6 incredible escape from the enemy territory (6 photos) Bashny.Net

Those who have not lived under a totalitarian regime in the occupied, or any other, enclosed by barbed wire, territory, hardly able to understand the despair of man, which even "sip" of freedom can be the head. But as you know, are no hopeless situations. And the people who really love freedom, do not stop no walls, no boundaries, no mighty army.

And then are born great stories, six of which we offer.

1. Escape from East Germany in a balloon


Peter Shtreltsik and Gunter Vettsel raved idea evacuate their families from East Germany. Freedom was very close, but the path to it was blocked by the most guarded border on the ground. After much discussion it was decided to make the aircraft. The helicopter is seen as the ideal solution, but it failed to find a sufficiently powerful motor. Then one of them saw a program on television, which tells about the hot-air balloon. This idea seemed to friends simply brilliant. On that and decided to do.

"Flea. Just what you need »

Lack of experience in the field of aeronautics was offset by corresponding literature. They quickly figured out what was going on, did the necessary mathematical calculations, bought equipment, go to the nearest city fabric, which seemed to them the best, and got down to business. Wife sat down at the sewing machine. It was a real dinosaur foot-operated and 40 years of experience. Men glow system designed from the motor bike, car muffler and iron chimney that spews "hellfire."

The first tests for which two families withdrew further into the forest, failed. It was found that the fabric was dense enough to retain air. Defective ball burned, and for new ("it is for our yacht club") had to go to the other end of the country. Work started again. Old sewing machine now and then balk and threatened to exhaust seamstresses physically. Then it has fitted her motor and things got fun.

Family Shtreltsik launched its ball (Vettseli scared at the last minute and came out of the game) after 16 months of careful preparation. They went up in the air, almost flew to the border ... and crashed. 200 meters to freedom.

Nothing to do but throw the ball and go back. They knew perfectly well that the ball in the end, will find, not only to establish the identity Shtreltsikov but Vettseley, and all honest company will inevitably be in jail. It was only a matter of time. Moreover, it would explain the purpose of the fabric, in which they have purchased more industrial scale for the first ball.

Any suspicious events while immediately report "where necessary". Therefore, at this time, so as not to attract too much attention, they traveled all over the country, buying a little raincoat fabrics, bed sheets, curtains of various colors - in short, all more or less suitable for the cherished goal. Meanwhile, at home, old sewing machine worked tirelessly. She had to make the ball more than ever - the one that would be able to raise eight people.

The result is a whopper 18 meters wide, almost 23 - in height. It was the largest balloon ever flown over Europe. They took to the air again, but at some point, and the ball tipped torch alight. There was only one way out: run the engine at full power and try to slip through. Bottled gas quickly ended, they began to descend, but the ball was so great that he behaved like a parachute, so the decline was not very fast.

This plan is definitely too good to fail.

At this time the guards noticed. But so far contacted the authorities and received permission to open fire, our heroes have gone. Finally, the ball landed. But since flying fugitives in total darkness, then had no idea which side of the border were. The men went "to explore." Only when faced with zapadnonemetskimi law enforcement officers realized that an escape plan failed.

The best part of this story is that they have on board was stashed a bottle of champagne. And this despite the fact that every extra kilogram increased risk of crash! So they immediately and celebrated his triumph, "we read that so do all travelers on the balloons after landing."

That's impressive, even more than the fact that sober people tirelessly worked on the realization of completely insane idea.

2. Transition Cornelius growth through Stalin's Russia


Soviet lead mines on Cape Dezhnev was probably the worst place to spend even a small part of life. Do prisoners who gets there were only two alternatives: either a quick and sudden death during the collapse in the mine, or slowly and painfully - from lead poisoning. Needless to say that all the prisoners that there are, as one dreaming of escape.

And what they lacked?

Escape from there was absolutely a matter died. The problem was not so much the fact that the camp is well guarded, but in geography: The nearest town in Russia was from Cape Dezhnev further than some cities in Alaska. With the same success it was possible to escape on foot from the moon. But a German prisoner of war Cornelius Rost did not stop. Former paratrooper made some stocks procured somewhere skiing and pistol. And, in the company of four other fugitives, headed west.

They had to pass 14,000 kilometers. It would be like to walk from New York to Los Angeles and back. Then again, to Los Angeles. Then to Chicago ...

