W. E. WELBOURNE 
Prisoners of the Third Reich 
A Sapper’s Story

Crete, 1 June, 1941: Overwhelming German airborne forces overrun the

gallant Allied OF THE resistance defending the Greek island of Crete

in the World War II Battle for Crete. They capture 5000 hungry and

abandoned Allied troops, attempting an evacuation to Egypt. ‘Arty’

Dawson, an Aussie Sapper in the Royal Engineers, Sixth Division, finds

himself an unwilling POW.

This gripping true story traces Arty’s two breathtaking escape attempts

in Greece and his successful final escape to American lines, from deep

inside Europe, as German soldiers flee the advancing Russian Front in the

closing stages of the Third Reich.

Arty’s survival is largely due to luck, combined with the cooperation

of his comrades, as well as unexpected and significant help from the

Red Cross and the heartfelt forces of family love. Importantly, Arty, a

quintessential Aussie bloke, raised in the Great Depression years, finds

secret love to keep his spirits alive during the darkest of times.