A Documentary filmed back in 1994 by the BBC on the great escape in which ex POW of Stalag Luft III/ those who took part in the famous 'Great Escape' revisit the camp and tell there storys.
My father in law was a bomber pilot of a Halifax with a crew of 7. There were shot down near the Dutch border. And Pops spent from May 1942 until VE Day in the Great escape camp. After the escape the SS took over the camp and deprived the POW of their food parcels and when the news came about the Russians advancing They evacuated the camp in the worst winter in 10 years and made a forced march with not enough food or warm clothes. My Father in Law suffered from PTSD for the rest of his life..
Much thanks for posting this ...a real gem of a documentary and only the BBC can do. Love their military documentaries..... so many here are so glad you shared this. Long live the memory of the 50 !!!!!! TCUNC76
Excellent documentary. One note that was not as well known in 1994 when this was filmed, Germany by 1944 had huge numbers of prisoners of all types some in POW Camps, but others working as slave labor camps. The Gestapo and SS were worrying about the security aspects and the impact of these prisoners on German citizens. That accounts for the changing attitude toward airmen POWs.
USAF pilots after completing flight school go through survival school somewhere around Spokane, WA. Back in my day, the early '60s, the school was north of Reno, NV. Whatever, there they are instructed on how to survive imprisonment as a POW. I don't know that they are taught now, but in my day we were taught to escape if we could, that it was our duty.
Most of the Great Escape people were Americans. This was shown in the movie. Fortunately the main character played by Steve McQueen survived. He is probably the most famous POW of all.
SugarTomAppleRoger You want to check that... The americans where moved to an adjoining camp before the the escape could take place, the movie had americans in it so it would sell better in the US.
SugarTomAppleRoger This is positive wrong. No americans went true the tunnel. A few worked on it, but was moved just before the breakout. The guy who lead the work was an South African. He was number four out of the tunnel. Only three of the 76 who got out managed to get away for good. Two Norwegians and one dutch.
@@peace-now Sorry, but you are very wrong. In actuality, there was precisely one American, and even he was raised in England and shot down as an RAF pilot. In the film they added Americans to make it more interesting for the audiences.
One of the 1st cousins, 2x removed, Walter S. Florczak, was captured by the Nazis and put into the Stalag Luft 3 concentration camp in 1944. He was in there for 415 days.
@@rexterrocks No, it's definitely not an MG34. It is part of a Luftwaffe MG131 used inside German aircraft. It was probably scrap from an airplane at the end of the war, not mounted in a tower like this guy at 27:27 claims.
F/L Lawrence Henry (Law) Power __ RCAF __ Sydney POW Anyone come across any mention of Lawrence , he was shot down , became a POW, it was said that being a Champion boxer back in Nova Scotia, he was able to get permission to build a ring and have boxing matches, and apparently a tunnel was being dug underneath , the noise from the boxing covered the digging sound and dirt was hid under the ring.
Hollywood did its version of The Great Escape, but as it gets fanciful in its 2nd half catering to the more naive audiences of the day, and it looks more like an American story when, in fact, no Americans were directly involved in the events, an accurate remake would be in order. It's entirely an English story and it should be made by British filmmakers. We should "meet" Roger Bushell.
I wonder why they wanted to escape, if they had it not so bad in the prison camps.. they had a theater house, they could play games, listen to records, put on plays.. why escape???
an escape distracts and weakens the enemy, the war is ending quicker, less people die. they werent escaping to safe themselfs, as you pointed out, they did it for the comrades who were in the trenches at the time.
Oh.... because as usual the actual experience is worse than the description or opinion of others who heard about it. Being real people, with families and all, missing them, etc. as well as being told by the krouts that "if vee loose za var, hitler vill shootz yoo anyvay shust to even ze score", many of them already feared the many possible outcomes of their situation. Photos of the men immediately after being released showed they were not well fed either. And it was cold most of the time. It was not like your typical home now days, or even modern prison where comfort is the 1st consideration.
After the British and Americans started bombed civilians (war crime) as a strategy of war, all those pilots were lucky they weren't executed 5 minuted after they parachuted.
And Rotterdam before that, the shock worked there. Though London was a bit different, it was bombed by mistake, a reprisal was done and the rest is history.
+Pfsif Why do you ignore the fact that a unit of the German Airforce (The Condor Legion) bombed Spanish towns (including Guernica) killing innocent civilians in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. That was OK, was it? What about the thousands of innocent Polish civilians killed by Luftwaffe bombings of Warsaw and many other Polish towns and cities - as a strategy of war - in September 1939, and the bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940. Weren't those bombings war crimes too? You are nothing but a hypocrite...
Can not believe that this video has not been viewed by more people. Unbelievable.
i know it is kinda randomly asking but does anyone know a good site to stream newly released tv shows online?
@Tomas Chris I use FlixZone. You can find it by googling :)
@Tristan Zayn Definitely, have been watching on FlixZone for months myself :)
@Tristan Zayn Thank you, I signed up and it seems like a nice service =) I appreciate it!
@Tomas Chris happy to help =)
If I was one of the survivors I'd still be fighting tears
thinking of my buddies. That was no small bond.
My father in law was a bomber pilot of a Halifax with a crew of 7.
There were shot down near the Dutch border. And Pops spent from May 1942 until VE Day in the Great escape camp.
After the escape the SS took over the camp and deprived the POW of their food parcels and when the news came about the Russians advancing
They evacuated the camp in the worst winter in 10 years and made a forced march with not enough food or warm clothes.
My Father in Law suffered from PTSD for the rest of his life..
God...
Epic story. These heroes were young men, for the most part, who should be remembered. Young men today wouldn't stand a chance.
