The True Story of the Great Escape
Stalag Luft III, March 1944
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
The real history behind the classic war movie and the men who plotted the daring escape from a Nazi POW camp.
Between dusk and dawn on the night of March 24th–25th 1944, a small army of Allied soldiers crawled through tunnels in Germany in a covert operation the likes of which the Third Reich had never seen. The prison break from Stalag Luft III in eastern Germany was the largest of its kind in the Second World War. Seventy-nine Allied soldiers and airmen made it outside the wire—but only three made it outside Nazi Germany. Fifty were executed by the Gestapo.
In this book Jonathan Vance tells the incredible story that was made famous by the 1963 film The Great Escape. It is a classic tale of prisoners and their wardens in a battle of wits and wills. The brilliantly conceived escape plan is overshadowed only by the colorful, daring (and sometimes very funny) crew who executed it—literally under the noses of German guards. From the men’s first days in Stalag Luft III and the forming of bonds among them, to the tunnel building, amazing escape, and eventual capture, Vance’s history is a vivid, compelling look at one of the greatest “exfiltration” missions of all time.
“Shows the variety and depth of the men sent into harm’s way during World War II, something emphasized by the population of Stalag Luft III. Most of the Allied POWs were flyers, with all the technical, tactical and planning skills that profession requires. Such men are independent thinkers, craving open air and wide-open spaces, which meant that an obsession with escape was almost inevitable.” —John D. Gresham
Customer Reviews
A very historical read of The Great Escape.
This book is a very historical look at the events leading up to the great escape and the resulting murders of 50 of the over 80 who escaped the Stalag Luft III. The men who excelled to make this event as successfully as it was is a testament that when imprisoned that imaginative men could accomplish with virtually no resources other than the Red Cross packages they received, where nothing went to waste. An outstanding read!