British Forces

Squadron Leader Peter Stevens MC

Squadron Leader Peter Stevens MC (born Georg Franz HEIN in Hanover) was the only German Jew known to have flown RAF bombers against his homeland. Sent to safety in London by his widowed mother in Jan 1934, he committed identity theft (taking the name of a dead high school classmate) and enlisted in the RAF on 3 Sept 1939. Trained as a bomber pilot, he joined 144 Squadron on 1 April 1941. He flew 22 combat missions before his Hampden bomber was hit by flak over Berlin, and he force-landed (out of fuel) near Amsterdam on 8 Sept 1941. Captured 12 hours later, he spent 3 years and 8 months as a POW in his own country, without any protection whatsoever under the Geneva Convention. One of the most ardent POW escapers of the war, he made 9 escape attempts, and was Head of Contacts (Scrounging) for the "X" Organization in Stalag Luft 3's East Compound. Mentioned today in over 20 books, including his biography, 'Escape, Evasion and Revenge'.