war out

– Atrocious conditions

– Hope right side wins

– Hope Gestapo don’t call

– Psychological stress

Try and escape

– Wage war

– Give men hope


There were short and long term benefits in organizing an escape.

Lessons for today – clearly state short and long term organizational benefits

Camp population:

– 25% escapers (5% dedicated), 75% support

Short term:

– Occupy men, give goal, restore confidence in leaders

Long term:

– Psychological battle, tie down enemy resources

– Expand war, demoralize enemy


Table of contents

1. Background

2. Problems

3. APM BOK

4. Solutions


6. Post Mortem


There were almost insurmountable problems and constraints that needed to be prioritized and overcome.

Civilian clothing strictly forbidden

Foreign language

No documents, passes

Limited currency

Lessons for today – clearly state

organizational challenges

Snooping “ferrets”

No where to hide

Few raw materials

No equipment or tools

Erratic food/ fuel supply


The first problem preventing escape was location and unknown outside world.

Distance to Sweden, Switzerland, Spain

Hermetically sealed from communities

Pine forest, sandy soil

Lessons for today – assess geographic constraints


The second problem preventing escape were prowling enemy guards.

Guards or “Goons”

– Changed frequently, old or wounded

– 12 guards wandering the compound

Lessons for today – assess constraints

Ferrets

– Intelligence escape specialists

– Enter any time, search no warning

– English-speaking

– Tunneling allowed to continue

Lessons for today – assess organizational constraints


The third problem preventing escape were physical barriers around camp.

Search towers, flood lights

Trip wire, shoot zone

Double barbed-wire fences

Huts stilts

Seismographs - 33 feet

Lessons for today – assess the physical constraints


The fourth problem preventing escape was going incognito in the outside world.

Language and culture

Going unnoticed disguises

No public sympathy, “terror flyers”

No currency

Lessons for today – assess the

cultural constraints

Kugel Erlass (bullet decree)

immediate execution


The fifth problem preventing escape was survival in harsh environment and climate, summer was escape season.

November to March

snow

Access to water,

food, and shelter

Lessons for today –

assess the survival

constraints


The sixth problem preventing escape was access to transportation to get to a neutral country and safety.

Transport Distance

/day miles

Security

checks

Move

ment

Problems Risk

Foot 10-15 Only on roads Night Finding shelter Low

Train 100s Moderate Day Disguise scrutinized; currency Med

Bike 20-60 Few, on roads Day Finding bike to steal Med

Motor vehicle 100s Few, on roads Day Fuel; once reported stolen High

Lessons for today – assess implementation constraints


Table of contents

1. Background

2. Problems

3. APM BOK

4. Solutions


6. Post Mortem


Lessons for today “Planning the Strategy” With tight security escape was thought impossible.

In April 1943 PoWs were moved to the new North Compound.

An intact “Escape Committee” moved in (Stakeholder Management)

Lessons from previous escapes

Escapes:

1. Well planned and organized

2. Well executed

3. Change managed

Beat many complex problems


When the escape committee started to plan their escape they were instigating a project of a monumental scale.

Equivalent to Project Management Plan

Feasibility

– Idea, approach, proposal, ROI

– Checkpoint 1- assess risk, resources

Planning and Design

– High level plan

– Preparation for escape

Production

– Preparation of Tunnel

– Engineering

– Construction and testing

– Checkpoint 2 - Assess risk

Implementation and Startup

– Implement escape

– Checkpoint 3 - Assess risk

– Collect metrics and determine success

– Consider rerun (reuse)


At Checkpoint 1 the escape committee was faced with the conundrum of Return on Investment and project scope.

Lessons for today “Value Management”

Approach to

escape

# of

escapees

Description Example Resources

required

Risk of

Discovery

Unplanned

opportunistic

1 - 2 Take advantage of presented

situation

Hide in back of a

truck

Low Low

Planned, used

once only

1 - 3 Escape route exposed Cutting through

wire

Med Low

Planned, reused

several

1 - 10 Escape route preserved, mass

escape over period

Tunnel Med High

Planned, used

once only

Up to 250 Escape route exposed Tunnel High High


The escape committee assessed project risks (qualitative and quantitative) and modified project plans to accommodate it.

