March 24 is the 80th anniversary of the “Great Escape.” On this day in 1944, Allied prisoners at Stalag Luft III in what is now Żagań, Poland, launched one of the most epic escapes from captivity in history. Two hundred men of the 10,949 prisoners of war were slated to make the break in two tranches of 100 each. Using counterfeit travel documents, forged passports, and cleverly constructed civilian clothes, the prisoners, all of their flight crew, used a trolley system to travel a 102-meter-long, hand-dug tunnel to escape. When the 77th man emerged at 4:55 a.m., he was spotted by German guards.
There were three successful escapees. Two were Norwegians flying in RAF fighter squadrons staffed by Norwegian refugees: Jens Müller (331 Squadron) and Per Bergstand (332 Squadron). The third was Dutch Flight Lieutenant Bram van der Stok (41 Squadron). The Germans weren’t amused. Of the…
