He Stole a German Plane from Peenemünde – And the Soviets Punished Him

Описание: In February 1945, at Nazi Germany’s top‑secret rocket base,
ten starving concentration‑camp prisoners did the impossible.

Led by a skeletal Soviet fighter ace,
they stole a fully‑fueled Heinkel He 111 bomber from Peenemünde—
then flew it through German and Soviet fire to reach friendly lines.

This is the insane true story of Mikhail Devyataev:

Yak‑1 fighter ace with 17 confirmed kills, shot down over Lviv
Reclassified as a “dangerous subversive” after multiple escape attempts
Sent from Sachsenhausen to Peenemünde as slave labor
Quietly studying German bombers while starving to death
Building a team of desperate POWs to hijack the camp commandant’s Heinkel
Starting, taxiing, and taking off in a bomber he’d never trained on
Surviving flak, a crash‑landing, and Soviet suspicion
Ignored and treated as a potential traitor for 12 years before finally being honored

We also explore:

How the Soviets viewed returning POWs and why survival itself made you suspect
How Devyataev’s intelligence on Peenemünde helped the Soviet missile and space program
Why his story was suppressed and only recognized years later

Visualization disclaimer:
Some of the visuals in this video are AI‑generated or artistically recreated purely for illustration and storytelling.
However, the events, dates, and key facts are based on historical records and carefully cross‑checked against trusted sources. The story you hear is real—even if some of the images are visualizations.

If you’re fascinated by WW2 escape stories, secret weapons,
and the brutal logic of totalitarian regimes,
this is one of the wildest true stories you’ll ever hear.

Subscribe to Last Stand History for more forgotten episodes of courage, cruelty, and survival from the Second World War.

Chapters (suggested):
00:00 A starving man and a Nazi bomber
02:10 From ace pilot to prisoner 104534
05:00 Peenemünde – rockets, bombers, and a new plan
08:00 The “Desperate Ten” and the escape blueprint
11:00 Stealing the Heinkel He 111
14:30 The impossible liftoff and flight through enemy lines
18:30 Shot down by friends – and arrested as a suspect
21:30 12 years of silence and delayed recognition

Hashtags:
#LastStandHistory #WW2 #EscapeStory #Peenemunde #Devyataev #HeinkelHe111