West Camp, Stalag Luft III

A sketch of the west compound at Stalag Luft III, one of six compounds used to hold allied prisoners of war. More than 10,000 officer Airmen, including more than 6,800 American officers, were held at the camp until the Russian push into eastern Germany forced an evacuation of the prisoners by foot at midnight on Jan. 28, 1945 during a blizzard. The German Luftwaffe personnel running the camp were determined to prevent the liberation of the highly-trained Airmen by the rapidly advancing Russian Army and forced the prisoners to walk more than 62 miles in six days to other POW camps. (Courtesy of the Bob Neary Estate)

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