During the Second World War, 76 prisoners of war escaped through a 323-foot man-made tunnel from Stalag III, Luft Waffe Camp in Sagan, Germany (now Zagan, Poland). All but three of the escapees were recaptured and 50 were executed contrary to the Geneva Convention. Stalag III housed over 10,000 prisoners of war from around the world.

The Great Escape Memorial Project was founded in November 2002 with a mandate to establish a monument in Zagan, Poland at the site where the Great Escape took place, to ensure the memory of the 50 prisoners of war that were executed at Stalag Luft III and also to pay respect and honor all survivors of World War II prisoner of war camps. As the Great Escape Memorial Project Advisory Committee was founded and is located in Calgary, a second memorial monument will also be placed in Calgary as a tribute to the project in Zagan and its Canadian roots and contribution to this worthwhile project. This Canadian memorial monument will honor the Canadian Pow Survivors and those that lost their lives at the Stalag Luft Camp.

The design and construction of a memorial monument will symbolize the entrance and exit of the man made tunnel. This monument will serve as an educational tool to increase awareness and visibility of this historical event. Phase 1 of this project is the Calgary Monument and Phase 2 is the Poland Monument. The land at the Stalag Luft III Camp in Zagan Poland has been designated for this project by the Mayor of Zagan Poland.

The estimated cost for design and construction of each memorial monuments (Calgary and Poland) marketing the entrance and exit of the tunnel is approximately $250,000 Canadian.

Project Updates

April 2008 - There have been some very important developments to the Great Escape Memorial Project. Please click here to view a letter to all our donors and supporters.

July 10, 2007 - The Great Escape Memorial Project is pleased to announce a collaboration effort with the new business book: Project Lessons from the Great Escape. This new book is modeled after strategy used in the infamous Great Escape. A portion of the sales from this book will be donated to the Great Escape Memorial Project. The book includes a foreword by one of The Great Escape Memorial Project’s Advisors and a POW from the Stalag Luft III camp, George McKiel. There is also some additional information about the GEMP at the back of the book. You can purchase this book at Indigo, Chapters and many other book stores in Canada. Soon to be available in the US and Australia.

Author Teams Up with Former P.O.W. to Study How Managers Today Can Learn from the Real ‘Great Escape’ of World War II While you might think your project plan is perfect, would you bet your life on it? In World War II, a group of 220 captured airmen did just that -- they staked the lives of everyone in the camp on the success of a project to secretly build a series of tunnels out of a prison camp their captors thought was escape proof. Known as “The Great Escape,” Hollywood has depicted versions of this story in movies, yet the real story is much more interesting. Former prisoner of war (POW) and Great Escape participant George McKiel states that “The loyalty, tight security, creative solutions, and dearth of facilities that plagued POWs brought forth pragmatic but novel solutions to our project team.” In his foreword to the new book Project Lessons from The Great Escape (Stalag Luft III), McKiel notes how decentralized decision making and team building contributed to the escape project. He also cites the importance of building a high level of trust on the project team, especially when team members are literally putting their lives on the line for the success of the project. The author of the new book, Mark Kozak-Holland, notes how the prisoners formally structured their work as a project, using the project organization techniques of the day. Given the rise in the popularity of project management principles over the past decade, there has been strong demand for books on project management theory. “What have been missing,” says author Kozak-Holland, “are books that show the practical application of project management theory in real-world examples.” He has written several books to address this need in his popular Lessons From History series. These books extract hard-won lessons from historical projects that can be applied to business situations today. Project Lessons from The Great Escape (to be released July 1, 2007) analyzes the efforts of the POWs using modern project management methods and the nine knowledge areas of the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), the handbook of the project management profession. By structuring the book in this manner, the author creates a compelling story that helps readers learn from the successes and mistakes in a way that aligns with how people think about projects today. “What is particularly fascinating,” says Kozak-Holland, “is that I did not have to go back and force-fit the project management paradigm onto the escape operation. They really did run it as a project, with a formal governance body (the escape committee), a project manager, and sub-project managers in charge of various project operations such as procurement, training, intelligence gathering, tunneling, etc.” Among the most famous events of World War II, The Great Escape was a turning point, occupying key German resources at a critical time, demoralizing the German forces, and boosting the morale of the remaining POWs as word got out about the escape. While most of the escapees were recaptured (and many shot for their efforts) a few individuals did make it back behind Allied lines and home to safety. For those who were recaptured and executed, a memorial was erected in the woods near the prison camp. In a more recent development, The Great Escape Memorial Project, a charitable organization counting several POW survivors among its members, is currently seeking to build a museum on the site of the original prison camp. The publisher of Project Lessons from The Great Escape will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book to support the efforts of this group. ABOUT THE BOOK Project Lesson from The Great Escape (Stalag Luft III) by Mark Kozak Holland. Published by Multi-Media Publications Inc. (www.mmpubs.com). ISBN 1895186830. 276 pages. Paperback: $29.95 USD. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mark Kozak-Holland is a Senior Business Architect/Consultant with HP Services. Mark has many years of international experience working with organizations in formulating projects and initiatives for developing and integrating solutions that leverage emerging technologies. He has been working with mission-critical solutions since 1985. Mark delivers seminars for project manager, business executives, and decision makers. Mark has been invited to speak to organizations, businesses, at major project management conferences including ProjectWorld, and PMI chapters. Find out more about him at www.lessons-from-history.com.

June 15 , 2007 - Currently in discussion with the Museum of Regiments in Calgary, Alberta, Canada to build a Great Escape memorial on-site. Working drawings are currently being drafted by project architect.

June 2, 2007 - Great Escape Memorial Project Fundraising concert hosted by the CFB Cold Lake 4 Wing Band at the VicJuba Community Theatre in Lloydminster, Alberta. Click here for photos from the concert.
Many thanks to Sgt Jeff Gaye and his very talented band for all of their efforts!