Alcatraz Gun Battle (1946)

It was on May 2, 1946 that Coy and his accomplices made their move. Months had been spent casing the routines of Guards Burch and Miller. A bar spreader had been secretly obtained to force a gap in the gun gallery bars so Coy could attack Burch. Coy himself had been dieting for several months, making himself as slim as possible. He would have only a couple of minutes to climb the gun gallery bars, spread them, squeeze into the gallery itself and jump Burch as he came through the door from D Block. Hubbard had been casing Miller’s routine to judge exactly when to jump him and steal the key that Miller carelessly kept on his person instead of delivering to Burch according to prison rules. Cretzer, Shockley, Thompson and Carnes were available as extra muscle and there was always a chance that other inmates might decide to tag along. The “Battle of Alcatraz” was about to begin. http://www.crimemagazine.com/battle-alcatraz