Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. James 'Dixie' Deans (1913 - 18 February 1989) was a RAF Sergeant and World War II bomber pilot shot down in 1940 who became a renowned prisoner of war Camp Leader.Deans spoke perfect German and when captured commanded his fellow POWs as the elected Camp Leader, gaining the respect and trust of both prisoners and German captors alike. In 1945 he guided 2,000 Allied POWs across Europe in what was known as the 'Long March'.On 10 September 1940 Deans (of 77 Squadron) took off from Linton-on-Ouse in a Whitley bomber to attack Bremen. His aircraft was hit by flak and crash landed at Venebrugge (Overijssel), ENE of Zwolle, Holland.