On the night of March 24th / 25th, 1944, Allied Airmen escaped the German Luftwaffe prison camp known as Stalag Luft III (Stammlager Luft III). Located in Sagan, Germany, the Air Force only camp was approximately 100 miles southeast of Berlin. It opened in 1942.

Three tunnels, named "Tom, Dick, and Harry" were begun. At the end, only Harry was functional. Tom was discovered and destroyed by the German guards. Over 1500 cubic feet of dirt had to be discreetly disposed of for Harry's construction alone.

A staggering number - 76 - Airmen made it out of Harry into the woods around the camp.

Enraged by what would become known as "The Great Escape," Hitler initially ordered the execution of all recaptured escapees. He later limited that number to order that "more than half" be executed.

Only 3 made it to safety. Twenty-three were recaptured. The other fifty were murdered by the Gestapo, allegedly while trying to escape.

To learn more about "The Great Escape," as well as other German POW camps, visit:
http://www.b24.net/pow/greatescape.htm

The site also has an excellent comparison of the film version and real-life events.