Military History
Military History
Posted on Mar 24, 2018
THE GREAT ESCAPE FROM STALANG LUFT III
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The Real Great Escape
Stammlager Luft III, more commonly known as Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II captured allied airmen. It was situated in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan (now Żagań in Poland) about 100 miles south east of Berlin.
The site was selected because it would be difficult to escape by tunnelling. As many people know, though, the camp is best known for its two prisoner escapes that took place by tunnelling – as portrayed in the films The Great Escape (1963) and The Wooden Horse (1950), and the books by former prisoners Paul Brickhill and Eric Williams from which the films were adapted (very loosely, in the case of The Great Escape).
The camp
Although Stalag Luft III was an officers-only camp, it retained the title “Stalag” instead of the usual name Oflag (Offizier Lager) as the Luftwaffe had their own nomenclature. Later extensions to the camp added compounds for non-commissioned officers (NCOs). Captured Fleet Air Arm crew were considered to be airmen by the Luftwaffe and no differentiation was made. On occasions non-airmen were also held prisoner in the camp.
The first camp compound (East) was finished and opened in March 1942. The first prisoners, or “kriegies”, as they called themselves (from the German “Kriegsgefangener” meaning prisoner-of-war), at Stalag Luft III were British RAF and Fleet Air Arm officers imprisoned in April 1942.
The Centre compound was opened in April 1942, originally for British sergeants, but by the end of 1942 replaced by Americans. The North Compound for British airmen, where the Great Escape occurred, opened in March 1943.
A South Compound for US personnel was opened in September 1943 and USAAF prisoners began arriving at the camp in significant numbers the following month and the West Compound was opened in July 1944 for US officers.
Each compound consisted of fifteen single story huts. Each 10 × 12 feet bunkroom slept fifteen men in five triple deck bunks. Eventually the camp grew to around 60 acres in size and came to be home for about 2,500 Royal Air Force officers, about 7,500 U.S. Army Air Forces, and about 900 officers from other Allied air forces.
Escape impossible?
Stalag Luft III had a number of features that made escape extremely difficult.
Construction of escape tunnels, in particular, was discouraged by several factors. The barracks housing the prisoners were raised off the ground to help guards detect any tunneling activity.
Secondly, the camp was constructed on a very sandy subsoil. This subsoil was bright yellow, making it easily detected if put on the surface soil (which was a grey dust) and visible on clothing. The loose, collapsible sand also meant the structural integrity of a tunnel would be very poor.
A final defence against tunnel construction was the use of seismograph microphones around the perimeter of the camp to detect any sounds of digging.
http://therealgreatescape.com/stalag-luft-iii/
https://www.history.com/news/remembering-the-great-escape-70-years-ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_Luft_III
Additional video footage :
https://youtu.be/ygcSNwGx2Eg
https://youtu.be/LELqOk8o844
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Stephen F. LTC Wayne Brandon LTC Jeff Shearer Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Capt Tom Brown Maj Marty Hogan TSgt Joe C. SrA Christopher B. SSG David Andrews SSG Robert Webster Sgt Randy Wilber SGT Jim Arnold SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC Mike Lake CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins Alan K. Cynthia Croft
Stammlager Luft III, more commonly known as Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II captured allied airmen. It was situated in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan (now Żagań in Poland) about 100 miles south east of Berlin.
The site was selected because it would be difficult to escape by tunnelling. As many people know, though, the camp is best known for its two prisoner escapes that took place by tunnelling – as portrayed in the films The Great Escape (1963) and The Wooden Horse (1950), and the books by former prisoners Paul Brickhill and Eric Williams from which the films were adapted (very loosely, in the case of The Great Escape).
The camp
Although Stalag Luft III was an officers-only camp, it retained the title “Stalag” instead of the usual name Oflag (Offizier Lager) as the Luftwaffe had their own nomenclature. Later extensions to the camp added compounds for non-commissioned officers (NCOs). Captured Fleet Air Arm crew were considered to be airmen by the Luftwaffe and no differentiation was made. On occasions non-airmen were also held prisoner in the camp.
The first camp compound (East) was finished and opened in March 1942. The first prisoners, or “kriegies”, as they called themselves (from the German “Kriegsgefangener” meaning prisoner-of-war), at Stalag Luft III were British RAF and Fleet Air Arm officers imprisoned in April 1942.
The Centre compound was opened in April 1942, originally for British sergeants, but by the end of 1942 replaced by Americans. The North Compound for British airmen, where the Great Escape occurred, opened in March 1943.
A South Compound for US personnel was opened in September 1943 and USAAF prisoners began arriving at the camp in significant numbers the following month and the West Compound was opened in July 1944 for US officers.
Each compound consisted of fifteen single story huts. Each 10 × 12 feet bunkroom slept fifteen men in five triple deck bunks. Eventually the camp grew to around 60 acres in size and came to be home for about 2,500 Royal Air Force officers, about 7,500 U.S. Army Air Forces, and about 900 officers from other Allied air forces.
Escape impossible?
Stalag Luft III had a number of features that made escape extremely difficult.
Construction of escape tunnels, in particular, was discouraged by several factors. The barracks housing the prisoners were raised off the ground to help guards detect any tunneling activity.
Secondly, the camp was constructed on a very sandy subsoil. This subsoil was bright yellow, making it easily detected if put on the surface soil (which was a grey dust) and visible on clothing. The loose, collapsible sand also meant the structural integrity of a tunnel would be very poor.
