The Great Escape: Tunnel to Freedom

by Mike Meserole

Overview

When a group of American and English soldiers were taken to a Nazi prison as prisoners of war, the first thing on their minds was breaking free. The Great Escape​ is their incredible true story.

There have been plenty of escapes throughout history, but nothing even comes close to The Great Escape! This almost unbelievable story follows a group of English and American soldiers captured by the Nazis in World War II when they were taken to the "inescapable" Nazi prison or Stalag Luft III as prisoners of war.

Over weeks and months, the men improvised to make use of every resource around them. Their incredible ingenuity and never give up attitude led to them pulling off extreme feats of planning to create a tunnel nearly 350-feet long. Their escape to freedom eventually grew so large they equipped it with trolleys, and even lit it with electric lights.

Finally, on the night of March 24, 1944, nearly 100 men attempted their daring escape through the tunnel. What was their fate? Did they all make it? This is one tale of escape you can't miss!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760361108
Publisher:	Young Voyageur
Publication date:	09/01/2017
Series:	833
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	9 - 13 Years

About the Author

Mike Meserole (Waterbury, Connecticut) started his career as a journalist. He is a full-time writer with many books to his credit.
Mike Meserole (Waterbury, Connecticut) started his career as a journalist. He is a full-time writer with many books to his credit.

Table of Contents

It's an Officer's Duty to Escape     1
The New Big X     14
North Compound     19
The Tunnel King, the Ex-Con, and the Penguins     33
Keeping a Secret     47
Digging Tunnels     53
The Fourth of July     58
High Stakes Chess     65
Tom Is Found     73
Tom's Revenge     81
The Yanks Move Out     88
Christmas Comes Early     95
Harry Reopens for Business     102
Rubberneck Strikes     114
Harry Is Ready to Go     124
Tonight's the Night     134
Escape     154
The Cooler Is Full     168
Roundup and Reprisals     178
Epilogue     195
The Great Escapers     201
Bibliography     207
Index     211
About the Author     226

Editorial Reviews

Gr 6-8

"For you the war is over." These were the first words translated from German heard by most downed Allied pilots when rounded up as POWs during World War II. For the British RAF, the first code of conduct was to escape. Those who did make it out were usually caught and returned and, under the rules of the Geneva Convention, punished without fatal consequences. A group of highly crafty, daring, and determined POWs in Stalag Luft III, comprised of dedicated British and American servicemen, used disciplined secret planning and organized execution with basic engineering and mining knowledge to pull off "the Great Escape." Meserole's compelling narrative takes readers through the early days of strategic thinking to the amazing nail-biting escape through a 30-foot-deep tunnel on a moonless night in late winter. The easy-to-read text, embellished with drawings of tunnel blueprints and black-and-white photos of the events, vividly describes the ingenuity and hard labor of several hundred men who not only clandestinely dug and disposed of tons of sand, but also created tools from scraps of metal and wood, civilian clothing, and counterfeit documents right under the noses of their captors. The author is careful to create suspense and intrigue but brings his account to an honest conclusion with the Nazis's vengeful response to the event. This story has been previously told on film as well as in print, but it will nevertheless interest today's readers.-Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MI

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