Hiding project

– From nosy ferrets on danger list

Discovery of tunnel

– Multiple tunnels built in parallel

Good enough POW disguise

– Plausible role

Escape through tunnel

– Without detection

Getting away from camp Geneva Convention

– Not in uniform shot

Traveling distances

– Forged passes & money.

Survival in open

Lessons for today “Project Risk Management” and “Health and Safety”


The escape committee realized that mistakes were intolerable. One slip up would give the game away.

Concealing tunnel entrance

Tunnel construction, secretly & safely

Forged documents scrutinized

Clothing - meld wearer

Lessons for today “Project Quality

Management”, determine where

quality is critical


Once out the POWs depended with their lives on disguises and documents.

Forged documents scrutinized

Clothing - meld wearer

Lessons for today “Project Quality

Management”, determine where

quality is critical in project

© 2013 Mark Kozak-Holland

Lessons for today “Executing the Strategy” Utilize hard-won experience acquired by POWs

Scope carefully considered and its constraints

Scope of tunnels

– Number was determined by the number of concrete

foundations available and the risk of discovery

– Depth and length determined by distance from camp to woods

and available tunnel shoring materials

Scope of intelligence and security required

– Six guards were wandering around in the compound

– Number of escapers that could get through tunnel in given

night

25 Project Lessons from the Great Escape www.lessons-from-history.com

Lessons for today “Scope Management”- Philosophy reduce scope were

possible


The escape committee evaluated the activities, their sequencing, resources, duration and schedule.

Primary Activities

1. Tunnel (engineering & sand dispersal)

2. Preparing escapers

Time construct tunnel, constraints:

– Manpower available

– Impact of seasons, climate

Lessons for today “Scheduling”

Time to prepare escapers:

– Profiles – language, responses

– Identities, documents

– Disguises, clothes


The escape committee created project teams to overcome the various problems based on available skill sets.

Lessons for today – pick your project team with care, “Resource Management”

Compass

factory

Big X

Escape

Committee

X Organisation

Equipment &

tool making

Tunnel

engineering

Intelligence

gathering

Internal

security Dispersals

Document

production

Dispersal

diversions

Map

making

Clothing

production

Cultural

trainingSupplies

Professions, Trades and Skill Sets in the Camp

Miners, Forgers, Tailors, Carpenters, Physicists and Geologists,

Engineers, Surveillance Experts, Electricians, Tinsmiths


The escape committee evaluated available resources (Cost Estimating – Labor, Cost Budgeting, Cost Control)

Food and parcels

– Not seen in Germany

– Relatives sent 1 parcel/man/week or month.

– International Red Cross:

• Clothes, shave/wash kits, food.

– Captured officers paid

Lessons for today “Budgeting and Cost Management”


The escape committee communicated the plan to other PoWs to get buy-in and active participation in the project.

Compliance, adoption, communication plans

Adoption plan sell camp

– Contribute & support

Incredible level of trust existed

– Impeccable security

Lessons for today

“Communication”


The escape committee procured resources like tools and raw materials essential to the project.

Liberating wire for tunnel

lights

Visit of high ranking General

Food and tobacco part of

procurement

Lessons for today “Procurement”


Table of contents

1. Background

2. Problems

3. APM BOK

4. Solutions


6. Post Mortem


Solution to the unknown (problem 1) required Intelligence gathering

Befriend guards German speakers

Rope in first time

Blackmail many times

– Some cooperative, railway

timetables, maps, & official papers

Bushell monitors progress

Kommendant provides camera &

film

Lessons for today – assess all options


Solution to location (problem 1) required map making capability based on intelligence gathered

Team forged maps

– Rice paper, sewn into uniforms.

