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| 'The Great Escape' commemorated in Poland | 'The Great Escape' commemorated in Poland |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Hundreds of people have gathered in Zagan, Poland, to remember the allied prisoners of war who died in The Great Escape of World War Two. | Hundreds of people have gathered in Zagan, Poland, to remember the allied prisoners of war who died in The Great Escape of World War Two. |
| Seventy years ago, 76 servicemen fled from the German Stalag Luft III camp through a 336ft (102m) long tunnel. | Seventy years ago, 76 servicemen fled from the German Stalag Luft III camp through a 336ft (102m) long tunnel. |
| Only three reached safety. Of the 73 recaptured, 50 were shot. | Only three reached safety. Of the 73 recaptured, 50 were shot. |
| Veterans joined family members from around the world to lay wreaths at the exit of the "Harry" tunnel in the first formal act of remembrance for the dead. | Veterans joined family members from around the world to lay wreaths at the exit of the "Harry" tunnel in the first formal act of remembrance for the dead. |
| Some 50 serving RAF personnel each held a photo of one of the 50 dead at the ceremony in the forest above where the tunnel had been dug by prisoners of war. | Some 50 serving RAF personnel each held a photo of one of the 50 dead at the ceremony in the forest above where the tunnel had been dug by prisoners of war. |
| A small number of surviving former prisoners of the camp were among those who paid their respects. | A small number of surviving former prisoners of the camp were among those who paid their respects. |
| 'Extraordinary chapter' | 'Extraordinary chapter' |
| BBC correspondent Robert Hall said the ceremony was all about those who had paid the ultimate sacrifice in 1944 for that act of defiance. | BBC correspondent Robert Hall said the ceremony was all about those who had paid the ultimate sacrifice in 1944 for that act of defiance. |
| He said that, while the number of eyewitnesses was dwindling, the fascination with this tale of endeavour and sacrifice still endured. | He said that, while the number of eyewitnesses was dwindling, the fascination with this tale of endeavour and sacrifice still endured. |
| The RAF's Air Vice-Marshal Stuart Atha told those gathered that The Great Escape was "an extraordinary chapter" in the history of the allied air forces "written by men with great courage and character". | The RAF's Air Vice-Marshal Stuart Atha told those gathered that The Great Escape was "an extraordinary chapter" in the history of the allied air forces "written by men with great courage and character". |
| Those who escaped were "an exceptional band of airmen whose bravery, ingenuity and resilient spirit set an example for all time", he added. | Those who escaped were "an exceptional band of airmen whose bravery, ingenuity and resilient spirit set an example for all time", he added. |
| "When first captured, they did not accept that for them the war was over. | "When first captured, they did not accept that for them the war was over. |
| "Far from it, they were not prisoners of war - they were prisoners at war. | "Far from it, they were not prisoners of war - they were prisoners at war. |
| "And through their activities, they opened another front that distracted and diluted enemy forces and demonstrated that no fence, no Stalag Luft, could contain allied airmen." | "And through their activities, they opened another front that distracted and diluted enemy forces and demonstrated that no fence, no Stalag Luft, could contain allied airmen." |
| British ambassador to Poland Robin Barnett and former prisoner of war Charles Clarke were among others who spoke. | British ambassador to Poland Robin Barnett and former prisoner of war Charles Clarke were among others who spoke. |
| Daring bid | Daring bid |
| On Tuesday, 50 RAF service personnel will begin a four-day, 105-mile (170km) march from Zagan to a cemetery at Poznan where the shot men are buried. | On Tuesday, 50 RAF service personnel will begin a four-day, 105-mile (170km) march from Zagan to a cemetery at Poznan where the shot men are buried. |
| They will lay wreaths at the graves of the prisoners in a service on Friday. | They will lay wreaths at the graves of the prisoners in a service on Friday. |
