Hollywood immortalized one of the most famous prison breaks in wartime history, The Great Escape of 76 Allied soldiers and officers from Germany’s Stalag Luft III in March 1944. But recall its true-to-life ending: Only three of the men avoided recapture or execution. Getting out, and getting away, was difficult and dangerous.

In a discussion drawing from their book Great Wartime Escapes and Rescues, David Mills and Kayla Westra look back at the plights of POWs throughout history and at the ingenuity, courage, and commitment behind some of the most notable breakouts and rescues during World War II.

Mills is a military historian at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Westra is dean of institutional effectiveness and liberal arts at Minnesota West Community and Technical College.