2^nd Lt. Robert Kurtz’s Service Uniform Finds a New Home

How does a World War II Army Air Force uniform end up being part of an exhibit in a unique Polish museum?

The answer lies in the ongoing reverberations of Jim Kurtz’s childhood discovery 66 years ago of a green box in his attic that held the clues to his father’s life.

THE GREEN BOX crew films Marek Lazarz explaining life as a POW on the grounds of the former camp

In August of 2019, the Green Box film crew went with Jim Kurtz to Austria and Poland, filming some of the key locations in Bob Kurtz’s harrowing story of 1944/45. As some of our film’s supporters may remember, we went to Ehrwald, Austria, and hiked to the high mountain valley where his B-24 bomber "Sugar Baby" was shot down by Nazi fighter planes. We went on to Zagan, Poland, site of Stalag Luft III, where Jim’s dad was held prisoner in the most famous POW camp of WWII. There is now a wonderful museum commemorating the events that took place there, including the iconic “Great Escape of 1944,” when 76 prisoners tunneled their way out. Three of those prisoners were successful in returning home. The rest were recaptured and, in a gross violation of the Geneva Convention, 50 were murdered by the German SS.

Our crew loved learning the history of the camp, and our guide, museum director Marek Lazarz, was both a brilliant narrator and a talented on-camera presence in our film. For Jim Kurtz, the trip was a chance to connect in a new way with his father’s experiences. As he said at the time: “I learned so much in two hours. But walking in here, I get goose bumps. I sensed my father throughout this entire journey, but I really felt him here more than any other place.”

One of the relics of his father’s life that Jim found in the green box in his childhood attic, was Bob Kurtz’s POW I.D. and ‘Kriegie’ dog tag from Stalag Luft III. The museum had only one to display and it was not in good shape, having been dug up in one of the archeological excavations at the camp. Jim decided to donate his dad’s POW dog tag, knowing that it would be of value to the museum and its visitors, whose attendance is between 15,000- 20,000 annually, according to Lazarz.

Co-Director/ Writer Vicki Hughes with Marek Lazarz

Bob Kurtz's Kriegie tag, Air Force dogtags & wings

Jim Kurtz with Marek Lazarz in front of the museum's exhibit of a POW bunk

2nd Lt. Robert Kurtz in uniform

Jim Kurtz with Marek Lazarz outside the museum

Bob Kurtz arrived at Stalag Luft III only a few weeks after the execution of the 50 escapees. He remained there until the end of January, 1945. At that time, with the Russians advancing from the east, Hitler ordered the evacuation of POW camps in northern Germany, including Stalag Luft III. Despite blizzard conditions, approximately 11,000 POWs from the camp joined the civilian refugees and other POWs. In what was later to be called the Forced March, they walked for days, through freezing, snow-bound Germany in lines that stretched for miles.

Jim Kurtz describes these events, and more in his book, The Green Box. Like all powerful stories, the effects continue long after the book ends. Jim, after visiting the Stalag Luft III Museum, knew that part of his father’s legacy must be to educate as many people as possible about the events of WWII- lest we forget. Marek Lazarz’ work at the museum continues to honor that legacy. Consequently, Jim felt compelled to donate his dad’s service uniform to the museum. Shipping the uniform posed quite a challenge, and many months passed before 2^nd Lt. Robert Kurtz’s Army Air Force uniform finally arrived in Zagan, Poland.

Marek Lazarz is creating a unique exhibit for the museum that will use all the artifacts that Jim has donated, relating Bob Kurtz’s story to an international audience. When the exhibit is complete, we hope to provide you with an update.

If you would like to learn more about the museum, visit the website through the link below. And look for the scenes we shot there when the film is complete.

POW Camps Museum

NOTE: During the war Zagan, the town where Stalag Luft III is located, was part of eastern Germany but after the defeat of the Nazis, it was returned to Poland.

Marek Lazarz leads crew on museum grounds: Cameraman Tom Kaufman, Co-Director Vicki Hughes & Sound Recordist Katharina Migdoll

Bob Kurtz's POW Kriegie tag