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Howard De Lester, historian and training leader for military reenactments, reads a letter written by a Stalag Luft III camp escapee following the prisoner’s 1994 return to visit Zagan, Poland, during the 80th anniversary commemoration of the Great Escape, March 24, 2024. The camp was touted as inescapable by the German command, and in his letter, the airman described their motivation as to “punch their captors in the nose” and return to the fight. Allied airman prisoners of war dug three escape tunnels over the course of a year, with 76 attempting escape on the night of March 24, 1944. Of the 76 that managed to escape before the effort was discovered by the guards, only three ultimately made it to allied territory, with the rest recaptured and 50 of those murdered by the order of Adolph Hitler. The tragic murders of the escapees resulted in international condemnation and Gestapo officers responsible for the war crime were sentenced to death at the Nuremberg trials following the war.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2024 07:24 |
| Photo ID: | 8305935 |
| VIRIN: | 240324-A-DP764-9112 |
| Resolution: | 6720x4480 |
| Size: | 7.21 MB |
| Location: | ZAGAN, PL |
| Hometown: | CAMBRIDGE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, GB |
| Hometown: | POZNAN, PL |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
This work, US Soldiers support Great Escape commemoration in Poland [Image 16 of 16], by SFC Jason Hull, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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