Everyone here in this room is living on borrowed time. By rights we should all be dead! The only reason that God allowed us this extra ration of life is so we can make life hell for the Hun… In North Compound we are concentrating our efforts on completing and escaping through one master tunnel. No private-enterprise tunnels allowed. Three bloody deep, bloody long tunnels will be dug – Tom, Dick, and Harry. One will succeed!
Roger Bushell – Big X
During World War Two there were millions of prisoners of war, many of whom tried to escape one way or another. The Great Escape is one of most notable escapes.
Over 600 prisoners worked together to dig three tunnels and plan the escape. Only one tunnel ended up being completed. Out of the planned 200 men who were planned to escape, 76 were able to get out before the tunnel was discovered. Just three of those men were able to safely escape to freedom. Of those who were recaptured, fifty were executed on Hitler’s orders. Arnold was one of the fifty.