The Great Escape

[catweazle]

Today marks the  80th Anniversary of The Great Escape. ,(ignore the film, its mainly fantasy).
After 11 months of tunnelling, removing and concealing  over 200 tons of soil , the tunnel,  8 metres deep and 102 metres  long, shored up with over 4000 bed boards   was ready.

Over 600 inmates were involved in some way, with the plan being that 200 would escape through the tunnel.

76 prisoners escaped, with the tunnel being discovered  at 5.00am on 25 March 1944.

Only 3 escapees actually got away - two Norwegians and a Dutchman, all pilots with the RAF.

73 were recaptured.  As is well known, 50 of them were summarily executed.  17 were returned to Stalag Luft III, almost immediately. 2 were sent to Colditz and 4 to Saschenhausen Concentration Camp (although 3 months later,  they did tunnel out and escape again,  but were quickly recaptured and returned.)

Interestingly   Stalag Luft III also saw another famous POW escape plan, the "Wooden Horse" plot.

[mr.bluesky]

I've read the book "The true story of the Great escape" by Jonathon Vance  well worth reading. The site of the camp is in Poland and contained mainly British and Commonwealth soldiers so the jumping over the fence on a motorbike by an American p.o.w is pure fantasy and never happened.

[badsin]

Shouldn't let the truth get in the way of a good story.
BBC News - The Great Escape: Welshman inspired Steve McQueen role
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I'm sure being a POW would of been incredibly stressful, PTSD (or whatever they may of called it back then) and other mental illnesses. To an extent having something to focus on was possibly a great tonic on its own.
I'm sure there would of been many happy to sit the war out opposed to fighting year after the year.
However still a great story, up there with A bridge to far..... my favourite scene
External Link/Members Only

[mr.bluesky]

Shouldn't let the truth get in the way of a good story.
BBC News - The Great Escape: Welshman inspired Steve McQueen role
External Link/Members Only

I'm sure being a POW would of been incredibly stressful, PTSD (or whatever they may of called it back then) and other mental illnesses. To an extent having something to focus on was possibly a great tonic on its own.
I'm sure there would of been many happy to sit the war out opposed to fighting year after the year.
However still a great story, up there with A bridge to far..... my favourite scene
External Link/Members Only

Steve McQueen was a keen motorcyclist and asked for that scene to be included in the film, almost insisted on it. Guy Martin did a programme where they tried to re create  that famous scene from the film.
McQueen was a big fan and owner of Triumph motorcycles and used a Triumph Trophy TR6 which had to be disguised as a German BMW R75 which was used by German soldiers during WW2.

[willie loman]

General De Galle, tried to escape 17 times when he was a pow, during the first world war, kind of changed my view of him.

[badsin]

Steve McQueen was a keen motorcyclist and asked for that scene to be included in the film, almost insisted on it

And insisted on using a triumph

[mikecee]

Steve McQueen was a keen motorcyclist and asked for that scene to be included in the film, almost insisted on it

I believe he did all the motorcycle riding apart from the jump.  And he did it all on a Triumph.

[mikecee]

And insisted on using a triumph

Beat me to it.   It was a Triumph TR6.

[DastardlyDick]

If you hunt around on You Tube, there's,a documentary about excavating the site of the Great Escape. While the film had it's faults, it was very accurate regarding the basics like the lighting and ventilation system the POWs used. Even with modern kit, they had some serious issues with the soil collapsing.

[badsin]

Interesting trivia about the making of the film
External Link/Members Only

[anglian]

Donald Pleasance was a POW in the war. He said the film was nothing like real life.
Steve MacQueen demanded a pay rise while filming and stopped work until he got it.

[scutty brown]

Beat me to it.   It was a Triumph TR6.

TR6 Trophy

The "TR6" was a car......

[daviemac]

TR6 Trophy

The "TR6" was a car......

The motorcycles used in the film were 1961 Triumph TR6 Trophys (introduced in 1956). The TR6 car wasn't introduced until 1969 and was in production until 1976.

[WARSZAWA16]

Being shown on Film 4 tomorrow at 11am.

[Jumping Jack Flash]

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The late Carry On actor Peter Butterworth was a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III and was involved in planning the escapes and disposing of the soil, details of which only emerged a few months ago.

He and his comrades were remarkable men from a remarkable generation of Allied soldiers.

[mr.bluesky]

Being shown on Film 4 tomorrow at 11am.

As well as being historically  inaccurate the film is best remembered for its theme tune.