But it turned out, it was not so bad. One of the prisoners had betrayed and shot three of his comrades, and then pushed off a cliff Growth, and left to die. Wounded but alive Height somehow dragged himself to the forest village, found there a local distribution point and said that it allegedly sent "to accompany timber." Local authorities provided him with new clothes, which relied each worker and train tickets, which allowed easy travel 650 kilometers to the west. Plus food and a hot shower.

So, with the comfort he got to Central Asia. Then - hitchhiking to the North Caucasus, robbed on the way the railway station. Cross the border helped him a compassionate guy grateful Height later fondly remembered as the "Jew." Finally, the last prisoner was set free. In Iran. Where, as we think, quickly found a job in the lead mines.

Every man must be a labor of love.

3. Teens anti-communist on corpses pave the way for freedom


What if the path to freedom is not one, but two of the border? Plus a few hundred miles of enemy territory between them. With the police, intelligence agencies and the two armies finally.

You can ask the brothers Masina - they went through it. Joseph and Chtirad Masina originally from the Czech Republic. Childhood they had quite heroic - during World War II, when they were 13 and 15 years respectively, they are, in the example of his father, received medals for fighting the Nazis.

Regime established in the Czech Republic after the war, to show them a little better Nazi, and they organized a resistance group. We're not talking about the usual boyish, which in the worst case, threatens piercings all over his body. We are talking a group of young people who had committed violent raids on police stations with the murder and kidnapping of arms and ammunition.

In 1953, they decided that it was time to flee the country. However, in order to leave the territory controlled by the Communists had to cross the Czech border first, and then through East Germany to move to its western part.

Along the way they robbed several perfumeries.

Maiming and killing everyone who got in the way, the whole company was leaked through the first border. In East Germany, things did not go so smoothly - they are already looking for. When they tried to buy train tickets, cashier suspected something and called the police. But they managed to escape before the arrival of law enforcement.

Soon war East Germany desperate to cope with the presumptuous brothers on their own and seek the assistance stationed in Germany, Soviet troops. As a result, the operation was brought to at least 5 000.

Three policemen were killed during the battle at the station during the transition from East Germany. And this time, luck was on the side of Czech scum.

In the end, the West broke three brothers and Milan Paumer Masina. One of them - to attach a wagon train in Berlin subway.

Where was certainly much cleaner than in the car.

How this story has ended for the brothers? They were exactly where their talents and burning hatred for communism were appreciated. In a military camp in Fort Bragg (the largest military base of the US Army, is located in Cumberland County, North Carolina; approx. Mixednews). That's right - they enlisted in the US Special Forces.

4. Travel Gunther Plush from China to Germany


Fly by plane during the First World War was as safe as dived into the elevator shaft in the nightstand.

Their wings could replace end-of-century umbrellas, with about the same success

Therefore, the German pilot Guenther plush was not in the best situation more from the moment when the chosen his profession. After the First World War he was in China, the German army base in Qingdao. When the castle was besieged, plush received a package full of secret documents and orders to deliver them on neutral territory. He was supposed to fly (on the damaged plane already!), First through the wall of antiaircraft fire, and then over a vast territory, infested by enemy troops. Yes, his chances were not very high.

Plush but somehow managed to escape death, safely overcome 250 kilometers and made an emergency landing in a rice field. The plane he burned to the enemy is not got (although if our knowledge of the early military aircraft are correct, the aircraft had come on their own, and long before touchdown) and continued his journey on foot.

In its Germany. From China.

Where there is Marco Polo!

Plush get to the nearest Chinese city. Here, dodging meetings with local authorities, who chased him on his heels, he made his way to the ship, heading for the then Chinese capital of Nanjing. Bring to bear all his charm, he persuaded some woman get to him a Swiss passport and ticket to San Francisco ....

Now he, along with his secret documents, was on the other side of the planet, in the United States (and this was a time when illegal immigrants in this country illegally were more than today). And still not close to Germany. By this time it had already hunted a lot of people, as his movement caused suspicion even of his own government. Again he swept around the finger of his pursuers and took the train to New York. Then he got on the ship, go to the shores of Italy, to remain neutral in this war. Plush was sure he could feel safe.

This thought vanished when the ship suddenly approached the dock in Gibraltar. He was arrested by the British authorities and sent to a POW camp in the south of England.

Twice the protection did not take her eyes off him, day or night

And yet, in spite of everything, he was now closer to home than ever for all the time of his odyssey. It is not difficult to guess that the plush still ran (the only German who did it in the history of the First World!); got on a ship in the Netherlands. After that were utter nonsense - get over the Dutch-German border.

