We've uncovered the REAL Great Escapers in our Prisoner of War Records

1-2 minute read

By The Findmypast Team | January 10, 2024

Still from the Great Escape film

We've unearthed the records of the men involved in the true story of the Great Escape, one of history's most famous breaks for freedom.

Did you know that several of the characters in the famous Great Escape film - such as Squadron Leader Bartlett - were based on real men interred in Second World War prisoner of war (PoW) camps?

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Some of these allied airmen appear in our fascinating Prisoner of War collection, published in association with The National Archives.

Churchill and Royle on the list of recaptured escapees. All of these men, bar Richard Churchill, are no longer with us.

Royal Air Force servicemen Churchill and Royle on the list of recaptured escapees. View their record.

But what exactly did those brave men experience during their attempted escape?

The true story of the Great Escape

In March 1944, 76 Allied airmen mounted a daring mass escape from Nazi PoW camp Stalag Luft III.

Stalag Luft III, or Air Prison 3 in English, was designed by the German authorities to be supposedly 'escape proof' and its architect, von Lindeiner, became the camp's first commandant. It was built in an eastern part of Germany known for its loose soil to prevent any tunnelling and to maximise the distances any escaped PoWs would have to travel. Despite these difficulties, tunnel the prisoners did.

Before the renowned breakout, many of the prisoners involved had attempted escape only to be recaptured by the German guards and spend days in solitary confinement, a punishment set out in the Geneva Convention. Undeterred, the plucky airmen spent nearly a year planning their famous dash for freedom.

Over 200 internees planned to escape from the PoW camp. When the time came, only 76 took part. The breakout took place on the night of 24 March 1944. 73 of the 76 escapees were recaptured by the Nazis. 50 were executed.

The daring escapade has been immortalised in the 1963 film The Great Escape starring Steve McQueen.

Were any of your family members interred in a PoW camp during World War 2? Start your family tree and we'll show you clues to records from our vast military collection. Records that piece together their stories and your amazing past.

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