Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Penguin
Description
History. Military. Nonfiction. HTML: It was a split-second operation as delicate and as deadly as a time bomb. It demanded the concentrated devotion and vigilance of more than six hundred American and British air force officers, every single one of them, every minute, every hour, every day, and every night for more than a year. With only their bare hands and the crudest of homemade tools, they sank shafts, built underground railroads, forged passports, drew maps, faked weapons, and tailored German uniforms and civilian clothes. They developed a fantastic security system to protect themselves from the German "ferrets" who prowled the compounds with nerve-racking tenacity and suspicion. And against all odds, they pulled off a daring mass escape from a German POW camp..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member lmichet
I adore books about gadgets. When I was but a little child I owned all the books from that 'American Boys' Handy Book' series, regardless of the fact that I am not a boy, and I would read them over and over again even though I never built a single thing out of them. This is an exciting escape
The only part which didn't absolutely enthrall me was the ending, where he took several chapters to explain the ultimate fates of all the escapees and the ultimate fates of those Nazis who provided them with their ultimate fates. I suppose it gave him a sense of closure, but he frequently refers to prisoners or Nazis whom he has not yet brought up before, and it gets mighty confusing when he decides to tell us all that escapee Smithy Joe or whoever was killed by Mr. Schitzel and then to go on to explain how, in a brilliant detective move, they caught Mr. Schitzel two years later and had him executed-- because likely as not the author has not yet referred to either Mr. Joe or Mr. Schitzel and the reader has had no idea that they even existed. It gets tiring to have these names and tedious facts thrown in your face over and over. But the rest of the book is fantastic.
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story, yes, but to me the chief pleasure lay in the descriptions of all the little gadgets them men made in order to escape. They worked like maniacs and made more out of what they had than even MacGuyver would have known to make. They were astonishing. The book is astonishing. It's not written with any kind of genius or, really, any unusual skill, but it is plain and engrossing and the man sure knows how to communicate the energy of the experience to his readers.The only part which didn't absolutely enthrall me was the ending, where he took several chapters to explain the ultimate fates of all the escapees and the ultimate fates of those Nazis who provided them with their ultimate fates. I suppose it gave him a sense of closure, but he frequently refers to prisoners or Nazis whom he has not yet brought up before, and it gets mighty confusing when he decides to tell us all that escapee Smithy Joe or whoever was killed by Mr. Schitzel and then to go on to explain how, in a brilliant detective move, they caught Mr. Schitzel two years later and had him executed-- because likely as not the author has not yet referred to either Mr. Joe or Mr. Schitzel and the reader has had no idea that they even existed. It gets tiring to have these names and tedious facts thrown in your face over and over. But the rest of the book is fantastic.
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LibraryThing member ABVR
Brickhill wrote three classic books about real-life adventures from World War II, and this is--for my money--the best. It chronicles the inner workings of the biggest and most famous POW-camp breakout ever organized: three tunnels, dug simultaneously out of a supposedly escape-proof camp in the
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heart of Germany. Brickhill was a prisoner in the camp and a (very minor) player in the escape organization, and his story has an undeniable feel of authenticity as a result. The details that you (may) remember from the Hollywood version--stolen bed boards for tunnel shoring, electric lighting systems and wooden "railways" underground, forgers' and tailors' shops concealed in prison huts--are all described in detail here, since (no matter how implausible they may sound) they were all real. Written in the 1950s for a popular audience, Brickhill's books don't have the "heft" or the analytical edge of modern military histories by (say) Rick Atkinson or John Keegan, but they are absolutely unbeatable as inspiring true stories of courage and ingenuity. Show Less
LibraryThing member john257hopper
A gripping account of the Great Escapers and their fate. What comes across here most powerfully for me is the resourcefulness and ingenuity of the prisoners in making so much material to prepare for their escape using limited resources at their disposal, e.g. forged papers, compasses, air pipes and
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shoring for the tunnel, and so on. A true story of heroism. The cover of this edition has a picture of Steve McQueen on his motorbike, a fictional episode created for the wonderful film; indeed, no Americans took part in the breakout as they had all been moved to a neighbouring compound a few months earler, though many had taken part in the earlier tunnelling and other preparations. Show Less
LibraryThing member Whiskey3pa
I am always fascinated with escape literature and this is a must-read. The persistence and fortitude shown by these men is amazing. The ablilty to forge papers, build tools and machines, all while in prison is compelling - and that is just getting ready to escape. The tunnelling is astonishing and