5. Frank Baissac and his journey to Tibet


Frank Baissac was a scientist-anthropologist, studied the lives of nomadic tribes in Inner Mongolia. In the summer of 1949, when the Chinese revolution spread to the steppes of the western part of the country, Baissac decided it was time lam. But he was not just some old scientist expatriate fallen into a panic. It was, in the past, commandos rescued wounded American pilots during the Second World War and the agent of the Office of Strategic Services (the US intelligence organization during the war, the predecessor of the CIA).

Perhaps you could find an easy way to leave the country, but our researcher with a good imagination, he would not be interested.

Baissac and several of his companions, including a CIA agent by the name of McKiernan, joined the army, led by anti-Chinese leader Osman Bator. Then he went to Tibet, which at that time still maintained its independence, but foreigners there, to put it mildly, do not complain. To avoid problems at the border with Tibet, McKiernan radioed the US State Department and asked to notify the Tibetan side of the visit to their small group.

From Tibet separates them desert, which the locals call it as "White Death". Find map was not so easy. However, they do not really help, since all the lakes and the mountains were encrypted, and in some places by hand was scrawled: "Caution, lions," which finally forced down travelers astray.

And now to the left of the sea serpent.

Despite the thin air and the constant shortage of water for the winter they reached the mountains bordering Tibet. Camped and waited for spring. Boredom fled books that McKiernan prudently took to the road. How many times have you re-read War and Peace? Baissac read it three times this winter.

In March, finally, the mountain became passable. Note cold still standing dog and from the fuel they had just yak dung (All books are plagued by this time on the toilet paper).

In April, the field of vision appeared first settlement of Tibetan nomads. It would seem, here it is - freedom! Happy travelers raised their hands, and went towards the border guards.

Those not understanding, opened fire ... survived only Baissac and another friend of his, and they were seriously injured.

On the border is clearly not received a message from the US State Department. Two surviving prisoners were sent to the city of Lhasa (the terrible baggage - a bag with the heads of dead comrades).

Tibet - is not only cute and monks "chelovekolamy."

Halfway to the city, they met the courier who just was driving to the border unfortunate entry permit for Baissac and his friends. Yes, after six months of arduous travel almost the entire group died because the messenger was late for some five days!

Baissac offered to take a gun and shoot the captain of guards - but he refused. Moreover, he intervened when, later, the entire patrol was sentenced by court martial to severe punishment. Thanks to the generosity of the scientist responsible escaped with just a whipping.

What (if you're lucky with the performer) is not such a terrible punishment.

By the end of your stay in Tibet Baissac even received the blessing of the young Dalai Lama. Then - 500 kilometers through the Himalayas to India on a mule. As a result, his whole way of almost 3000 kilometers. And it took almost a year to overcome it.

6. Hugh Glass and his return from the dead.


All that can hope to ordinary people, met with furious grizzly bear, a fast death. But the story, which will be discussed, occurred in 1823, and its hero, a former pirate Hugh Glass, was no ordinary man. And in his fight with a bear is a bear out of luck.

Bout something Glass won, but he turned out to be considerably dented. Nevertheless, he miraculously continued to live in spite of a broken leg, ribs and a hole in the throat, from which emerged during breathing bloody bubbles.

The main group of persons with whom he had lived before, gone, leaving two - James Bridger and John Fitzgerald with instructions to bury Glass when he finally dies. Two days later, Bridger and Fitzgerald got tired of waiting. They dropped the dying in a shallow grave and left, taking with him all the good poor man. Togo, who fought with the bear and won.

Bear could not weigh more than 300 - 600 pounds.

Glass when he came to himself, he pulled his broken body of his own grave, clean as I could, wounds, fixed broken leg and crawled to the nearest village, which was called Fort Kiowa. For this we first need to get to Cheyenne River (flows through the states of Wyoming and South Dakota; approx. Mixednews), which is located 160 kilometers east of his grave. Driven by passion to the massacre of Bridger and Fitzgerald, Glass crawled not a day or two. He crawled to six weeks.

Safely avoid the hostile Indian tribes Arikara, wolves and bears feeding on berries, rotting animal carcasses and even rattlesnakes, Glass crawled finally to the river. Sioux Indians who hunted in these places, ran at him, half-dead, and helped to make whipped up a raft, on which our hero, in the end, without incident got to Fort Kiowa. Glass then lie down and began to hunt for Bridger and Fitzgerald.