Norm Tiefel B-25 pilot, shot down on  46th  mission.  P.O.W. Stalag 17B and Luft 3	Fellow Stalag 17B P.O.W. Ben Phelper  was a Disney employee before the war  and drew this picture of Norm.

 

 

(Click picture to enlarge)

     Norm and his crew in front of his Douglas A-20, his first love, that he flew from America to Casablanca.  When they arrived in North Africa the missions of the A-20's died down and Norm was then transferred to co-pilot B-25 missions over Italy.

 

 

        Lt. Tiefel kept this journal from the time he left America until his 46th mission:

(click on each image to enlarge the journal)

(Section 1)	(Section 2)	(Section 3)	(Section 4)	(Section 5)
(Section 6)	(Section 7)	(Section 8)	(Section 9)	(Section 10)
(Section 11)	(Section 12)	(Section 13)	(Section 14)	(Section 15)
(Section 16)	(Section 17)	(Section 18)	(Section 19)	(Section 20)
(Section 21)	(Section 22)	(Section 23)	(Section 24)	(Section 25)

 

On the next mission his B-25 was hit with flack, and bust into flames.  Lt. Tiefel was the only survivor.

He was taken first to Stalag 17B  to receive medical treatment, and then to Stalag Luft 3, home of the famous "Great Escape".  These are some of the items from those days.

 

P.O.W. tag	Norm Tiefel today with a stove  he made in Stalag Luft 3

They even rigged up a "formal" Christmas Party in Luft 3.  Check out this bit of American Spirit.

When the Russian army neared Stalag Luft 3 the Germans handed out this flyer to the British and American prisoners asking them to join the German army to fight the Russians.  It was one of those "we white guys have to stick together" appeals.  The P.O.W. response was rather disappointing to the Germans, but it was good for a laugh.