Stalag Luft III (Paperback)
An Official History of the ‘Great Escape’ PoW Camp
Pages: 296
Illustrations: Single 8-page plate section
ISBN: 9781399075329
Published: 13th December 2024
National Publicity!
As featured via Mail Online: Inside the walls of the Great Escape PoW camp: Fascinating new details revealed along with the first-hand accounts of 26 prisoners who made it out of the tunnel at Stalag Luft III
Book of the Month: chosen by the Forces War Records - April 2017
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| Other formats available | Price |
|---|---|
| Stalag Luft III Hardback Add to Basket | £25.00 |
| Stalag Luft III ePub (5.5 MB) Add to Basket | £6.99 |
Opened in March 1942 to house captured Allied airmen, particularly officers, Stammlager Luft III at Sagan was built to make escape particularly difficult, especially tunnelling. This did not stop the prisoners who dug through more than 100 yards of loose sand, enabling seventy-six men to escape. All but three of the men were recaptured, however, and fifty were executed by the Germans.
This Official History of the camp was prepared for the War Office but was never released to the general public. It explains the German administration and running of the camp, the food and conditions the prisoners endured, and the means by which morale was maintained under such trying circumstances. Inevitably considerable space is devoted to the escapes and their careful preparation as well as the anti-escape measures undertaken by the guards. There is also a chapter detailing the punishments meted out for attempting to escape, and lists the number of shooting incidents.
This account provides the reader with an accurate and unprecedented insight into life in a German PoW camp in the latter years of the Second World War.
From a Researchers point of view this is an amazing source book as it provides details of all the men who were involved in the escape organisation including their ranks & service numbers.
Allied Air Force Research
Read the full review here
This book examines the escapes in detail as well as areas concerning the PoW food, medical care, mail and parcel censorship, how good morale was maintained, punishments and general living conditions.
Military Vehicle Trust
A very interesting study.
Readers well familiar with the many classic accounts of imprisonment and escape from Stalag Luft III will find the wealth of information in the present volume an essential addition to their library covering as it does the whole spectrum of life and escape often in stunning detail by those who were there.
Military Historical Society
As featured on
Mail Online 2/1/18
The film 'The Great Escape' was great entertainment, but with re-written history. This overdue account is a warts and all
Firetrench
commentary of the events at and related to German PoW camp Stalag Luft III. Every bit as entertaining as the film, but its also a stirring and poignant account of downed airmen not prepared to give up. Strongly Recommended.
Read the full review here.
As featured in
Britain at War, April 2017
It isn't something written to be read as a novel or individual story, but a collective look at what life was like in a POW camp, and what lessons might be learnt for the future, how support from outside could have best helped the inmates.
Military Model Scene, Robin Buckland
All in all an incredible level of detail covering life in the camp which saw two of the most famous escape stories that came out of WW2. A fascinating addition to the history and one of those documents which is so good to now have publicly available.
Read the full review here.
About John Grehan
JOHN GREHAN has written, edited or contributed to more than 300 books and magazine articles covering a wide span of military history from the Iron Age to the recent conflict in Afghanistan. John has also appeared on local and national radio and television to advise on military history topics. He was employed as the Assistant Editor of Britain at War Magazine from its inception until 2014. John now devotes his time to writing and editing books.
About An Official History
An official account prepared for the War Office at the end of the Second World War.
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