Author: Arthur A. Durand
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780807124437
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 412
Book Description
Stalag Luft III is the camp most commonly associated with the Allied prisoner of war experience in World War II Germany. Housing mainly British and American flyers, it was the historical setting for the movie The Great Escape. As with most Hollywood treatments, however, the film blurred the line between fact and fiction. In Stalag Luft III: The Secret Story, Arthur A. Durand offers the first comprehensive historical examination of what camp life was actually like, from the mundane drudgery of the prisoners' daily lives to their harrowing struggle for survival against an enemy responsible for the deaths of millions. Relying on coded records kept by appointed camp historians, as well as personal interviews, letters, logs, diaries, and recently declassified government documents, Durand expertly combines impressive scholarship with dramatic narrative.
Stalag Luft III
Author: Arthur A. Durand
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780807124437
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 412
Book Description
Stalag Luft III is the camp most commonly associated with the Allied prisoner of war experience in World War II Germany. Housing mainly British and American flyers, it was the historical setting for the movie The Great Escape. As with most Hollywood treatments, however, the film blurred the line between fact and fiction. In Stalag Luft III: The Secret Story, Arthur A. Durand offers the first comprehensive historical examination of what camp life was actually like, from the mundane drudgery of the prisoners' daily lives to their harrowing struggle for survival against an enemy responsible for the deaths of millions. Relying on coded records kept by appointed camp historians, as well as personal interviews, letters, logs, diaries, and recently declassified government documents, Durand expertly combines impressive scholarship with dramatic narrative.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780807124437
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 412
Book Description
Stalag Luft III is the camp most commonly associated with the Allied prisoner of war experience in World War II Germany. Housing mainly British and American flyers, it was the historical setting for the movie The Great Escape. As with most Hollywood treatments, however, the film blurred the line between fact and fiction. In Stalag Luft III: The Secret Story, Arthur A. Durand offers the first comprehensive historical examination of what camp life was actually like, from the mundane drudgery of the prisoners' daily lives to their harrowing struggle for survival against an enemy responsible for the deaths of millions. Relying on coded records kept by appointed camp historians, as well as personal interviews, letters, logs, diaries, and recently declassified government documents, Durand expertly combines impressive scholarship with dramatic narrative.
The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III
Author: Jens Müller
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493077929
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 161
Book Description
A thrilling, first-person account of one of the most famous prison escapes of World War II. Jens Müller was one of only three men who successfully escaped from Stalag Luft III on the night of March 24, 1944—the breakout that later became the basis for the famous film The Great Escape. His memoir tells how Müller, a pilot in one of the RAF’s Norwegian squadrons, was shot down by the Luftwaffe over the English Channel in June 1942. After some days at sea in his Spitfire’s life raft, he made it to land in Belgium but was soon captured by the occupying Germans and sent as a prisoner of war to Stalag Luft III (in what is now Zagan, Poland). Müller vividly describes life in the camp, how the escapes were planned, and relates the compelling story of his personal breakout. Together with Per Bergsland, he managed to make it to the coast and stowed away on a ship to Gothenburg, Sweden. The two men eventually reached RAF Leuchars base in Scotland.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493077929
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 161
Book Description
A thrilling, first-person account of one of the most famous prison escapes of World War II. Jens Müller was one of only three men who successfully escaped from Stalag Luft III on the night of March 24, 1944—the breakout that later became the basis for the famous film The Great Escape. His memoir tells how Müller, a pilot in one of the RAF’s Norwegian squadrons, was shot down by the Luftwaffe over the English Channel in June 1942. After some days at sea in his Spitfire’s life raft, he made it to land in Belgium but was soon captured by the occupying Germans and sent as a prisoner of war to Stalag Luft III (in what is now Zagan, Poland). Müller vividly describes life in the camp, how the escapes were planned, and relates the compelling story of his personal breakout. Together with Per Bergsland, he managed to make it to the coast and stowed away on a ship to Gothenburg, Sweden. The two men eventually reached RAF Leuchars base in Scotland.
