Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Marek Lazarz, Director of the POW Camps Museum at Zagan, provides an interview during a commemoration event marking the 82nd anniversary of the Great Escape in Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2026. The annual observance honors the courage and sacrifice of Allied prisoners of war who attempted a mass escape from Stalag Luft III during World War II, preserving their legacy and future generations on the significance of the historic event. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Bernabe Lopez)
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Video provided by U.S. Army
Video by Video by Sgt. Bernabe Lopez, U.S. Army Garrison Poland
(C) Tankspotting / Mediapalvelut 2026
More videos: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoVrkyzq81gRB7EZI6Cc17BhVvWNk5ZYd
About the Great Escape
The mass breakout of Allied airmen from Stalag Luft III, a high security prison camp run by the Luftwaffe, in March 1944, is significant for the sheer impact it had on the Nazi leadership and the way in which it embodied the will of Allied prisoners of war to resist Hitler's tyranny.
The 'Great Escape' as it became known – which was immortalised in the 1963 Hollywood film of the same name – involved 600 men incarcerated in the north compound of Stalag Luft III at Sagan in south-east Germany.
The tunnels
In 1943, under the leadership of Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, known as Big X, the prisoners started digging three large tunnels known as 'Tom', 'Dick' and 'Harry', all emanating from huts in the compound. The tunnels were 30ft deep in an attempt to avoid German detection and were designed to run more than 300ft into woods outside the camp.
The prisoners begged, borrowed and stole equipment that enabled them to line the tunnels with wood, run a railway and electric lighting from entry to exit and ventilate the tunnels with primitive air conditioning. They also made civilian clothes, maps, compasses and German passes to help them escape.
All went well for several months, but then tunnel Tom was discovered in September 1943 just as it reached the woods. Dick was abandoned for storage, but the prisoners pushed on with Harry, which was ready in early 1944.
On the night of March 24-25, 76 RAF officers broke out of the camp. A few hours later it was being discussed by Hitler and the German High Command. The Fuhrer demanded retribution.
Seventy-three officers were recaptured and 50 of these were shot by the Gestapo in what was one of the greatest war crimes committed by Nazi Germany against British servicemen during the course of the Second World War.
Three officers made it back to Britain, where there was outrage over the killings.
The British demanded that the killers be hunted down and brought to exemplary justice. After the war, they kept their word and many of the killers were punished by Allied courts.
#tankspotting #jukkaokauppinen #siivetwings
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Marek Lazarz, Director of the POW Camps Museum at Zagan, provides an interview during a commemoration event marking the 82nd anniversary of the Great Escape in Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2026. The annual observance honors the courage and sacrifice of Allied prisoners of war who attempted a mass escape from Stalag Luft III during World War II, preserving their legacy and future generations on the significance of the historic event. (U.S. Army video by Sgt. Bernabe Lopez)
Tankspotting (TV) is dedicated for the heavy metal battlefield. If you enjoy tanks and other awesome things then please subscribe - just click here:
youtube.com/user/Tankspotting?sub_confirmation=1
Video provided by U.S. Army
Video by Video by Sgt. Bernabe Lopez, U.S. Army Garrison Poland
(C) Tankspotting / Mediapalvelut 2026
More videos: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoVrkyzq81gRB7EZI6Cc17BhVvWNk5ZYd
About the Great Escape
The mass breakout of Allied airmen from Stalag Luft III, a high security prison camp run by the Luftwaffe, in March 1944, is significant for the sheer impact it had on the Nazi leadership and the way in which it embodied the will of Allied prisoners of war to resist Hitler's tyranny.
The 'Great Escape' as it became known – which was immortalised in the 1963 Hollywood film of the same name – involved 600 men incarcerated in the north compound of Stalag Luft III at Sagan in south-east Germany.
The tunnels
In 1943, under the leadership of Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, known as Big X, the prisoners started digging three large tunnels known as 'Tom', 'Dick' and 'Harry', all emanating from huts in the compound. The tunnels were 30ft deep in an attempt to avoid German detection and were designed to run more than 300ft into woods outside the camp.
The prisoners begged, borrowed and stole equipment that enabled them to line the tunnels with wood, run a railway and electric lighting from entry to exit and ventilate the tunnels with primitive air conditioning. They also made civilian clothes, maps, compasses and German passes to help them escape.
All went well for several months, but then tunnel Tom was discovered in September 1943 just as it reached the woods. Dick was abandoned for storage, but the prisoners pushed on with Harry, which was ready in early 1944.
On the night of March 24-25, 76 RAF officers broke out of the camp. A few hours later it was being discussed by Hitler and the German High Command. The Fuhrer demanded retribution.
Seventy-three officers were recaptured and 50 of these were shot by the Gestapo in what was one of the greatest war crimes committed by Nazi Germany against British servicemen during the course of the Second World War.
Three officers made it back to Britain, where there was outrage over the killings.
The British demanded that the killers be hunted down and brought to exemplary justice. After the war, they kept their word and many of the killers were punished by Allied courts.
#tankspotting #jukkaokauppinen #siivetwings
--
Thanks so much for watching. Wouldn't it be nice if you subsribed us also? You can do it easily here:
youtube.com/user/Tankspotting?sub_confirmation=1
For more information please see:
Tankspotting: youtube.com/user/Tankspotting
Facebook: facebook.com/tankspottingtv
Twitter: twitter.com/tankspottingtv
