FACES OF THE FALLEN — A man and child quietly observe the portraits of over 1,300 service men and women while attending the ‘"Faces of the Fallen" ceremony in Arlington, Va. March 22, 2005. "Faces of the Fallen" honors America’s service men and women who have died in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen

More Photos at http://www.defendamerica.mil

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.

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Today in History
1545 - The German Parliament convenes in Worms
1550 - England and France sign the Peace of Boulogne
1603 - King James VI of Scotland becomes King James I of England
1664 - Roger Williams receives a charter to colonize Rhode Island
1765 - The British enacts the Quartering Act, requiring colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers
1801 - Aleksandr P. Romanov becomes emperor of Russia
1837 - Canada gives blacks the right to vote
1878 - British frigate Eurydice is sunk, killing 300
1887 - Oscar Straus becomes the 1st Jewish ambassador from US (Turkey)
1898 - The 1st automobile is sold
1906 - The "Census of the British Empire" shows that England rules 1/5 of the world
1920 - The 1st US coast guard air station is established in Morehead City, NC
1924 - Greece becomes a republic
1934 - The US declares the Philippines will become independent in 1945
1941 - British forces defeat British Somalia
1941 - German troops occupy El Agheila, Libya
1944 - In what would become known as "The Great Escape," 76 Allied officers escape Stalag Luft 3. Hitler initially ordered that all recaptured escapees were to be shot, then changed his order to "more than half" should be shot. In all, 3 reached safety, 50 were murdered by the Gestapo, 17 were returned, and 3 were sent to Colditz Castle.
1944 - 811 British bombers attack Berlin
1944 - In occupied Rome, Nazis execute more than 300 civilians
1945 - General Eisenhower, Montgomery & Bradley discuss advance in Germany
1945 - In the largest one-day airborne drop, 600 transports & 1300 gliders are launched
1945 - Operation Varsity sees British, US & Canadian airborne landings East of the Rhine
1945 - US minesweepers reach Kerama Retto, on the South coast of Okinawa
1947 - Congress proposes a 2-term limitation on the Presidency
1947 - John D Rockefeller Jr donates the NYC East River site to the UN
1955 - British Army patrols withdraw from Belfast, Ireland- after 20 years
1958 - Elvis Presley enlists in the US Army - serial number 53310761
1959 - Iraq withdraws from the Baghdad Pact
1964 - The Kennedy half-dollar is issued
1966 - The US Selective Service announces performance-based college deferments
1967 - The University of Michigan holds the 1st "Teach-in" after the bombing of North Vietnam 1972 - Great Britain imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland
1976 - Argentine President Isabel Perón is deposed in a military coup
1982 - The US sub Jacksonville collides with a Turkish freighter near Virginia
1986 - The US & Libya clash in Gulf of Sidra
1989 - In the worst US oil spill, the Exxon Valdez spills 11.3 million gallons off the coast of Alaska
1990 - Indian troops leave Sri Lanka
1991 - Banks reopen in liberated Kuwait
1993 - Ezer Weizman is elected President of Israel
1994 - In North Carolina, an F-16 collides with a C-130 Hercules killing 120

Birthdays
1188 - Ferrand of Portugal, Earl of Flanders
1755 - Rufus King, framer of US constitution
1821 - (George) Hector Tyndale Brevet Major General (Union)
1855 - Andrew W. Mellon, founder (Mellon Bank)/US Secretary of Treasury
1874 - Luigi Einaudi, 1st President of Italy
1898 - Dorothy Stratton, organizer (SPARS-women's branch of the USCG)
1907 - Janet Harmon Bragg US pilot/columnist
1907 - Lauris Norstad, US General (NATO commander)
1919 - John J. Duncan, Jr. (Representative, TN)
1923 - Edna Jo Hunter, expert on military families / POW's
1943 - H. Martin Lancaster (Representative, NC)
1851 - Kenneth S. Reightler, Jr., Commander USN/astronaut (STS 48, 60)
1957 - Scott J. Horowitz, PhD/Captain USAF/astronaut (STS 75, 82)