The Real "Great Escape": How Allied Soldiers Broke Free From Nazi Captivity
During the “Great Escape” a group of Allied prisoners from Stalag Luft III paid a terrible price. Here's What You Need to Know: The British prisoners stood face-to-face with death on that cold March night and yet pressed forward, knowing that their chances for success were slim. In early 1942, the air war over Germany was taking its toll on the Royal Air Force. Prisoner-of-war camps throughout Germany were bursting at the seams, and as February rolled around rumors began to spread that the Germans were building a new camp somewhere in Upper Silesia near the Polish border. The Germans spe...