The True Story of the Great Escape
Author: Jonathan F. Vance
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1784384399
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 525
Book 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
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1784384399
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 525
Book 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
The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III
Author: Tim Carroll
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451604572
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 360
Book Description
The true story of one of the most heroic feats of World War II...the daring prison camp breakout that inspired the classic film The Great Escape. Stalag Luft III was one of the Germans' "escape-proof" prison camps, specially built by Hermann Göring to hold Allied troops. But on March 24, 1944, in a courageous attempt by two hundred prisoners to break out through a series of tunnels, seventy-six Allied officers managed to evade capture—and create havoc behind enemy lines in the months before the Normandy Invasion. This is the incredible story of these brave men who broke free from the supposedly impenetrable barbed wire and watchtowers of Stalag Luft III—and who played an important role in Allied intelligence operations within occupied Europe. The prisoners developed an intricate espionage network, relaying details of military deployment, bombings, and raids. Some of them were 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 five Great Escapers sent to die in the notorious concentration camp on Hitler's personal orders. Tragically, fifty of those involved in the Great Escape were murdered by the Gestapo. Others were recaptured; only a few made it all the way to freedom. This dramatic account of personal heroism is a testament to their ingenuity and achievement—a stirring tribute to the men who never gave up fighting. Includes eight pages of photographs and illustrations, excerpts from Göring's testimony during postwar investigations, and a list of the men who escaped.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451604572
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 360
Book Description
The true story of one of the most heroic feats of World War II...the daring prison camp breakout that inspired the classic film The Great Escape. Stalag Luft III was one of the Germans' "escape-proof" prison camps, specially built by Hermann Göring to hold Allied troops. But on March 24, 1944, in a courageous attempt by two hundred prisoners to break out through a series of tunnels, seventy-six Allied officers managed to evade capture—and create havoc behind enemy lines in the months before the Normandy Invasion. This is the incredible story of these brave men who broke free from the supposedly impenetrable barbed wire and watchtowers of Stalag Luft III—and who played an important role in Allied intelligence operations within occupied Europe. The prisoners developed an intricate espionage network, relaying details of military deployment, bombings, and raids. Some of them were 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 five Great Escapers sent to die in the notorious concentration camp on Hitler's personal orders. Tragically, fifty of those involved in the Great Escape were murdered by the Gestapo. Others were recaptured; only a few made it all the way to freedom. This dramatic account of personal heroism is a testament to their ingenuity and achievement—a stirring tribute to the men who never gave up fighting. Includes eight pages of photographs and illustrations, excerpts from Göring's testimony during postwar investigations, and a list of the men who escaped.
Stalag Luft III
Author: Charles Messenger
Publisher: Greenhill Books
ISBN: 1784384496
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 150
Book Description
In early 1942 the Third Reich opened a maximum security prisoner-of-war camp in Lower Silesia for captured Allied airmen. Called Stalag Luft III, the camp soon came to contain some of the most inventive escapers ever known.The escapers were led by Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, codenamed 'Big X'. In March 1944, Bushell masterminded an attempt to smuggle hundreds of POWs down a tunnel built right under the noses of their guards. In fact, 76 Allied airmen clambered into the tunnel and only three made successful escapes.This remarkable breakout would be immortalized in the famous Hollywood film The Great Escape, in which the bravery of the men was rightly celebrated. Behind the scenes photographs from the film are included in this definitive pictorial work on the most famous POW camp of World War II.
Publisher: Greenhill Books
ISBN: 1784384496
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 150
Book Description
In early 1942 the Third Reich opened a maximum security prisoner-of-war camp in Lower Silesia for captured Allied airmen. Called Stalag Luft III, the camp soon came to contain some of the most inventive escapers ever known.The escapers were led by Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, codenamed 'Big X'. In March 1944, Bushell masterminded an attempt to smuggle hundreds of POWs down a tunnel built right under the noses of their guards. In fact, 76 Allied airmen clambered into the tunnel and only three made successful escapes.This remarkable breakout would be immortalized in the famous Hollywood film The Great Escape, in which the bravery of the men was rightly celebrated. Behind the scenes photographs from the film are included in this definitive pictorial work on the most famous POW camp of World War II.
Escape from Stalag Luft III
Author: Bram Vanderstok
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1784384356
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
A memoir of the most decorated pilot in Dutch history and one of the World War II POWs who fled Nazi Germany what is known as “The Great Escape.” On the night of 24 March 1944, Bram Vanderstok was the eighteenth of 76 men who crawled out of Stalag Luft III in Zagan, Poland. The 1963 film The Great Escape was largely based on this autobiography but—with Vanderstok's agreement—filmmakers chose to turn his story into an Australian character named Sedgwick, played by James Coburn. His memoir sets down his wartime adventures before being incarcerated in Stalag Luft III and then describes various escape attempts which culminated with the famous March breakout. After escaping, Vanderstok roamed Europe for weeks before making it back to England. Two months after escaping, he returned to the British no. 91 Squadron. In the following months he flew almost every day to France, escorting bombers and knocking down V1 rockets. In August 1944, he finally returned to his home. He learned that his two brothers had been killed in concentration camps after being arrested for resistance work. His father had been tortured and blinded by the Gestapo during interrogation. He had never betrayed his son. “His escapes, his operations as a Spitfire pilot, his experiences as a prisoner of war, and his incredible escape crossing the Pyrenees—all are described in a breathtaking manner which made me read his book through in one sitting.” —Prof. Dr. L de Jong, founder/director of the Dutch Institute for War Documentation “Such a modest man, such a dramatic story—you’ll be pulled into this absorbing account.” —Jonathan Vance, author of The True Story of the Great Escape
