The Great Escape

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This is a free-space sub-project of The Military & War Project

The Real Great Escape

76 men escaped through the tunnel on March 24.

Of the 76 who escaped, 3 men reached freedom and 50 were executed. The remaining officers were either returned to Stalag Luft III or removed to other camps, such as Sachsenhausen.

Only three of the escapees that day actually achieved freedom:

• Sergeant Per Bergsland, a Norwegian member of No. 332 Squadron of the RAF
• Second Lieutenant Jens Müller, a Norwegian pilot of No. 331 Squadron of the RAF
• Flight Lieutenant Bram van der Stok, of Netherlands, fighter pilot and flying ace of No. 41 Squadron of the RAF

Hollywood's Great Escape

In the Hollywood version of the story was a fictionalized version of the real escape from the stalag. Americans were included in order to appeal to American moviegoers. "The real escape was by largely British and other Allied personnel, with the exception of American Johnnie Dodge, who was a British officer." One of the most thrilling scenes in the film, a motorcycle chase featuring the one of the film's American stars, Steve McQueen, never occured in the real escape.

Many of the characters in the film were based on the real Allied military men, but many were composites of several people. Names were changed as well. (real Roger Bushell was Roger Bartlett in the film).

Sources

• The Daily Mail, Web, accessed 8 Jan 2024.
• List of Allied airmen involved in the escape.
• "Officer Reveals Details of Mass Escape," The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Jun 1944, p. 4. Newspapers Clip: 138336070.

See also:

• Aussies involved in The Great Escape free-space page by Kenneth Evans and Geoffrey Raebel.