THE BRIEFING ROOM - Original Pencil Drawing

An evocative original pencil drawing depicting the extraordinary planning behind The Great Escape from Stalag Luft III, one of the most famous prisoner-of-war escape operations of the Second World War.

The scene captures Allied airmen gathered inside one of the camp huts as plans for the breakout take shape. Under the leadership of Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, hundreds of prisoners contributed to an immense clandestine operation involving tunnel construction, forged papers, civilian clothing, maps, intelligence and the disposal of vast quantities of excavated sand.

On the night of 24-25 March 1944, 76 men eventually escaped through the tunnel codenamed Harry. Seventy-three were subsequently recaptured and, on Hitler's orders, 50 of those men were murdered by the Gestapo. Only three succeeded in reaching Allied territory.

What makes this particular original especially significant is the inclusion of three historical elements connected directly with Stalag Luft III and the escape operation, incorporated into the bespoke framing:

- A sample of sand recovered from the original site of Tunnel Harry
- An imprint taken from one of the original stamps created by the prisoners’ forgery team, used in producing convincing escape documentation
- A fragment of the original “Cooler”, the camp building used for solitary confinement

The prisoners’ forgery operation was an essential part of the escape plan, producing false identity and travel documents for men attempting to cross wartime Germany. Archaeological investigation at Stalag Luft III has even uncovered one of the handmade Wehrmacht-style stamps used for this purpose.

Presented together, the original drawing and surviving material from the camp create an unusually tangible connection to the events of March 1944 and the remarkable organisation behind the Great Escape.

Original pencil drawing. 24" x 23" overall framed size.