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1784384356
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
A memoir of the most decorated pilot in Dutch history and one of the World War II POWs who fled Nazi Germany what is known as “The Great Escape.” On the night of 24 March 1944, Bram Vanderstok was the eighteenth of 76 men who crawled out of Stalag Luft III in Zagan, Poland. The 1963 film The Great Escape was largely based on this autobiography but—with Vanderstok's agreement—filmmakers chose to turn his story into an Australian character named Sedgwick, played by James Coburn. His memoir sets down his wartime adventures before being incarcerated in Stalag Luft III and then describes various escape attempts which culminated with the famous March breakout. After escaping, Vanderstok roamed Europe for weeks before making it back to England. Two months after escaping, he returned to the British no. 91 Squadron. In the following months he flew almost every day to France, escorting bombers and knocking down V1 rockets. In August 1944, he finally returned to his home. He learned that his two brothers had been killed in concentration camps after being arrested for resistance work. His father had been tortured and blinded by the Gestapo during interrogation. He had never betrayed his son. “His escapes, his operations as a Spitfire pilot, his experiences as a prisoner of war, and his incredible escape crossing the Pyrenees—all are described in a breathtaking manner which made me read his book through in one sitting.” —Prof. Dr. L de Jong, founder/director of the Dutch Institute for War Documentation “Such a modest man, such a dramatic story—you’ll be pulled into this absorbing account.” —Jonathan Vance, author of The True Story of the Great Escape
The Great Escape
Author: Paul Brickhill
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393325799
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Records the efforts of six hundred British and American officers to escape from a Nazi prison camp.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393325799
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Records the efforts of six hundred British and American officers to escape from a Nazi prison camp.
Great Escape Forger
Author: Susan Holmstrom Kohnowich
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526768011
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
Carl Holmstrom’s superb artwork depicts life as a ‘kriegie’ in a unique manner. But, more than that, he spent the major part of his captivity in Stalag Luft III Prisoner of War Camp, famous for ‘The Great Escape’. The audacity of the 76 escapees was only matched by the callousness of the Nazis who murdered 50 after recapture. As well as skillfully recording camp life, Carl forged invaluable official documents. He also sketched his fellow prisoners and encouraged others to take up drawing as hobby. Remarkably he saved over 200 examples of his work by carrying them on the appallingly arduous 1945 winter march from Poland into Germany. Post war, Carl Holmstrom said, “The drawings were made during imprisonment and represent a sincere effort to portray to the American people and especially to the relatives of the prisoners, intimate glimpses of Kriegie life.” His words proved to be prophetic. An expansion of his earlier self-published Kriegie Life, this superb book honors Carl’s exceptional artistic gift. This book has strong claim to contain the finest collection of POW art to emerge from Nazi-occupied Europe.
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526768011
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
Carl Holmstrom’s superb artwork depicts life as a ‘kriegie’ in a unique manner. But, more than that, he spent the major part of his captivity in Stalag Luft III Prisoner of War Camp, famous for ‘The Great Escape’. The audacity of the 76 escapees was only matched by the callousness of the Nazis who murdered 50 after recapture. As well as skillfully recording camp life, Carl forged invaluable official documents. He also sketched his fellow prisoners and encouraged others to take up drawing as hobby. Remarkably he saved over 200 examples of his work by carrying them on the appallingly arduous 1945 winter march from Poland into Germany. Post war, Carl Holmstrom said, “The drawings were made during imprisonment and represent a sincere effort to portray to the American people and especially to the relatives of the prisoners, intimate glimpses of Kriegie life.” His words proved to be prophetic. An expansion of his earlier self-published Kriegie Life, this superb book honors Carl’s exceptional artistic gift. This book has strong claim to contain the finest collection of POW art to emerge from Nazi-occupied Europe.
The Great Escape
Author: Ted Barris
Publisher: Dundurn.com
ISBN: 1771024747
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
One night in 1944, eighty airmen escaped a German POW compound in Poland. The event became known as "The Great Escape." Ted Barris writes of the planners, task leaders, and key players in the escape attempt, those who got away, those who didn't, and their families at home.
Publisher: Dundurn.com
ISBN: 1771024747
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 321
Book Description
One night in 1944, eighty airmen escaped a German POW compound in Poland. The event became known as "The Great Escape." Ted Barris writes of the planners, task leaders, and key players in the escape attempt, those who got away, those who didn't, and their families at home.
33 Months as a POW in Stalag Luft III
Author: Albert Patton Clark
Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 230
Book Description
General A.P. Clark shares how he created an elaborate escape organization while serving as a senior ranking officer at Stalag Luft III, a German prisoner of war camp, during World War II.
Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 230
Book Description
General A.P. Clark shares how he created an elaborate escape organization while serving as a senior ranking officer at Stalag Luft III, a German prisoner of war camp, during World War II.