A final defence against tunnel construction was the use of seismograph microphones around the perimeter of the camp to detect any sounds of digging.
http://therealgreatescape.com/stalag-luft-iii/
https://www.history.com/news/remembering-the-great-escape-70-years-ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_Luft_III
Additional video footage :
https://youtu.be/ygcSNwGx2Eg
https://youtu.be/LELqOk8o844
@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Stephen F. LTC Wayne Brandon LTC Jeff Shearer Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Capt Tom Brown Maj Marty Hogan TSgt Joe C. SrA Christopher B. SSG David Andrews SSG Robert Webster Sgt Randy Wilber SGT Jim Arnold SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC Mike Lake CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins Alan K. Cynthia Croft
Posted in these groups: 
WWII World War Two
POW/MIA
Military History
Movies
1T0X1: Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)
WWII World War Two POW/MIA Military History Movies 1T0X1: Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 9
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SGT John " Mac " McConnell thanks for the read/share of the most informative.
TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC Stephen F. SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas Maj Marty Hogan MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see)] SPC Margaret Higgins SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Michael Rathbun CW5 Jack Cardwell]] COL Mikel J. Burroughs ] PO1 Tony Holland CPL Dave Hoover A1C Ian Williams SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter SFC Shirley Whitfield SPC Jovani Daviu
TSgt Joe C. SFC William Farrell PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC Stephen F. SMSgt Minister Gerald A. "Doc" Thomas Maj Marty Hogan MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see)] SPC Margaret Higgins SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SP5 Michael Rathbun CW5 Jack Cardwell]] COL Mikel J. Burroughs ] PO1 Tony Holland CPL Dave Hoover A1C Ian Williams SSgt Harvey "Skip" Porter SFC Shirley Whitfield SPC Jovani Daviu
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Thanks for sharing SGT John " Mac " McConnell great history share of men who refused to give up.
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SGT John " Mac " McConnell
Just the drive to not give up is something in itself Sgt Randy Wilber . Have a great day Randy.
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Indeed, the differences between the real great escape and the movie The Great Escape are significant, SGT John " Mac " McConnell.
About the movie:
“The film is based on Paul Brickhill's 1950 book of the same name, a non-fiction first-hand account of the mass escape from Stalag Luft III in Sagan (now Żagań, Poland), in the province of Lower Silesia, Nazi Germany.”
“The film was to a significant extent fictional, based on real events but with numerous changes made to increase its drama and appeal, and as a vehicle for its box-office stars. While some of its characters were fictitious, most were amalgams of several real characters and others based on real people. In reality there were no escapes by aircraft or motorcycle: the motorcycle sequence was asked for by McQueen, a keen motorcyclist, who did the stunt riding himself (except for the final jump, done by Bud Ekins). Nor were the recaptured prisoners executed at the same time. The screenwriters significantly increased the involvement of American POWs [for the U.S. box office]; the real escape was by largely British and other allied personnel. A few American officers in the camp initially helped dig the tunnels, and worked on the early plans; however, they were moved away seven months before the escape, ending their involvement. In addition, the film suggests the three prisoners who escaped to freedom were British, Polish, and Australian; in reality, they were Norwegian (Jens Müller and Per Bergsland) and Dutch (Bram van der Stok).”
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL Sgt Randy Wilber SFC (Join to see) SP5 Mark Kuzinski SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth CWO3 Dennis M. PO2 Peter Klein LTC Stephen F.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Escape_(film)
About the movie:
“The film is based on Paul Brickhill's 1950 book of the same name, a non-fiction first-hand account of the mass escape from Stalag Luft III in Sagan (now Żagań, Poland), in the province of Lower Silesia, Nazi Germany.”
“The film was to a significant extent fictional, based on real events but with numerous changes made to increase its drama and appeal, and as a vehicle for its box-office stars. While some of its characters were fictitious, most were amalgams of several real characters and others based on real people. In reality there were no escapes by aircraft or motorcycle: the motorcycle sequence was asked for by McQueen, a keen motorcyclist, who did the stunt riding himself (except for the final jump, done by Bud Ekins). Nor were the recaptured prisoners executed at the same time. The screenwriters significantly increased the involvement of American POWs [for the U.S. box office]; the real escape was by largely British and other allied personnel. A few American officers in the camp initially helped dig the tunnels, and worked on the early plans; however, they were moved away seven months before the escape, ending their involvement. In addition, the film suggests the three prisoners who escaped to freedom were British, Polish, and Australian; in reality, they were Norwegian (Jens Müller and Per Bergsland) and Dutch (Bram van der Stok).”
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL Sgt Randy Wilber SFC (Join to see) SP5 Mark Kuzinski SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth CWO3 Dennis M. PO2 Peter Klein LTC Stephen F.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Escape_(film)
The Great Escape (film) - Wikipedia
The Great Escape is a 1963 American World War II epic film based on an escape by British Commonwealth prisoners of war from a German POW camp, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough, filmed in Panavision.
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SGT John " Mac " McConnell
Thanks for the addition LTC Stephen C. . Great info indeed. Sometime's we may never know The whole story. Just bits and pieces. Only time will tell..
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LTC Stephen C.
SGT John " Mac " McConnell, we only get to know the real story when good people like you dig down, find it and present it for the RP community to see. Thanks!
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