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Great Escape veteran of Second World War dies
* From AP Gulf News *
Jack Harrison, at right, the veteran thought to be the last survivor of the World War II prisoner-of-war breakout from Stalag Luft III, is seen with other prisoners-of-war in this undated file photo.
London: As one of the camp’s gardeners, 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, but only 76 got away before guards detected the breakout and raised the alarm.
The breakout was celebrated in the 1963 film The Great Escape starring Steve McQueen and James Garner. Only three men managed to reach safety. Adolf Hitler ordered the execution of 50 recaptured escapers, and 23 others were returned to custody.
Read more at Gulf News
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Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=35482
Posted by Bob Higgins on Jun 10 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Veterans Affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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