Stolen Years: Australian prisoners of war - Escape from Stalag Luft III
The great escape
On 24 March 1944 over 200 men prepared to break out of Stalag Luft III, at Sagan in German-occupied Poland. They had taken nearly a year to dig their tunnels – nicknamed Tom, Dick and Harry. Seventy-six prisoners got away, but the Gestapo recaptured and murdered fifty, including five Australians. Of the 76 escapees, only three reached Allied lines. The Sagan escape was the largest planned breakout of Allied prisoners in the war. The attempt inspired the Paul Brickhill book, The Great Escape, and a film adaptation.