The Great Escapers

Over 200 Allied RAF airmen took part in the Great Escape, one of the most remarkable episodes of the Second World War. Of these, 76 got away, creating havoc behind enemy lines in the months before the Normandy invasion. In March 2004, 60 years after the event, the ingenuity of the masterminds behind this audacious breakout will be celebrated.THE GREAT ESCAPERS tells the story of these men who managed to break free from the supposedly impenetrable barbed wire and watchtowers of Stalag Luft III, Goring's showcase prison camp near Sagan. Some of them were also involved in other daring escape attempts, including the famous Wooden Horse episode, also turned into a classic film, and the little-known Sachsenhausen breakout, engineered by four Great Escape Survivors, sent to die in the notorious concentration camp on Hitler's personal orders. Fifty of the escapees were murdered and the author examines their deaths and the post-war investigation to bring their killers to justice. Also revealed is the important role Stalag Luft III played in Allied intelligence operations within occupied Europe: the prisoners developed an intricate espionage network, feeding details of military deployments and strength levels back home and relaying details about the accuracy of bombing raids. THE GREAT ESCAPERS charts the story through the experiences of those who lived under the sweeping searchlights of ominous watchtowers, ending with the eight remaining men who broke out that March night 60 years ago - the last of the Great Escapees.