Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;The true story of one of the most heroic feats of World War II...the daring prison camp breakout that inspired the classic film andlt;Iandgt;The Great Escapeandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt; andlt;BRandgt; Stalag Luft III was one of the Germans' "escape-proof" prison camps, specially built by Hermann Gand#246;ring 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. andlt;BRandgt; 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. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;Bandgt;Includes eight pages of photographs and illustrations, excerpts from Gand#246;ring's testimony during postwar investigations, and a list of the men who escaped.andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"A compelling new account by an acclaimed historian." andlt;BRandgt; -- andlt;Iandgt;Ireland on Sundayandlt;/Iandgt;
Review
“In the summer of 1945, British investigator Francis McKenna and his team began a trek across post-war Europe to pursue the men who murdered British POWs in cold blood following the famous Great Escape from Stalag Luft III in March 1944. Simon Read details the hunt in a book that is one part detective story and one part morality play, striking themes that will resonate in the present day. Remarkably, many of the Germans who witnessed or were tangentially involved in the atrocity retained an active sense of guilt and helped the investigators, even when it put them at risk for retribution from both sides. Simon Read has done an impressive job stitching together a highly readable and informative story from various sources, and making it live again.”—Jim DeFelice, bestselling author of
Rangers at Dieppe,
Omar Bradley: General at War, and
American Sniper
“A gut-wrenching account of World War IIs Great Escape and its brutal aftermath. Simon Reads riveting tale of the Royal Air Forces manhunt for the Gestapo perpetrators of the cold-blooded murder of fifty unarmed Allied escapees will touch your soul and increase your admiration for the ‘Greatest Generation. Whether justice ultimately triumphed over evil can be found in Reads engrossing narrative.”—Colonel Cole C. Kingseed, USA (Ret.), New York Times bestselling coauthor of Beyond Band of Brothers
"Fast-paced, clearly written account of how justice was served in a difficult wartime case"—Kirkus
Synopsis
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 Goring 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 Goring's testimony during postwar investigations, and a list of the men who escaped."
Synopsis
In March and April of 1944, Gestapo gunmen killed fifty POWsa brutal act in defiance of international law and the Geneva Conventions. This is the true story of the men who hunted them down.
The mass breakout of seventy-six Allied airmen from the infamous Stalag Luft III became one of the greatest tales of World War II, immortalized in the film The Great Escape. But where Hollywoods depiction fades to black, another incredible story begins . . .
Not long after the escape, fifty of the recaptured airmen were taken to killing fields throughout Germany and shot on the direct orders of Hitler. When the nature of these killings came to light, Churchills government swore to pursue justice at any cost. A revolving team of military police, led by squadron leader Francis P. McKenna, was dispatched to pick up a trail long gone cold.
Amid the chaos of postwar Germany, divided between American, British, French, and Russian occupiers, McKenna led a three-year manhunt that brought twenty-one Gestapo killers to justice. In Human Game, Simon Read delivers a clear-eyed and meticulously researched account of this often overlooked saga of hard-won justice.
INCLUDES PHOTOS
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Tim Carrollandlt;/Bandgt; is an acclaimed historian, writer, and television producer specializing in the Second World War. He also coauthored andlt;Iandgt;In Hitler's Bunker: A Boy Soldier's Eyewitness Account of the Fand#252;hrer's Last Daysandlt;/Iandgt; with Armin D. Lehman.
Table of Contents
Contents Acknowledgments
Preface
Prologue: The Last of the Great Escapers
Chapter One For You the War Is Over
Chapter Two School for Scoundrels
Chapter Three Göring's Escape-Proof Camp
Chapter Four Tom, Dick and Harry
Chapter Five The Wooden Horse
Chapter Six Harry
Chapter Seven Per Ardua ad Astra
Chapter Eight The Führer's Fury
Chapter Nine The Ones That Got Away
Epilogue
Appendix I The Great Escapers
Appendix II Excerpts from the Testimony of Hermann Göring Relevant to the Treatment of Air Force Prisoners
Glossary
Select Bibliography
Index