Posted on 06/08/2010 3:50:38 PM PDT by James C. Bennett
LONDON: Jack Harrison, who survived the Great Escape plot by Allied prisoners in a German prison in World War II, has died at age 97, his family said.
As a camp gardener, Harrison helped dispose of the dirt excavated from three escape tunnels. He was 98th on the list of some 200 inmates designated to make the escape on March 24, 1944 from Stalag Luft III prison near Sagan in Germany — now Zagan, Poland. Only 76 got away before guards detected the breakout.
The breakout was celebrated in the 1963 film 'The Great Escape.' Only three men managed to reach safety. Hitler ordered the execution of 50 recaptured escapers, and 23 were returned to custody. Harrison was the last survivor of the plot.
"I guess it was a blessing in disguise I never made it through, as most were shot," he said last year. Harrison said he quickly returned into his prison when the escape was detected.
R.I.P.
” Only three men managed to reach safety. Hitler ordered the execution of 50 recaptured escapers, and 23 were returned to custody.”
Obviously, it was Bush’s fault.
Charles Bronson made it by sneaking onto a ship bound for Sweden. I cannot remember the other two. Steve McQueen almost made it by jumping a motorcycle over barbed wire.
And of course the most valuable lesson from the Great Escape.
When a German tells you “Good Luck”, don’t respond.
Yeah, otherwise, we would have never had 'Bullitt' or 'Death Wish'!
James Coburn. And Charles Bronson was with the other guy.
McQueen got caught in the wire...Bronson and his friend got on a boat...James Coburn walked to Spain with a guide after watching the Resistance gun down some German officers in a cafe...
Not wholly accurate (the men were actually driven from their holding prison cells and pistol shot in groups while peeing on the side of the road for a “rest stop”) but a good movie nonetheless.
Yep Coburn made it into Spain.
The James Coburn character escaped through Spain, according to the movie and Bronson’s character had another with him as he climbed on the ship.
Good scenes.
Charles Bronson’s character (a russian guy) and another guy he was with, both took a small boat and sailed away to a larger boat, where they either stowed aboard or became part of the crew. A third guy took a bicycle and pedaled into the swiss alps.
Bronson’s character (like the actor) was Polish.
Thanks, he just sounded russian to me.
Bttt
Brain full of useless facts ...
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