When the site of Stalag Luft 3, in far west Poland, was selected the sandy ground was seen as a big plus as it supposedly made the POW camp tunnel proof. Nevertheless, the British and Commonwealth ( and later American) airmen behind the barbed wire were not deterred. An audacious plan was hatched to construct three tunnels – Tom, Dick and Harry – to allow 220 men to escape and in the process make the Nazi’s divert crucial resources in a nationwide manhunt on an epic scale.
As anyone familiar with the heavily fictionalised Hollywood classic “The Great Escape” will be aware one of the tunnels was discovered, while another was abandoned due to camp reorganisation but the third, Harry, in hut 104, succeeded in spiriting away 76 of the planned 220 prisoners before discovery. Harry was very deep, about 30ft below the surface and coffin like inside, just 2ft square. Walls were shored up with pieces of wood scavenged from prisoner bunks and around the camp. Ingenious methods of disposing of mined sand were deployed, including sacks sown inside clothing and even as 1943 rolled into 1944 the space under seating in the camps theatre was used.
Harry was finally completed in March 1944 and with the leader of escapees Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, codenamed Big X, concerned about discovery, an immediate attempt was green-lighted. The date was set for March 24th 1944, a moonless night.
Getting beyond the barbed wire was only stage one, papers were forged and civilian clothes made in order to give escapees the best chance of making it home. Prisoners who could speak German and had a history of attempting escape were at the front of the queue to breakout.
On the night itself things went far from swimmingly with only a third of those earmarked for escape making it beyond the wire into open country; the rest had to be content with the role they had played in such an audacious attempt. Sparse cover at the tunnel exit meant that instead of a prisoner escaping every minute as planned, the rate was slowed to one every ten. Most of the 76 escapees were recaptured quickly - the freezing weather and lack of local trains were a real hinderance and in total only 3 men – 2 Norwegian and a Dutch pilot made it to neutral countries.
A furious Hitler ordered that more than half of the escapees be shot as an example. Eventually 50 were murdered in cold blood by the Germans. In May 1944 the discovery of this war crime caused anger and consternation amongst the allies and after the war those deemed responsible were tracked down and brought to trial. Of 18 defendants, 13 were executed at Hamelin Prison in February 1948. Justice had been done.
Today, although the original huts are gone, Stalag Luft 3 site has an excellent museum with the course of the tunnel Harry clearly marked for visitors to see. It is well worth a visit and only ten minutes’ walk, through forest, from Zagan station. Sophie’s Great War Tours offers bespoke guided tours to the camp as well as all other points of interest relating to both world wars.