The true story of the POW escape that later became the basis for the famous film The Great Escape, as told by Jens Müller, one of only three men who successfully escaped from Stalag Luft III in March 1944.
Jens Müller was a Norwegian pilot who was shot down by a German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 off the Belgian coast in 1942. He was captured as soon as he paddled ashore and sent to Stalag Luft III. After the war he wrote Tre kom tilbake (Three Came Back) about his experiences. He died in 1999.
David Robertson is cohost of For You the War Is Over, a podcast that looks at real-life stories of POW escapes during World War II.
The Jens Müller memoir is a unique, unforgettable journey through twenty-four months of German captivity and an ingenious escape like no other I've ever read about. Each page brings you into the moment with intricate detail, contrasting the kindness of a few guards with the cruelty of many others in a great adventure reaping the most precious gift of all--freedom.
A fascinating and highly suspenseful firsthand account of the famous Stalag Luft III escape, written by one of only three men from among 76 fugitive POWs who managed to evade the Nazi manhunt and gain their freedom.
The Great Escape was far more than a Hollywood film; it was an aggressive campaign waged by Allied prisoners against the Nazi security forces in their own back yard--and Jens Müller was a key player. His memoir is a must read for anyone interested in this gripping episode of the Second World War.
It's fantastic that Jens Müller's memoir is finally in English. A firsthand account by one of the very few successful Great Escapers makes this not only historically important, but also a thrilling read.
The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III offers a fascinating look at the 1940s, recapturing the feel of both the war and postwar era.
This book should be very widely read. It is the story of a very modest but extraordinary man and it highlights the largely under-told story of how POWs of all allied nations were determined together to get back into the fight. It is a very readable and very human story told vividly. There are maps and drawings together with a photo-plate section. A must-read book that should also be a source of great Norwegian pride.