Much thanks for posting this ...a real gem of a documentary and only the BBC can do. Love their military documentaries..... so many here are so glad you shared this. Long live the memory of the 50 !!!!!!
TCUNC76
Excellent documentary. One note that was not as well known in 1994 when this was filmed, Germany by 1944 had huge numbers of prisoners of all types some in POW Camps, but others working as slave labor camps. The Gestapo and SS were worrying about the security aspects and the impact of these prisoners on German citizens. That accounts for the changing attitude toward airmen POWs.
USAF pilots after completing flight school go through survival school somewhere around Spokane, WA. Back in my day, the early '60s, the school was north of Reno, NV. Whatever, there they are instructed on how to survive imprisonment as a POW. I don't know that they are taught now, but in my day we were taught to escape if we could, that it was our duty.
Most of the Great Escape people were Americans. This was shown in the movie. Fortunately the main character played by Steve McQueen survived. He is probably the most famous POW of all.
SugarTomAppleRoger You want to check that...
The americans where moved to an adjoining camp before the the escape could take place, the movie had americans in it so it would sell better in the US.
SugarTomAppleRoger This is positive wrong. No americans went true the tunnel. A few worked on it, but was moved just before the breakout. The guy who lead the work was an South African. He was number four out of the tunnel. Only three of the 76 who got out managed to get away for good. Two Norwegians and one dutch.
@@bjrne.p.fredriksen8285 Thank you for explaining this. I've started doing research on this subject so am trying to find out more.
@@peace-now Sorry, but you are very wrong. In actuality, there was precisely one American, and even he was raised in England and shot down as an RAF pilot. In the film they added Americans to make it more interesting for the audiences.
Great video.
Incredible to hear about this amazing story from this perspective considering the demise of their comrades
One of the 1st cousins, 2x removed, Walter S. Florczak, was captured by the Nazis and put into the Stalag Luft 3 concentration camp in 1944. He was in there for 415 days.
Тhis mоviее is nоw аaааvаilаblе to wаtсh hеrе => twitter.com/c8eb3d4a2c1e7ac70/status/795842396885897216 Gоing Undеrgrоund Тhе Grеееаt Еsсааааре
That "Part of a machine gun" the guy found is an AA gun. Probably mounted near by the camp to repel the continuous air raids.
No, it's an MG34 which is definitely what you would have in a guard tower. It was used as an infantry weapon.
@@rexterrocks No, it's definitely not an MG34. It is part of a Luftwaffe MG131 used inside German aircraft. It was probably scrap from an airplane at the end of the war, not mounted in a tower like this guy at 27:27 claims.
@@Theakker3B Thanks for the correction, of course, you are absolutely right, I can see that looking back at it.
Wow, Shag Rees and Jimmy James are famous!
F/L Lawrence Henry (Law) Power __ RCAF __ Sydney POW Anyone come across any mention of Lawrence , he was shot down , became a POW, it was said that being a Champion boxer back in Nova Scotia, he was able to get permission to build a ring and have boxing matches, and apparently a tunnel was being dug underneath , the noise from the boxing covered the digging sound and dirt was hid under the ring.
God bless these men, balls the size of grapefruits.
34-35 Did anyone else see that person bizarrely trying to hide in the tree? I don't think they noticed because they would have simply reshot it again.
I've always wondered how the air vent intake was at the surface but the Germans never found the inlet. Should have been obvious.
Captions would be helpful for those of us who are hearing impaired.
Amateur video by Vippe : " How Mick escaped from Barnsley Borstal to Sweden"
Mad respect for these super humans from a Muslim
Please visit my Stalag Luft 3 / The Great Escape facebook group: facebook.com/groups/432891423588634/members/
Hollywood did its version of The Great Escape, but as it gets fanciful in its 2nd half catering to the more naive audiences of the day, and it looks more like an American story when, in fact, no Americans were directly involved in the events, an accurate remake would be in order. It's entirely an English story and it should be made by British filmmakers. We should "meet" Roger Bushell.
I wonder why they wanted to escape, if they had it not so bad in the prison camps.. they had a theater house, they could play games, listen to records, put on plays.. why escape???
motivation
an escape distracts and weakens the enemy, the war is ending quicker, less people die. they werent escaping to safe themselfs, as you pointed out, they did it for the comrades who were in the trenches at the time.
+Eurobubble
Trenches? Getting a little confused, aren't you? Trench warfare was a WW1 phenomenon. The Great Escape happened in WW2...
It was considered a duty to attempt escape, it was also to use/drain the enemies resources
Oh.... because as usual the actual experience is worse than the description or opinion of others who heard about it. Being real people, with families and all, missing them, etc. as well as being told by the krouts that "if vee loose za var, hitler vill shootz yoo anyvay shust to even ze score", many of them already feared the many possible outcomes of their situation. Photos of the men immediately after being released showed they were not well fed either. And it was cold most of the time. It was not like your typical home now days, or even modern prison where comfort is the 1st consideration.
best episode of dragons den yet
After the British and Americans started bombed civilians (war crime) as a strategy of war, all those pilots were lucky they weren't executed 5 minuted after they parachuted.
Legally it is if they was no legit target around them yeah... voided if there was.
1940, the germans bombed london.
with no regard for targeting military installations.
And Rotterdam before that, the shock worked there. Though London was a bit different, it was bombed by mistake, a reprisal was done and the rest is history.
You are a pathetic human being
+Pfsif
Why do you ignore the fact that a unit of the German Airforce (The Condor Legion) bombed Spanish towns (including Guernica) killing innocent civilians in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. That was OK, was it? What about the thousands of innocent Polish civilians killed by Luftwaffe bombings of Warsaw and many other Polish towns and cities - as a strategy of war - in September 1939, and the bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940. Weren't those bombings war crimes too?
You are nothing but a hypocrite...