View Full Version : 4th Tunnel Discovered At Stalag Luft lll
For those who love 'The Great Escape' as much as I do...
My brother-in-law's father was a B-17 navigator on the Fightin' Bitin' 369th Bomb Sqdn 306th Bomb Grp and became a POW at Stalag Luft lll after his a/c was shot down during a raid into the heart of Nazi Germany. His diary of poetry, thoughts, and drawings by various barracks mates is interesting reading.
Richard :munchin
The classic Steve McQueen movie immortalised three tunnels at Stalag Luft III PoW camp, now astonished archaeologists have discovered a fourth called George...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063652/The-classic-Steve-McQueen-movie-immortalised-tunnels-Stalag-Luft-III-PoW-camp--astonished-archaeologists-discovered-fourth.html
That's awsome Richard...and yes, one of my favorite movies.
Hats off the the folks who pulled it off..
Wow, that's awesome.
Looking forward to seeing the documentary on 'George'.
:munchin
Asolutely remarkable. I love that movie. The actually history and stories behind these evnts is awe inspiring.
~Bitz
Badger52
12-15-2011, 13:09
Issue of "World War II" magazine previous to current one had a great piece devoted to this, with diagrams of all the tunnels in relation to their aboveground locations. As told, the US crews were part & parcel of the pre-escape work. It's unfortunate (at the time) that the US POWs were moved to their own nearby camp shortly beforehand, and didn't go out during the actual escape. (Hindsight may regard this as fortuitous.)
Still, McQueen's bike scene was worth the tweaking by Hollywood. They seem to have gotten alot of the personalities right. Phenomenal story with a "never quit" flavor, and Richard is right, still a great movie.
Thanks for sharing your brother-in-law's Dad's story. The 306th ("Reich Wreckers") as a group has quite the legacy.
Utah Bob
12-15-2011, 18:21
Fascinating!
mojaveman
12-15-2011, 22:26
Watched a really good documentary onetime about Stalag Luft III that was located in Sagan, Poland. There was a small crew there with a back-hoe that were trying to dig up the tunnel but it just kept collapsing because the ground was mostly sand.
I think British actor Richard Attenborough did an excellent job in "The Great Escape". Agree with the others that Steve McQueen's contribution was also good. His motorcycle scenes were actually shot in beautiful Southern Bavaria.
hunteran
12-17-2011, 03:30
Asolutely remarkable. I love that movie. The actually history and stories behind these evnts is awe inspiring.
~Bitz
No kidding, its pretty crazy how innovative and ballsy those guys were.
A while back I did a bit of reading into the history of the Oflag IV-C camp and holy hell, talk about a group of clever individuals. I mean, they built a glider in the attic (among other things). Fascinating stuff.
Utah Bob
12-17-2011, 09:50
Watched a really good documentary onetime about Stalag Luft III that was originally in Sagan, Poland. There was a small crew there with a back-hoe that was trying to dig up the tunnel but it just kept collapsing because the ground was mostly sand.
I think British actor Richard Attenborough did an excellent job in "The Great Escape." Agree with the others that Steve McQueen's contribution was also good. His motorcycle scenes were actually shot in beautiful Southern Bavaria.
Speaking of Steve McQueen, I got this from a friend..
Now here is were I will make some of you jealous.....way back when I was station down at Port Hueneme is So.Ca. my motorcycle mechanic ( we called him "The Dutchman" ask me one Saturday if I wanted to go with him to services one of his customers Triumphs I said OK and we were off to Malibu.....We pulled up to a wear house and he took out his key and opened the door and we went in....I about S*&%.....there was the finest collection of motorcycles I had ever say or will ever see again.
As I am standing there dumbfounded in walks this little long haired guy ...The Dutchman looks up and says Steve this is Rick he is a friend of mine who is a SeaBee stationed at Hueneme....It was Steve McQueen!
Well as The Dutchman worked on Mr. McQueen's bike Mr. McQueen he took me on a guided tour of his motorcycles and he let me ride his Vincent around the block a couple of times....He had 3 of the bikes that he used in the Great Excape and I got to sit on all of them!....Needless to say it is a day I will never forget!....On that day I was the Luckiest guy in the world
Team Sergeant
12-18-2011, 15:54
[The classic Steve McQueen movie immortalised three tunnels at Stalag Luft III PoW camp, now astonished archaeologists have discovered a fourth called George...
That's nothing, here in Southern Arizona and Calif we've discovered hundreds of tunnels just last month! (and all have mexican names...)
Carlos, Luis,jose,Rodrigo,Cesar,Ricardo,Pedro,Emmanuel,Jor ge Angel,Santiago,Josue,Enrique, Hector,Rafael,Ernesto,Alfredo etc etc etc...
Badger52
12-19-2011, 08:18
Speaking of Steve McQueen, I got this from a friend..He used to get alot of his Triumph work largely done by Bud Ekins' Triumph shop which I recall was in Encino (or Studio City maybe) up on Ventura Blvd. Bud is the guy who did the stuntwork in Great Escape and coordinated the Mustang/bike stuntwork in Bullitt. Several of us used to hang out up there during HS (or a nearby gunshop) and the movie (with its masquerading Triumph 650) was my motivation for eventual ownership of a TT 650. So-called "stars" were alot more accessible in those pre-paparazzi days... as Jeff Cooper once said, "it was a different country then."
Movie cued up for Christmas Eve with the wife after the g-kids go home & we exhale.
:)
Your friend is a lucky dog if he got to ride one of those Vincents.
LongWire
12-20-2011, 01:56
Damn fine Stories guys.....Thanks for sharing.
Still one of my all time favorite movies!!!!!
TS, I think that is a SW joke.
BTW, have you purchased your official AZ State pistole yet?
MVP
Red Flag 1
12-20-2011, 17:51
That's nothing, here in Southern Arizona and Calif we've discovered hundreds of tunnels just last month! (and all have mexican names...)
Carlos, Luis,jose,Rodrigo,Cesar,Ricardo,Pedro,Emmanuel,Jor ge Angel,Santiago,Josue,Enrique, Hector,Rafael,Ernesto,Alfredo etc etc etc...
Would not be shocked to hear some named Haji, etc.
RF 1