– Mimeograph


Solution to prowling Guards, Goons and Ferrets (problem 2) required sophisticated internal security

"Duty Pilot" system

Security system "stooging"

“Stool pigeons” 2 witness

Inter-camp semaphore

Lessons for today – leverage organizational intelligence where possible


Solution to physical barriers (problem 3) required equipment and tool making capability.

Manufacturing

– Spades, blades, knives, hacksaws


Solution to physical barriers (problem 3) required tunnel preparation and engineering.

Tunnel size width 2’

Required huge number of physical

resources.

– 4,000 bedboards; 1,370 beading battens;

1,699 blankets; 161 pillow cases; 635

palliasses; 34 chairs; 52 20-man tables; 90

double tier bunks; 1,219 knives; 478 spoons;

30 shovels;

– 1,000 ft electric wire; 600 ft rope; 192 bed

covers; 3,424 towels; 1,212 bed bolsters; 10

single tables; 76 benches; 246 water cans;

582 forks; 69 lamps.

Tunneling crude tools.

Sand dispersal 'Penguins’.


Solution to going incognito (problem 4) required a document production unit known as "Dean and Dawson" (travel agents).

Official stamps, papers changed often

Forged papers (over 400) :

– Passports (studio), permission on Wehrmacht property, military leave pass

– foreign workers returning home,

– general identity card, visa, currency,

– pass and temporary pass.

Weeks to reproduce:

– Hand stenciled.

– Official stamps rubber heels.


Solution to going incognito (problem 4) required the production of clothing

Civilian clothing forbidden

Military uniforms cobbled together

Escapees carried aircrew badges secretly

Conversion of uniforms


Solution to survival (problem 5) required survival rations

"Foodacco" - collective bargaining and bartering

Food hoarded for escape

Baked iron rations

Canisters


Solution to access to transportation (problem 6) required profiling PoWS.

Train travel to Suitcase brigade

1. German-speakers

2. Experienced escapers

3. Greatest contributors

Foot travel for “Hard-arsers" or Blanket brigade

– Hide day “foot-slog by night”.

– Rudimentary false papers & identities.

Business travelers or foreign workers


Table of contents

1. Background

2. Problems

3. APM BOK

4. Solutions


6. Post Mortem


Robs US airmen chance to escape.

'Dick' abandoned.

– Ideal for clothing, contraband, workshop.

Bushell put entire effort into "Tom."

Skills transfer to US airmen.

July 1943 – construction on new camp starts


August 1943 - As tunnel reached perimeter fence trees were cleared

Microphones detecters pick up activity.

Guards believed tunnel near completion.

Traces of tunnel sand spotted in gardens.

Five hour search of Hut 123 found nothing.


Intelligence alerted Bushell - 2,000 bed boards

plundered before count, and hidden down Dick.

Dick - clothing, contraband, manufacturer

workshop.

September 1943 - Tom discovered at 85 m, only 16m short of completion. Guards surprised at its scale


October – December 1943 - Tunnelling stopped. activities switch away

Equipment and tool making capability.

Compass Factory.

POWs moved around in job reshuffle.


Surplus sand into 'Dick'. Solution in theatre.

Tunnel (336 foot) with miner’s rail, electric lights, air ventilation

January 1944 - nervous about discovery of the project Bushell restarted Harry. However, project showstopper was SAND


Feb, 1944 – Ferret take 19 top suspects and 6 key men to Stalag VIIIC at Belaria

• Bushell taken off list

• Deputies took over

• Project tracking and managing change to accommodate risk


March 1944 - Ideal conditions required for a night escape but debate whether to go

Four conditions Bushell wanted:

– No moon

– A wind to disguise noises

– Good weather

– No ferrets around

Next moonless nights March 23/24/25.

25th Saturday - poor train tables,

No trains Sunday.

Arguments to postpone to April and better weather.

