The event marked the 80th anniversary of a daring World War II rescue mission and one of the most extensive escapes of Allied POWs from German camps in occupied Europe. Siter also delivered the main presentation and highlighted the mission's broader significance beyond Slovenia.

The escape involved 99 prisoners who fled from a work site near Ožbalt in August 1944 under the leadership of Ralph F. Churches and Les Laws. After a 270 km trek through occupied territory, they reached an Allied air base in Bari, Italy. Upon arrival, they were sworn to secrecy about the operation and the Slovenian partisans who aided them.

The conference featured notable speakers from Slovenia and abroad, including Dr. William Butler from The National Archives, Neil Churches from Australia, and several Slovenian historians and experts. Neil Churches, the son of Ralph F. Churches, discussed his book, "The Greatest Escape," which expands on his father's wartime memoirs. Excerpts from the documentary film The Crow's Flight were screened at the conference, garnering significant media interest. 

You can watch the entire conference on YouTube.

Siter is a historian specializing in 20th-century Slovenian history, focusing on Nazism, Nazi POW camps, and German occupation policies. He authorizes the notable monograph "Rogaška Slatina under the Swastika" and has presented at international conferences worldwide. He recently curated a Stalag XVIII D exhibition at the Moscow Victory Museum.