The Great Escape - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[lynn]

The actual camp, Stalag Luft III, was located in Zagan, Poland, and the remains of the camp can be found at the following map coordinates: 51.599036, 15.310030.

[dustin]

The character of von Luger was based on Friedrich von Lindeiner-Wildau. As with von Luger, the real commandant was an Oberst (Colonel), a general staff officer, and a holder of the "Blue Max" (Pour le Merite) medal. However, while the pictures on the wall of von Luger's office are of World War I flying units, von Lindeiner-Wildau earned his Blue Max in the East Africa campaigns in 1905 to 1907 and served as an infantry officer before and during World War I. He retired from the Army in 1919 and only joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 at Hermann Goring's personal invitation.

[francisco]

According to director John Sturges, the screenplay went through six writers and eleven versions, and was still a work in progress during filming. "I'm not proposing that's a good way to make a picture, but it was the right way to make this one", he later said.

[toni]

Roger Bartlett was modelled after Roger Bushell, a British officer who was involved in the real escape and, like Bartlett, was executed for his role therein. The scarring around Sir Richard Attenborough's eyes is a tribute to Bushell, who received such scarring from a competitive skiing accident.

[duane]

Paul Brickhill, who wrote the book on which this movie was based, was piloting a Spitfire aircraft that was shot down over Tunisia in March 1943. He was taken to Stalag Luft III in Germany, where he assisted in the escape preparations.

[oscar]

The Germans routinely confined enemy aviators in Luftwaffe prisons, regardless of which service they had been in. This accounts for the presence of Ashley-Pitt, a Royal Navy pilot, in Luft Stalag III.

[kylie]

Steve McQueen, James Coburn, and Charles Bronson appeared in The Magnificent Seven (1960), also directed by John Sturges, and scored by Elmer Bernstein.

[scarlett]

After viewing the rushes, Steve McQueen decided his part was minor and undeveloped. He was particularly upset that his character virtually disappears from the movie for about thirty minutes in the middle, so he walked out demanding re-writes. John Sturges admitted the half-hour gap was likely a problem, but with the production already behind schedule due to the heavy rain, he felt he couldn't take time out to do re-writes and rescheduling. James Garner said he and James Coburn got together with McQueen to determine what his specific gripes were. Garner later said it was apparent McQueen wanted to be the hero, but didn't want to be seen doing anything overtly heroic that contradicted his character's cool detachment and sardonic demeanor. At the same time, McQueen never really liked his character's calm acquiescence to his time in the cooler, or the famous bit with the catcher's mitt and ball. Sturges considered writing the character out of the story altogether, but United Artists informed him they considered McQueen indispensable to the movie's success, and would spring for the extra money to hire another writer, Ivan J. Moffitt, to deal with the star's demands. McQueen returned to work.

[manuel]

One of the masterminds for the real "great escape" was Wing Commander Harry Day. He isn't directly portrayed in this movie, however the book, on which this movie was based, by Paul Brickhill, correctly tells his story. Arguably, his story is the most impressive of the lot, having participated in at least four other mass breakouts and two solo attempts prior to the "great escape" (twice getting free from the camp before recapture). He was one of the first out of the tunnel, but was recaptured in Stettin trying to get help to gain passage out of Germany. He was spared execution and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp with three other escapees. There they dug another tunnel and escaped with another British officer. It's widely believed they were the only people ever to survive an escape from that camp. All were recaptured and held in solitary confinement until being used as hostages at the end of the war. Escaping from his captives, he reached allied lines and was instrumental in securing the safe release of the other hostages.