List of mass escapes from German POW camps

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Mass escapes occur when 5 or more prisoners escape from a prison or prisoner-of-war camp at the same time.

Most mass escapes occur after many months of careful planning and preparation, but seldom achieve complete success as usually the detaining power maximises the effort to find and recapture the escapees.

Below is a list of mass escapes known to have taken place from German POW camps during World War II.

DateEscape known asPOW CampNationalityMain OrganiserNumber Attempted EscapeNumber Escaped from CampNumber Home Runs
5 September 1940Laufen Six Oflag VII-C British Army Pat Reid 660
30 May 1941 Canteen Tunnel Oflag IV-C British Army Pat Reid 12120
June 1941 Dulag luft tunnel Dulag luft British RAF Harry Day 18180
13 September 1941Biberach Tunnel Oflag V-B British Army Michael Duncan26264
11 May 1942Kirchain tunnelStalag IIIEBritish RAF Sgt Alexander52520
14 July 1942Majdanek Mass Escape Majdanek Soviet Military ??868484
6 November 1942Birkenau Mass Breakout Birkenau Soviet MilitaryAndrey Pogozhev and others60+Several DozenAt least 2
30 August 1942Warburg Wire Job Oflag VI-B BritishTom Stallard41283
5 March 1943Schubin Tunnel Oflag XXI-B British RAF Eddy Asselin and Bill Ash 35350
3 June 1943Eichstatt Tunnel Oflag VII-B British Army Jock Hamilton-Baillie 65650
12 June 1943 Delousing break Stalag Luft III British RAF Roger Bushell 32260
July (?) 1943 Hydekrug tunnel Stalag Luft VI British William Ash 5070
17 and 18 September 1943La Grande Évasion Oflag XVII-A French Army ?1321322
3 September 1943 Franz Josef Attempt Oflag IV-C British Mike Sinclair 3800
20 September 1943Escape from Dossel Oflag VI-B Polish Army ?474710
24 March 1944 The Great Escape Stalag Luft III British RAF Roger Bushell 250763
30 August 1944The Crow's Flight / Raid at Ožbalt Stalag XVIIID Australian, British, French and New ZealanderPte Ralph Churches (Aus)105105105

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