| Stalag Luft III, which was 100 miles south-east of Berlin on the Polish border, held about 10,000 prisoners at the height of its occupation. | Stalag Luft III, which was 100 miles south-east of Berlin on the Polish border, held about 10,000 prisoners at the height of its occupation. |
| Members of the RAF and other allied forces were among prisoners at the camp. | |
| Because of border changes, the location of the camp is now in Poland. | Because of border changes, the location of the camp is now in Poland. |
| The daring bid for freedom was immortalised in the classic 1963 film The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough. | The daring bid for freedom was immortalised in the classic 1963 film The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough. |
| An escape committee was formed at Stalag Luft III in spring 1943 and the escape plan hatched under the leadership of Squadron Leader Roger Bushell. | An escape committee was formed at Stalag Luft III in spring 1943 and the escape plan hatched under the leadership of Squadron Leader Roger Bushell. |
| Three tunnels, codenamed Tom, Dick and Harry, were started in April 1943. | Three tunnels, codenamed Tom, Dick and Harry, were started in April 1943. |
| The tunnels were dug to a depth of 28ft (8.5m) and shored up with wooden boards from the prisoners' beds. | The tunnels were dug to a depth of 28ft (8.5m) and shored up with wooden boards from the prisoners' beds. |
| On the night of 24 March 1944, about 200 prisoners prepared to escape through Harry, a tunnel measuring over 300ft long, beneath Hut 104. | On the night of 24 March 1944, about 200 prisoners prepared to escape through Harry, a tunnel measuring over 300ft long, beneath Hut 104. |
| Only 76 were able to make their break for freedom using the tunnel. | Only 76 were able to make their break for freedom using the tunnel. |
| Norwegian pilots Per Bergsland and Jens Muller, and Dutch pilot Bram van der Stok - who all died in the 1990s - made it to safety. | Norwegian pilots Per Bergsland and Jens Muller, and Dutch pilot Bram van der Stok - who all died in the 1990s - made it to safety. |
| Of the 73 who were recaptured, 50 were subsequently shot by the Gestapo on Adolf Hitler's orders. | Of the 73 who were recaptured, 50 were subsequently shot by the Gestapo on Adolf Hitler's orders. |
| Hitler's 'rage' | Hitler's 'rage' |
| British ex-serviceman Andrew Wiseman, who was in Zagan for the commemoration, arrived as a prisoner at Stalag Luft III shortly after The Great Escape. | British ex-serviceman Andrew Wiseman, who was in Zagan for the commemoration, arrived as a prisoner at Stalag Luft III shortly after The Great Escape. |
| "When I arrived at the camp, the camp was in a state of shock, disbelief," he told Radio 4's Today programme. | "When I arrived at the camp, the camp was in a state of shock, disbelief," he told Radio 4's Today programme. |
| "Until the Great Escape, and the murder of the 50, the RAF prisoners of war were treated reasonably well by the Germans. | "Until the Great Escape, and the murder of the 50, the RAF prisoners of war were treated reasonably well by the Germans. |
| "But after The Great Escape, relations between us and the Germans changed. | "But after The Great Escape, relations between us and the Germans changed. |
| "The camp could not believe what the Germans had done to the 50 and there was shock, horror almost, and a great deal of sadness." | "The camp could not believe what the Germans had done to the 50 and there was shock, horror almost, and a great deal of sadness." |
| German disbelief | German disbelief |
| According to the Daily Telegraph, Dick Churchill, 94, is the last British survivor among the 76 escapees. | According to the Daily Telegraph, Dick Churchill, 94, is the last British survivor among the 76 escapees. |
| He and fellow escapee, Australian Paul Royle, are the only survivors, it says. | He and fellow escapee, Australian Paul Royle, are the only survivors, it says. |
| Mr Churchill, who says he was captured while hiding in a barn after heading towards Czechoslovakia, told the paper he was lucky not to have been shot. | Mr Churchill, who says he was captured while hiding in a barn after heading towards Czechoslovakia, told the paper he was lucky not to have been shot. |
| "I think it was my name - I'm pretty certain. | "I think it was my name - I'm pretty certain. |
| "I'm not related to Churchill, to my knowledge. But they thought I might be." | "I'm not related to Churchill, to my knowledge. But they thought I might be." |