In March 1944, 76 Allied airmen broke out of Stalag Luft III, a prison camp in the heart of Nazi Germany. The story was made famous by the Hollywood film, The Great Escape. Only three great escapers made it back to England. The remaining 73 were recaptured and of them, 50 were murdered by the German secret police, the notorious Gestapo.
It was a flagrant breach of the Geneva Conventions articles of war protecting prisoners and drew an emphatic response from the British and Australian governments. As soon as the war ended, a special team of RAF Police headed by RAF Squadron Leader Frank McKenna was despatched to Germany to find the men responsible and deliver exemplary justice.
