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escape tunnels-WW 2

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pie sandwich

Guest
It is the same escape that the film "the great escape" is based on.

I ve got the book at home, its a good read.
 
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True Blue Jack

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pie sandwich said:
It is the same escape that the film "the great escape" is based on.

I ve got the book at home, its a good read.
Click to expand...

Would that be "The Longest Tunnel"? I used to have it but it vanished in one house move or another. The true story is even more incredible than the Steve McQueen fantasy.

One of the surviving escapees, Flt Lt Shand, died just before Christmas.

Obituary
 
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pie sandwich

Guest
It is surprising just how different the film is from actual events.

For those that have not read the book a quick overview is HERE
 
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Past Engineering

Sergeant
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Here are a few pictures taken at Spilsby Heritage Centre with reference to escape tunnels etc:

2007_0609Heritage0035.jpg

2007_0609Heritage0050.jpg

2007_0609Heritage0051.jpg

2007_0609Heritage0052.jpg
 
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propersplitbrainme

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As a lad I used to read all of the POW escape books.

The Colditz Story
Latter Days at Colditz
The Wooden Horse
They Have Their Exits - By Airey Neave, later turned politician and murdered by PIRA
The Last Escape
Colditz - A personal story by Kenneth Lockwood
And also one by Hauptmann Priem, a captain of the guard, giving a Germans account of goings on at Colditz.

There was a TV program about Colditz in which they visited the castle during some restoration works. While they were there a stash of POW booty was uncovered by the workmen having lain there for 50 odd years!

The lengths those guys went to was absolutely incredible.
 
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MAINJAFAD

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pie sandwich said:
It is surprising just how different the film is from actual events.

For those that have not read the book a quick overview is HERE
Click to expand...

A better account is found Here, which the exception of Steve McQueen on the bike, the film is a lot closer to the Paul Bricknell Book on which it is based than you would think. The link I've put on has a page on it that tries to link characters from the film to the actual personnel involved in the X organisation.
 
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Past Engineering

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Thanks, I have a couple more I will post later, also I will correct the location these are from East Kirkby Heritage centre, where the taxiing Lancaster is.
 
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Parky

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There is a lesser known story of the Germans that escaped from a British POW camp in South Wales.

Located on the outskirts of Bridgend Mid Glamorgan, High ranking German officers dug thier way to freedom from Island Farm POW camp. I believe they were all rounded up eventually and many of them were to face trial at Nuremburg.
 
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