“In a tiny compound 600 R.A.F. and Dominion airmen worked for a year under the strictest secrecy on the great tunnels Tom, Dick, and Harry. These were hundreds of feet long, with underground railways, workshops, air pumping stations and deep enough to avoid German sound detectors. Under the very noses of alert German guards the prisoners organized factories for making German uniforms, compasses, maps and documents and even a studio for fake passport photographs.”

Paul Brickhill, “The Great Escape”

Brickhill (pictured below) is a compelling author (see also ‘Reach for the Sky’, ‘The Dambusters’) who earned his right to commentary by being at Stalag Luft III. Many of us merely able to look back upon these events with the benefit of hindsight to see the ‘bigger picture’. The Hollywood movie of the same name has it’s detractors, and at times rightly so, but one cannot argue that for the uninitiated in many of the ‘facts’ it does make for a great film which may lead yet another generation to seek on their initiative what may well be closer to the truth.

The intention of this section of the website is not to compare and contrast either Brickhill’s book or the Hollywood film but instead lay before the humble viewer those facts as we believe to be a correct summary of events gleaned from the knowledge we have obtained. If during this process of reviewing this sensitive subject matter anything has been inserted or omitted then this is purely unintentional and would seek the viewers comments on any factual improvement. Please see the contacts section for e mail details.  (GJFW Ed.)