La grande fuga

In this movie, several Americans (including Hilts and Henley) were amongst the escapees. In real life, American officers assisted with the construction of the escape tunnel, but weren't amongst the escapees, because the Germans moved them to a remote compound just before the escape.

Strong timbers are needed to support thousands of pounds of dirt above a tunnel. The three foot long, 1/2 inch thick boards taken from the bed frames shown used in the tunnel seemingly could not support the weight. However, documentary interviews and excavation of the actual Stalag Luft 3 site, reveal that the film's depiction of the tunnel's construction was accurate. While the materials used may not have been adequate for a professional tunnel or mine, they were apparently adequate to the task and some are still holding up the tunnel even now.

Some TV versions edit the scene in which Ives is shot and killed for trying to escape over the fence.

Edited into Return to 'The Great Escape' (1993)