Title	Exit
Description	This page in Mitchener's diary shows the POWs departing the German prison camp. They have not been released, but rather, they are being relocated to another POW camp farther west because of the approaching Russians from the East. Mitchener has drawn a line of men leaving the camp. He writes, "Then at about 0100 A.M. a glimpse of freedom ---Exit - The long awaited 'opening' - Many advance notices - much publicized, eagerly expected, BUT only a four nite stand. Once more x-wire restricts."
Historical note	Mitchener was shot down and captured as a POW during World War II after a bombing mission in Germany. On the night of January 27, 1945, some of the men at Stalag Luft III were watching a Kriegie show, a Broadway comedy. One of the senior officers announced, "The goons have...given us 30 minutes to be at the front gate. Get your stuff together and line up." Hitler had ordered the Luftwaffe to evacuate the prison camps (including Stalag Luft III) that were about to be liberated by the Red Army.
Date	1944-1945
Place	Zagan (Poland)
Creator	Mitchener, Hardy A., 1919-1957
Collection name	Hardy A. Mitchener, Jr. Journal, 1944-1945
Education Tags	US.61 American Soldiers World War II
Subjects - LCSH	World War, 1939-1945 -- Europe; Prisoners of war; Diaries
Subjects - TGM	Evacuations Barbed wire Prisoners Fences
Accession #	THS 760
Owning Institution	Tennessee Historical Society
ID #	33600
Digital type	IMAGE
Digital format	TIFF
Image Rights	Digital image © 2008, Tennessee State Library & Archives. All rights reserved.
Copyright	While TSLA houses an item, it does not necessarily hold the copyright on the item, nor may it be able to determine if the item is still protected under current copyright law. Users are solely responsible for determining the existence of such instances and for obtaining any other permissions and paying associated fees that may be necessary for the intended use.
Ordering information	To order a digital reproduction of this item, please send our order form at http://tsla.tnsosfiles.com/general/forms/ImagingOrder.pdf to Photo Orders, Tennessee State Library & Archives, 403 7th Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37243-0312, or email to photoorders.tsla@tn.gov. Further ordering information can be found at the following location: http://sos.tn.gov/products/tsla/ordering-images-and-microfilm-digitization .