Stalag Luft III

The Stalag Luft III was a prison camp of war (Stalag) for the pilots during the Second world war.

It was located beside Sagan (in the current Poland) and it concerned the Luftwaffe exclusively. It was established in May 1942, in the east of the Stalag VIII C.

The prisoners were British and American, but also much of others nationalités : French, Belgians, Canadians, Dutchman, Greeks, Norwegians, Lithuanians, Slovak, Czech, Polish, as well as pilots of New Zealand and Republic of South Africa. It is estimated that at the beginning of 1944 it were more 10 500 prisoners.

The escape bids were numerous and the most known escape took place during the night of the March 24th 1944. This escape was organized by the Committee " X" created in spring 1943 and directed by the commander Roger Bushell. By a tunnel, which had 111 m length and 10 m of depth, 76 pilots succeeded in leaving the camp the Germans tracked the escaped prisoners on all the territory and all were taken again except three pilots, who escaped the Nazis. On order of Hitler, 50 of the taken again prisoners were shot.

This episode was immortalisé by the film the Great Escape

In the same register, an American comedy, less serious, Stalag 13 (Schultz Dad) (original title Hogan' S heroes) is also held in a prison camp managed by Luftwaffe.

See too

List of the prison camps of war of the III {{E}} Reich

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