RCAF Escape Compass: a Guide Behind Enemy Lines

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During the Second World War, Department 9 of the British Directorate of Military Intelligence (MI9) created a wide variety of equipment to help downed airmen evade capture and escape back to Allied lines. This included compasses hidden in a number of common objects, including uniform buttons, razor blades and pens.

0:00 Introduction
1:06 "Clutty" Hutton - the real-life "Q"
2:51 Early pattern escape compass
3:16 "Pillbox" escape compass
4:35 Miniature escape compass
4:48 Tunic button compass
5:21 Trouser button and 'Westkit' compasses
6:24 Battledress buckle compass
6:35 'Swinger' compass
7:07 Miscellaneous escape compasses
7:30 Outro

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SOURCES:

https://orau.org/health-physics-museu...
https://ehive.com/collections/3983/ob...
https://www.airministrymilitaria.com/...
https://compassmuseum.com/esc/esc.htm
https://www.paratrooper.be/articles/e...
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/...
Dear, Ian, Escape & Evasion:POW Breakouts in World War II, Rigel Publications, London, 1997