The Great Escape - Part I

Escape Official

On September 1st, 1939 World War II erupted in Europe after Germany invaded Poland and the United Kingdom and France retaliated by declaring war. Over the course of six years, Europe watched as German forces expanded their territory both east and west, before the Allied forces turned the tide and slowly forced Germany to retreat.

As the war progressed, tens of thousands of men from both sides were captured by the enemy and sent to Prisoners of War camps throughout Europe. Allied soldiers taken prisoner found themselves incarcerated in these camps across Germany and broader German-controlled territory, especially Poland.

It was in a camp named Stalag Luft III, located near Sagan in Poland, where an incredibly dangerous and daring escape plan was hatched by a group of Allied prisoners of war. Although the main escape attempt would draw on the efforts of hundreds of Allied soldiers from all corners of the globe, the origin of the Great Escape can be traced to the courage, tenacity and intellect of three men – Wing Commander Harry ‘Wings’ Day, Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, and Lieutenant Commander Jimmy Buckley. It would become one of the greatest escape stories ever told.