The true story of “The Great Escape” is even more exciting than the film

The big picture

The true story of a massive prison break from a German prisoner of war camp inspired the plot of the popular film.
The great escape.
In truth, the actual historical events involved real people who did not appear in the film, and they ended somewhat differently – and with more violence.
Regardless, the escape planning in the film corresponds well to the true story.

1963s The great escape tells the story of a daring escape by prisoners of war from the German Stalag Luft III during World War II. “Daring” only superficially describes the secret planning and execution of their plan. The German guards knew nothing about it and the plan involved the slow construction of an escape tunnel underground. 76 prisoners managed to escape, but 73 were recaptured. It claims to be based on a true story, and despite the seemingly impossible probability that this could be the case, it isBut as with any film based on a true story, accuracy is sometimes sacrificed for entertainment, and The great escape is no exception.

No Stars and Stripes in the real “The Great Escape”

Probably the biggest inaccuracy in The great escape took place long before filming began, with director John Sturges and the film’s producers insisting that the cast would include American starsIn reality, Americans were involved in the initial phase of the operation, but they had all been transferred to another complex months before the actual escape. As the author Guy Walter explained that the film should have included more non-American nationalities, as only 50 percent of the refugees were British or Commonwealth nationals. Nevertheless, the addition of Steve McQueen as Captain Virgil Hilts, one of the three fictional Americans in the camp, would prove to be a smart move.

At the beginning of the film, the commander (Hannes Messemer) warns Captain Ramsey (James Donald) against attempting to escape, whereupon the British officer tells him impudently: “It is the sworn duty of all officers to attempt to escape.” This statement determines the plot of the film, but the reality is that there was no such duty to escape, according to the previously quoted telegraph. The expectation that it might be tried, yes, but high-ranking prisoners of war were actually warned not attempt to escape, because the consequences would be severe and certainly far worse than the expected 10 days of solitary confinement under the rules of the Geneva Convention.

The fact that they actually made the attempt is not surprising considering that prisoners of war who had made several previous escape attempts were deported to the maximum security camp Stalag Luft III. This is just as true in real life as it is in the film. The camp was built specifically as an escape route. The Nazis raised the prisoners’ barracks, buried microphones in the ground and built on yellow sand, which was not only difficult to tunnel through, but also difficult to hide from anyone who tried (according to Story). Accordingly War History OnlineThe film gives an accurate picture of what the camp looked like at that time.

The plan “Broken Chains” begins with a mixture of real and fictional characters

As the de facto leader of the prisoners of war, Ramsey approves the order of RAF Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett (Richard Attenborough) ambitious plan to release 250 men at a time, which would benefit the Allied forces by drawing German troops away from the front. The film is a little more ambitious, as the actual number was around 200, but that is splitting hairs. Perhaps this difference can be explained by the fact that there was no Bartlett, or at least not by that name. There was a “Big X,” but his name was Roger Bushell. Several characters in the film are based on the real men who were involved and, like Bushell, have different names. Others are composite characters, which is understandable considering that more than 600 prisoners were involved in the project in some way, per metro.

The plan was to build three tunnels: “Tom,” “Dick,” and “Harry.” Work began on all three, and it is here that we see most clearly the use of composite characters representing several real-life characters, with characters such as Hendley (James Garner), who was looking for supplies, and Griffith (Robert Desmond), which was tasked with sewing civilian clothing, replacing the efforts of many. As seen in the film, digging the tunnels required considerable planning and resources, but the actual numbers are astonishing (per Story): 100 tons of sand were excavated and removed in hidden socks to be discreetly scattered outdoors; 4,000 wooden bed boards were used to build ladders and reinforce the tunnel walls; 1,700 blankets were used for soundproofing; and over 1,400 tin cans of powdered milk were repurposed as tools and lamps.

All this happened under the eyes of the German guards. However, this does not mean that they knew nothing at all about the escape attempts. According to the telegraphSome of the guards, who were anti-Nazis, fully supported the operation by providing information and supplies and even had their wives type up documents. However, the film limits their interactions to a cordial understanding between the prisoners and the guards. The guards’ concern for the prisoners’ safety is completely absent. They repeatedly urged the senior officers not to conduct a mass escape, but to do so in twos or threes, warning them that a mass escape would lead to terrible retaliation by the Nazis. The prisoners, of course, continued, but began working exclusively on Tunnel Harry after the Germans discovered Tom. Given the absence of Americans in reality, the discovery did not take place, as Hilts, Hendley and Goff (Jude Taylor) celebrated the Fourth of July with the camp, fueled by their homemade potato schnapps.

In “Broken Chains” refugees must face the wrath of the Nazis

Broken Chains - 1963 (1) — Image via United Artists

Work on the tunnel was completed and on March 24, 1944, the POWs put their escape plan into action. As in the film, it turns out that due to a serious surveying error, the end of the tunnel is a good 20 feet from the intended destination, which is the safety of the nearby forest. The escapees were therefore forced to limit the number of people who could escape at one time. In the film, they are helped by a power outage due to an air raid. In reality, this air raid only hampered the effort, as did a partial tunnel collapse, which thwarted the plan to free 200 men (per Story). Only 76 men escaped, in the film and in real life, but the discovery of the escape tunnel was not due to the guards being alerted by one of the men making noise and another foolishly showing up while guards were nearby.The scandal ended when one of the guards almost fell into the tunnel.

At this point The great escape is the furthest thing from reality. There was no German fighter plane hijacked for an aborted flight to Switzerland, and although it was one of the most gripping chases in cinema, there was no daring fugitive attempting to escape on the back of a motorbike. Rather, the routes were far more unremarkable, more mundane than exciting, and involved nighttime treks across the country. Of the 76, only three were able to regain their freedom; the other 73 were recaptured and brought back to the camp.which brings the film back into line with the true events.

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50 of the escapees are executed on the orders of Adolf Hitler himself, angry at the embarrassment the attempt caused the Nazis, and the film ends with the commandant being dragged off to an uncertain fate and Hilts being sent to the “refrigerator” where he plans his next escape. In real life, per Storythe camp commander, Friedrich Wilhelm von Lindeiner-Wildauwas threatened with court martial and dismissed from his service. Ironically, he himself was taken prisoner of war by the British forces after being sent to the front. British investigators arrested the Gestapo, who had executed the 50 prisoners. In 1947, 18 of them were found guilty of war crimes and 13 were executed..

The great escaperemains, despite all the changes made for entertainment purposes, fairly faithful to the events as they occurred. But whether these changes affect how the film is viewed as a tribute to the men behind it is another story..