ESCAPE FROM IT ALL

March 24 . . .

Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Poland, was proud of the fact that it was escape-proof. Built in 1942, it was designed to be that last word in German ingenuity. Surrounded by two ten-foot barbed-wire fences, and literally built on sand – impossible, the builders believed, to tunnel through. On top of that, they had planted listening devices fifteen feet below the ground that could detect any disturbance. But the Germans had underestimated the Allies’ resourcefulness and adaptability. Under the leadership of British officer Harry Day and Spitfire pilot Roger Bushell, 600 prisoners dug three separate tunnels – codenamed Tom, Dick and Harry – all an incredible 30 feet beneath the surface.

On this date in 1944, 200 men, equipped with compasses, maps and impressively forged papers, began crawling toward freedom. But the would-be escapees had miscalculated the length of the tunnel; it came up one hundred yards short of the forest, in plain view of the Germans. Still, 76 prisoners escaped before a sentry discovered the hole and stopped the escape. Three actually made it back to England; the rest (including Bushell) were captured and executed.


‘The Great Escape’ (1962), director John Sturges’s macho movie salute to the efforts of Allied prisoners to escape Stalag Luft III, is one of the major all-star action flicks of the 60s. The testosterone-swelled cast is headed by Steve McQueen as Capt. Hilts, aka ‘the Cooler King’, a taciturn loner who is determined to bust out at any cost. Also starring Charles Bronson (convincing as a claustrophobic tunnel digger), Donald Pleasence as a nearsighted forgery expert, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, David McCallum, and a woefully miscast but still amusing James Coburn (whose Australian accent has to be heard to be disbelieved.) The last hour is a nail-biter, and features one of the landmark action sequences of the 60s – McQueen’s bid for freedom aboard a motorcycle in the German countryside. McQueen did most of his own stunt work, much to the horror of producers. The film lifted him to superstar status. (Coincidentally, today is also McQueen’s birthday.)

Click here for a bit of escapism . . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnqu_jysQVc