Portland Public Library

The escape artists, a band of daredevil pilots and the greatest prison break of the Great War, Neal Bascomb

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

collective biography

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index present

non fiction

The escape artists

bibliography

1042078376

Neal Bascomb

a band of daredevil pilots and the greatest prison break of the Great War

"The story of three downed British airmen who mastermind an elaborate, rollicking escape from a WWI German POW camp"--, Provided by publisher"The spellbinding story of the downed Allied airmen who masterminded the remarkably courageous--and ingenious--breakout from Germany's most devilish POW camp. In the winter trenches and flak-filled skies of World War I, soldiers and pilots might avoid death only to find themselves imprisoned in Germany's archipelago of prison camps, often in abominable conditions. The most infamous was Holzminden, a landlocked Alcatraz that housed the most troublesome, escape-prone officers. Its commandant was a boorish, hate-filled tyrant named Karl Niemeyer, who swore that none should ever leave. Desperate to break out of "Hellminden" and return to the light, a group of Allied prisoners, led by ace pilot and former army sapper David Gray, hatch an elaborate escape plan. Their plot demands a risky feat of engineering as well as a bevy of disguises, forged documents, fake walls, and steely resolve. Once beyond the watchtowers and round-the-clock patrols, Gray and almost a dozen of his half-starved fellow prisoners must make a heroic 150-mile dash through enemy-occupied territory toward free Holland. Drawing on never-before-seen memoirs and letters, Neal Bascomb brings this narrative to cinematic life, amid the twilight of the British Empire and the darkest, most savage hours of the fight against Germany. At turns tragic, funny inspirational, and nail-bitingly suspenseful, this is the little-known story of the biggest POW breakout of the Great War."--JacketWorld War I. Soldiers and pilots alike might avoid death, only to find themselves imprisoned in Germany's POW camps, often in abominable conditions. The most infamous was Holzminden, which housed the most troublesome, escape-prone prisoners. Its commandant was a hate-filled tyrant named Karl Niemeyer who swore that none should ever leave. A group of Allied prisoners led by ace pilot David Gray hatch an elaborate escape plan. Their plot demands a risky feat of engineering as well as a bevy of disguises, forged documents, fake walls, and steely resolve-- and a heroic 150 mile dash through enemy-occupied territory towards free Holland. Bascomb brings to life the little-known story of the biggest POW breakout of the Great War. -- adapted from jacket

Capture -- All roads lead to Hellminden -- The tunnel -- Breakout