Allies and partners commemorate the 78th anniversary of the Great Escape

By Spc. Hassani Ribera SotoMarch 28, 2022

Allies and Partners Commemorate the 78th Anniversary of the Great Escape
1 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – British Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Stephen Parlor assigned to the No. 22 Group Royal Air Force, stands in front of a formation at Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2022. Service members of various nations participated in the commemoration of what is known as the "Great Escape," an escape attempt orchestrated by British Royal Air Force airmen from a German prisoner of war camp in Zagan during World War II and ended in the execution of 50 recaptured prisoners. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Hassani Ribera) (Photo Credit: Spc. Hassani Ribera Soto) VIEW ORIGINAL
Allies and Partners Commemorate the 78th Anniversary of the Great Escape
2 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The flag of the Polish army stands during a commemoration of the escape attempt at Stalag Luft III at Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2022. Service members of various nations participated in the commemoration of what is known as the "Great Escape," an escape attempt orchestrated by British Royal Air Force airmen from a German prisoner of war camp in Zagan during World War II and ended in the execution of 50 recaptured prisoners. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Hassani Ribera) (Photo Credit: Spc. Hassani Ribera Soto) VIEW ORIGINAL
Allies and Partners Commemorate the 78th Anniversary of the Great Escape
3 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army 1st Lt. Rafael Vega, left, U.S. Army Master Sgt. Jose Cardona both assigned to the Area Support Group-Poland and Polish service members stand during a commemoration event at Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2022. Service members of various nations participated in the commemoration of what is known as the "Great Escape," an escape attempt orchestrated by British Royal Air Force airmen from a German prisoner of war camp in Zagan during World War II and ended in the execution of 50 recaptured prisoners. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Hassani Ribera) (Photo Credit: Spc. Hassani Ribera Soto) VIEW ORIGINAL
Allies and Partners Commemorate the 78th Anniversary of the Great Escape
4 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Polish soldiers fire blanks during a commemoration event at Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2022. Service members of various nations participated in the commemoration of what is known as the "Great Escape," an escape attempt orchestrated by British Royal Air Force airmen from a German prisoner of war camp in Zagan during World War II and ended in the execution of 50 recaptured prisoners. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Hassani Ribera) (Photo Credit: Spc. Hassani Ribera Soto) VIEW ORIGINAL
Allies and Partners Commemorate the 78th Anniversary of the Great Escape
5 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Lt. Col. Richard Jones, commander of the 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division and U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Glenn Cook, assigned to the 101 BSB, 1ABCT, 1ID render a salute to the memorial at Stalag Luft III during a commemoration event at Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2022. Service members of various nations participated in the commemoration of what is known as the "Great Escape," an escape attempt orchestrated by British Royal Air Force airmen from a German prisoner of war camp in Zagan during World War II and ended in the execution of 50 recaptured prisoners. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Hassani Ribera) (Photo Credit: Spc. Hassani Ribera Soto) VIEW ORIGINAL
Allies and Partners Commemorate the 78th Anniversary of the Great Escape
6 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – British, Polish and American service members pose for a picture during a commemoration event at Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2022. Service members of various nations participated in the commemoration of what is known as the "Great Escape," an escape attempt orchestrated by British Royal Air Force airmen from a German prisoner of war camp in Zagan during World War II and ended in the execution of 50 recaptured prisoners.. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Hassani Ribera) (Photo Credit: Spc. Hassani Ribera Soto) VIEW ORIGINAL
Allies and Partners Commemorate the 78th Anniversary of the Great Escape
7 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army 1st Lt. Rafael Vega, left, and U.S. Army Master Sgt. José Cardona both assigned to the Area Support Group - Poland, render a salute during a commemoration event at Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2022. Service members of various nations participated in the commemoration of what is known as the "Great Escape," an escape attempt orchestrated by British Royal Air Force airmen from a German prisoner of war camp in Zagan during World War II and ended in the execution of 50 recaptured prisoners. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Hassani Ribera) (Photo Credit: Spc. Hassani Ribera Soto) VIEW ORIGINAL
Allies and Partners Commemorate the 78th Anniversary of the Great Escape
8 / 8 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Warrant Officer Gary Edwards, assigned to the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom at Shrivenham explains the history of Stalag Luft III at Zagan, Poland, March 24, 2022. Service members of various nations participated in the commemoration of what is known as the "Great Escape," an escape attempt orchestrated by British Royal Air Force airmen from a German prisoner of war camp in Zagan during World War II and ended in the execution of 50 recaptured prisoners. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Hassani Ribera) (Photo Credit: Spc. Hassani Ribera Soto) VIEW ORIGINAL

ZAGAN, Poland – Polish, British, and American service members commemorated the 78th anniversary of the “Great Escape” from Stalag Luft III, a German World War II prisoner of war camp located here on March 24, 2022.

Families of those who were held in the camp were also present, as flowers and candles were laid on the memorial, commemorating the 50 escapees who were executed shortly after the escape attempt.

“It’s great to be with our allied forces, both the Polish, American forces, here to remember it wasn’t just Royal Air Force, it was the air forces of Czechoslovakia, America, Belgium, and Poland, they all contributed to this,” said British Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Stephen Parlor, assigned to the No. 22 Group Royal Air Force. “To stand arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder to confront and challenge those things in the world that are not very pleasant, together with our friends is an amazing feeling and I’m very proud to be a part of it.”

Stalag Luft III, a German prisoner of war camp managed by the Luftwaffe, held various airmen from Allied forces, among them British Royal Air Force, who plotted an escape in order to return to friendly forces in 1944.

Seventy-three out of 76 service members who attempted to escape were recaptured and 50 were ordered to be summarily executed, an action that was declared a war crime after the end of WWII.

“Working with our Polish allies, especially being on some of their bases, as we serve out here, currently, it’s very sobering to realize how important this is to them,” said U.S. Army Capt. Stephen Ekblad, acting chaplain of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. “It reminds us how important our alliance is for both Poland and NATO itself.”

The events of the escape attempt were made into a movie named “The Great Escape” in 1963, featuring a fictionalized account of the event.