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terrifying to contemplate. Laying in such a tiny hole with barely any air and scraping away until sick to your stomach, these men were made of stern stuff. Fantastic story. Show Less
LibraryThing member louisu
Once again my dastardly hunches and whims found me in another page of books about War time. This time around it was a rather funny story based on true events that occurred during WWII in a POW camp for pilots. In the midst of this book is a rather interesting story about people and their
It explains that part of the Geneva Convention holds that prisoners trying to escape shouldn't be punished. If they escape over the wire or get caught in the act they is some punishment involved specifically if they are caught in the act. Some funny moments occur as people get caught after their escape and their captors kind of laugh and apologize for catching them. They genuinely feel bad hoping that the person would have gotten away. Everything seem gentlemanly and polite. That is till the end of the book when so many of them escape that half of them are killed on the whim of a madman. A chilling moment comes when a man sits in an office looking through commenting "too young" on some men and silently putting others in one pile. It is amazing how a little factory is created to manufacture parts, machinery, suits, compasses, identity papers and plathura of things needed for escape. These men create an entire assortment of plans and procedures for every little movement. If anything it is an amazing book about people working together and how war can still be civil. This isn't the greatest book i have ever read or is it particularly well written. This is a goo book about what happens after the battle is done.
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interaction. Some of the most interesting pieces is how some people who are guards are depicted as people helping laughing and talking to their captors with the utmost respect. There are part of the Nazi army yet, instead of being evil some of these men come across as simple people caught up in a wide web of deciet and destruction. Many times they feel guilt as to what happens and genuine anguish especially in the end when many of the escaped prisoners are killed. It is a point where the fun and games of escape stop being so fun.It explains that part of the Geneva Convention holds that prisoners trying to escape shouldn't be punished. If they escape over the wire or get caught in the act they is some punishment involved specifically if they are caught in the act. Some funny moments occur as people get caught after their escape and their captors kind of laugh and apologize for catching them. They genuinely feel bad hoping that the person would have gotten away. Everything seem gentlemanly and polite. That is till the end of the book when so many of them escape that half of them are killed on the whim of a madman. A chilling moment comes when a man sits in an office looking through commenting "too young" on some men and silently putting others in one pile. It is amazing how a little factory is created to manufacture parts, machinery, suits, compasses, identity papers and plathura of things needed for escape. These men create an entire assortment of plans and procedures for every little movement. If anything it is an amazing book about people working together and how war can still be civil. This isn't the greatest book i have ever read or is it particularly well written. This is a goo book about what happens after the battle is done.
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LibraryThing member mahallett
my tapes! were abridged to 2 hours but it was very good. i would like to have known what happened to all the escapees. great reader.
coincidently i read a short story today but the only german prisoner of war to escape. he tried twice and was sent to canada and escaped from there to the us where he
coincidently i read a short story today but the only german prisoner of war to escape. he tried twice and was sent to canada and escaped from there to the us where he
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escaped back to germany. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookmarkaussie
The author of The Great Escape Paul Brickhill was a prisoner in the POW camp at Sagan so he knew many of the people portrayed in the book. It is a fantastic read, informative, insightful and entertaining. What starts off as a way to pass time and harass the Germans ends up with a very nasty sting
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in the tail. It is often understated, everything just so matter of fact, even their pain and horror at the outcome. What I also found most interesting was how closely the movie follows the book, I wasn't expecting that. Show Less
LibraryThing member graeme.bell3
Nothing like the film.
LibraryThing member ghr4
Paul Brickhill’s The Great Escape is a riveting account of the escape of largely British and American prisoners from a World War II German prison camp. Brickhill ably details the remarkable determination and ingenuity that enabled such a daring endeavor.
LibraryThing member kslade
Good WW II escape from Germany book. Not same as movie. Not sure when I actually read it.
LibraryThing member MariaStroud
I have read many accounts from WW2 but never a story like this. Amazing.
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1951
Local notes
Penguin 1187