The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III: The Full Story of How 76 Allied Officers Carried Out World War II's Most Remarkable Mass Escape

by Tim Carroll

The true story of one of the most heroic feats of World War II...the daring prison camp breakout that inspired the classic film The Great Escape.

Stalag Luft III was one of the Germans' "escape-proof" prison camps, specially built by Hermann Göring to hold Allied troops. But on March 24, 1944, in a courageous attempt by two hundred prisoners to break out through a series of tunnels, seventy-six Allied officers managed to evade capture—and create havoc behind enemy lines in the months before the Normandy Invasion.
This is the incredible story of these brave men who broke free from the supposedly impenetrable barbed wire and watchtowers of Stalag Luft III—and who played an important role in Allied intelligence operations within occupied Europe. The prisoners developed an intricate espionage network, relaying details of military deployment, bombings, and raids. Some of them were involved in other daring escape attempts, including the famous Wooden Horse episode, also turned into a classic film, and the little-known Sachsenhausen breakout, engineered by five Great Escapers sent to die in the notorious concentration camp on Hitler's personal orders. Tragically, fifty of those involved in the Great Escape were murdered by the Gestapo. Others were recaptured; only a few made it all the way to freedom. This dramatic account of personal heroism is a testament to their ingenuity and achievement—a stirring tribute to the men who never gave up fighting.

Includes eight pages of photographs and illustrations, excerpts from Göring's testimony during postwar investigations, and a list of the men who escaped.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Military History, War, 20th Century

360 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2005

Reviews

[Addison Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across the Stalag Luft III escape and murders during research for another remarkable event that took place in the night of March 24, 1944. Out of five books I consulted on the subject, Tim Carroll’s account stands out by a long shot. It’s a well researched, detailed picture of the participants on both sides and Carroll seldom strays from the main event. He doesn’t hover over the well covered ground but follows the fate of the escapees – as well as some of their captors- all the way to the bitter end. As with all historical nonfiction, some of the documented events are open to interpretation and Carroll reserves the right to do so. In the process he might have upset some hardline history buffs. I assume that is the reason why the Kindle version is no longer available. I would recommend this book to everybody who wants to go beyond the movie and the tunnel vision of first hand accounts.

[Katharine Holden · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written, poorly paced book. Choppy and disorganized. I imagine there's some good research behind this book, but the author simply doesn't know how to tell a story.

[Curtiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to think many of the incidents depicted in the Hollywood movie, "The Great Escape" were staged for dramatic effect, or else combined the escape activities of other prisoner of war compounds; but not after reading Tim Carroll's book. Virtually all of what you see onscreen was accurately portrayed, with for the most part only three exceptions: Steve McQueen had enough clout to compel the inclusion of the motorcycle scenes; the escape in the Luftwaffe trainer involved prisoners from another Stalag, who in real-life only got as far as the cockpit before they were apprehended; and 'The Fifty' were executed in ones, twos, and threes, over the following days, not en masse - and most of the perpetrators met justice after the war's end.

[Abby Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me way too long to read, but it wasn't because I didn't enjoy it. I kept getting interrupted. This is the second Great Escape book I've read over the years. What these men, their ingenuity and courage, is astounding. The first book I read was more person, this book gave a much bigger overview of life in the camp, the different escape attempts, how the men got their information and gear, along with the murder of many of the men who escaped.

I'm always fortified by stories of great courage. Great read.

[Ryan Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously, the fun part of this book is comparing the reality with the famous film version, and surprisingly a lot of what you see in the film did happen in one way or another, although the characters in the film are different or mash-ups of real figures. Despite what some reviewers think, I thought the writing was just fine--it's always going to be a little awkward introducing such a large cast of characters--although the end of the book had a bit too much moralizing for my tastes.

[Jill Ortner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fills in the blanks

This well written account of the Escape from Stalag Luft I I I made famous by the film provides accurate details and corrects the fictional dramatic elements of the true story. Particularly interesting is the Epilogue that reports how the perpetrators of the murders of the 50 RAF officers were tracked down and brought to justice.

[Teresa Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not know “the rest of the story” and am very glad I read this. Well-written and hard to put down! Was delighted to learn there is currently a museum on the Stalag Luft III site. Was surprised to learn where the memorial to the executed escapers came from (didn’t want to include a spoiler). Definitely recommend this book to those wanting a deeper knowledge of WW2 Allied POWs.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable story, telling in more detail the events made famous by the classic movie “The Great Escape.“ The narrative was somewhat weak, lacking a strong central plot arc or clear cast of characters. But I still really enjoyed the book and couldn’t put it down.

[Jack Sussek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history. Recommend it.

[Lisa M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book providing lots of details about the men and their attempts at escape.

[Curt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always loved the movie now I have a better idea of what really happened

[James Early · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tale of the most famous escape attempt from a German POW camp. I could hardly put this book down. Read this to learn the true story behind the classic movie.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tim Carroll promises to deliver "the full story" of the Great Escape and in a sense that's what he does - there's a lot of material here - but it's poorly presented. Carroll is a better historian than he is a writer. Everything he presents is available somewhere else and is presented better there, but you're going to have to read a lot more stuff to find it. Pretty much all the memoirs by the participants are better than this; try Moonless Night: The World War Two Escape Epic, Under the Wire, Lonesome Road, or Sage. Or if you're wanting this as a research tool (a job it's suited for) try Stalag Luft III: The Secret Story; it's not really any less dry than this one but it is well organized and has more information.

[Reet Champion · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Paul Brickhill's "The Great Escape" I was curious to know more about the story of Stalag Luft III. This book was just the thing. Tim Carroll helps to provide a more expanded version of "The Great Escape". As other reviewers have noted this book is a little disorganized but I didn't mind this at all given the information Carroll provided.

Included in this book are some of the back stories of the men who took part in the escape operations. Carroll also tells the story of some other "great escapes" from Stalag Luft III. I was excited to see photographs were included in this book, something Brickhill's book lacked.

Overall I am very satisfied with this book. Highly recommend!

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was ok to I liked it. I wouldn't buy it though. I thought there were a couple of really good chapters (details of escape) and a couple blah ones (just common stuff with no specific stuff).

Look it up in the library and check it out there.

[Clio · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this book read like the part of the Old Testament where names are just listed off and nothing is happening. The tunnels are great feats of engineering and it's inspiring what the POWs were able to do with what they had but this isn't the best-written book.