Harry would not survive wet month of April.


March 23, 1944 - Day before, Bushell re-emphasizes objectives with "Wings" Day and determines to go ahead with escape.

“The weather’s going to be bloody awful, and will probably

get worse. 90% of the hardarsers will run into deep snow in

the mountains…[but it]…Doesn’t matter. It will give the Nazis

an almighty shock. 200 looney escape artists roaring around

the countryside.”

– Conversation between Roger Bushell, and Wings Day prior to

the escape.


March 24, 1944 – Day of escape

POW

congregate in

Hut 104

9:45 -

Problems in

breakout

Frozen trap

door

Clever

improvisation

to continue


In the Implementation and startup things started to go badly wrong

10:30 First out from suitcase brigade

00:00 1 hour air raid

01:30 Tunnel cave in


The passage of escapers greatly slowed

03:00 Blanket brigade begins

03:30 Word sent back, 100 could escape

Expected throughput 60/hour, actual 12/hour.

04:55 - 76 escapers were out


Breakout and escapers get away

Escaper at exit

mixed up

signals

emerged under

guard

Men in tunnel

returned to Hut

104

Burned false

papers ate

rations


Best chance was for suitcase brigade

Station 1 mile from camp

Many escapers could not find station,

missed trains.

At dawn many POWs still on the platform,

ignoring each other.

Bushell awaited the 3:30am service to

Breslau and arrived 5:00am.


Who got where? 76 of 250 got out. Many escapers could not find station, missed trains. 3 got to neutral country, "home run"

Norwegians (2) reach Sweden

Dutchman reaches Gibraltar via France /Spain (3.5 months).

~50 men caught within few miles

15 men escape to free territory but got caught


Table of contents

1. Background

2. Problems

3. APM BOK

4. Solutions


6. Post Mortem


Was the project a success?

Pros

– Massive disruption, million men looking

– Hitler outraged, diversion to war

Cons

– Too few got out and away

– 50 captured and executed


Lessons learned – the positives from the project

Limited material resources

– Everything saved

Decentralized organization

– 600 men were engaged

High performance team

– Committed to cause

Lessons for today – nothing is

impossible

Ad hoc group used diverse talents

Extraordinarily difficult task

– Adverse circumstances

Problems solved

– Continuous innovation


Lessons learned downside - Airmen - Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Holland, Norway, Poland, South Africa, &UK

No rerun

– Poor ROI, massive investment

Attention to implementation

– Priority to greatest contributors

– March best month?

– Many escapers drew attention?

No withdrawal plan

– Tunnel too short

– No stopping

– Emotions unchecked, desire to get out

Effective Project Management?

Lessons for today – pay attention to all phases of project


Lessons learned – Too much focus on the tunnel and its construction

Project Objectives

– Clear at outset, unclear in hindsight

– Game or sport

WWII 30 of 10,000 RAF airmen reached safety.

17% of PoWs died in German camps.

Escapes more dangerous but continued.


Questions

Presentation available on-line

Mark available to work with you and your organization (PMs and Executives),

speak or run workshops.


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© 2013 Mark Kozak-Holland

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Credits and Sources

http://www.historyinfilm.com/escape/real1.htm

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/greatescape/

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1778.html

http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag3.htm

http://www.afhi.org/museum/stalag/escape.html

http://www.elsham.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gt_esc/

http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/84bios/stok84.htm

http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/poznan/en/feature?id=4326

http://www.pegasus-one.org/pow/pSL_3

http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?sid=33&pid=508729

The Great Escape, by Paul Brickhill

The Longest Tunnel, by Alan Burgess

http://www.historyinfilm.com/escape/real1.htm

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/greatescape/






http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag3.htm

http://www.afhi.org/museum/stalag/escape.html

http://www.elsham.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gt_esc/

http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/84bios/stok84.htm

http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/poznan/en/feature?id=4326




http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?sid=33&pid=508729

Project lessons from The Great Escape

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