'It shows the variety and depth of the men sent into harms 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 than an
obsession with escape was almost inevitable' - John D Gresham
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 before.
The prison break from Stalag Luft III in eastern Germany was the largest
of its kind in World War II. 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.
Jonathan Vance tells the incredible story that was made famous by the
1963 film, The Great Escape. The escape 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 their first days in Stalag Luft III and the forming of bonds key to
such exploits, 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.
