La gran evasión: La verdadera historia de la fuga más famosa de la Segunda Guerra Mundial

The Great Escape was one of the most remarkable episodes of the Second World War. After the attempt to break 200 men out of Hermann Gring's 'escape-proof' prisoner-of-war camp, 76 Allied officers managed to create havoc behind enemy lines before most were eventually recaptured. Now, over 60 years after the event, the ingenuity of the masterminds behind this audacious break-out is celebrated.The Great Escapers tells the story of these men who managed to break free from the supposedly impenetrable barbed wire and watchtowers of Stalag Luft III, Gring's showcase prison camp near Sagan. Some of them were also involved in other daring escape attempts, including the famous Wooden Horse episode, also turned into a classic film, and the little-known Sachsenhausen break-out, engineered by five Great Escape survivors sent to die in the notorious concentration camp on Hitler's personal orders. Also revealed is the important role Stalag Luft III played in Allied intelligence operations within occupied Europe: the prisoners developed an intricate espionage network, feeding details of military deployments and strength levels back home and relaying details about the accuracy of bombing raids. Tragically, 50 of those involved in the Great Escape were murdered by the Gestapo. The author examines their deaths and the post-war investigation to bring their killers to justice. The Great Escapers is an extraordinary story, charted through the experiences of those who lived under the sweeping searchlights of the ominous watchtowers and ending with accounts from the seven remaining men who broke out that March night over 60 years ago - the last of the Great Escapers. La gran evasión es uno de los episodios más célebres de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Transcurridos 60 años del suceso, ha llegado el momento de rendir homenaje al ingenio de los hombres que hicieron posible esta audaz fuga. *La gran evasión* cuenta la historia de los oficiales que lograron atravesar la alambrada de espino y eludir las torres de vigilancia del Stalag Luft III, el modélico y supuestamente impenetrable campo de prisioneros que Göring ordenó construir. Algunos de ellos protagonizaron otros osados intentos de fuga, como el célebre episodio del «Caballo de Madera», que inspiró también un clásico del cine, o la poco conocida evasión de Sachsenhausen orquestada por cinco supervivientes de la Gran Evasión que, por orden personal de Hitler, fueron encerrados en el famoso campo de concentración para que murieran allí. También se revela el importante papel que desempeñó el Stalag Luft III en las operaciones de inteligencia aliadas dentro de la Europa ocupada: los prisioneros extendieron una intrincada red de espionaje a través de la cual proporcionaron a Londres y Washington detalles del despliegue militar y del nivel de las operaciones enemigas y transmitieron información sobre la efectividad de los ataques aéreos. El autor no olvida la vertiente trágica del heroico episodio: cincuenta de los participantes en la Gran Evasión fueron asesinados por la Gestapo. Analiza sus muertes y la investigación llevada a cabo después de la guerra para llevar ante la justicia a los asesinos. 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 Göring 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.