The Great Escape Trailer (1963)
Starring Steve McQueen, James Garner,
Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Richard
Attenborough,
The Great Escape
(1963) was loosely inspired by the true
story of the mass escape of Allied
soldiers from Stalag Luft III, a German
POW camp, on the night of March 24/25,
1944. Of the 76 prisoners who escaped the
Luftwaffe-run camp in real life, 73 were
recaptured. Hitler then ordered Heinrich
Himmler, the head of the SS, to execute
more than half of the escapees. A total of
50 were shot. Stalag Luft III is also
featured in the 2024 Apple TV+ miniseries
Masters of the Air. The two main
characters, Major Gale Cleven and Major
John Egan, are held there for over a year.
Related Article: Masters of the Air: History vs. Hollywood
Related Videos (2)Back to: Masters of the Air