The Grand Escape by Neal Bascomb Book Analysis

You’re locked against your will in a jail cell. You’re trying to break out with friends you’ve made there. Your life is in your; there’s not a lot of hope. One wrong move risks everything you have. Would you have been one of the nine million who lost their lives, or would you have been able to face the war? Chances are, you may have ended up as a prisoner of war. In The Grand Escape by Neal Bascomb, the author teaches readers what it was like to be British Prisoners of War (POWs). They captured the POWs at camp Holzminden, one of the most abhorrent camps of World War 1. Holzminden held the worst of the prisoners, known as breakout artists, who have tried multiple times to escape. This story tells readers about prisoners who persistently tried to flee, all while using different methods to escape the camp, despite being caught repeatedly.

During the peak of the war, the Allied Powers, which included France, Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States, were against the Central Powers which comprised Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, and their colonies. Cecil Blain, Caspar Kennard, and David Gray served for the Allied Powers, until, with an unfortunate fate, ended up in enemy territory and a German war camp. They first meet at Osnabruck, where they are held as POWs. The connection between the three grows closer and stronger, to where they hatch escape routes. Soon after, the Germans find out about their plan and shut it down before the prisoners can do anything more about it. The author then writes, “Then, on December 17, Gray was informed that he was to be moved to another camp. The news shattered the three. Their cabal was broken.” This illustrates the fact that this happened because of the trouble that they have been causing together. Luckily, Kennard and Blain are still together at Osnabruck. While working together, they try to create another escape plan, but once again, the Germans find out about it and quickly end it. The three are shuffled around different war camps all around Germany, until they all end up at Holzminden, the most dreaded camp of World War.

Holzminden’s commandment, Karl Niemeyer, was known for his cruel reputation in the German military. He was a foul and brutal leader of the German soldiers and the prisoners. Any prisoner who ended up there was unaware of what was to come. Blain, Kennard, and Gray tried many ways to flee the camp and return home, but their plans were always revealed to the German soldiers. The living conditions in the camp were better than other camps they had been too, but it was difficult to escape. Holzminden was a new camp and there were few prisoners there. Many prisoners were still being transported. The POWs would have done just about anything to get out of Holzminden and escape Niemeyer. One can clearly see this when Bascomb writes, “It was risk enough to escape the walls of Holzminden, but that was only the first step to freedom.” This establishes the fact prisoners were more willing to break out of that camp. They tried as hard as possible to make it out of there alive. To continue developing this idea, the prisoners (which included Blain, Kennard, and Gray) came up with a scheme that could be their only chance of earning freedom. They started digging a tunnel all whilst working together. The prisoners carried out shifts where three of them went down and started digging, while the others made sure that the German soldiers could not approach them. It became difficult and felt as if their chances of getting out of there were equal to the chances of finding a needle in a haystack. While continuing to dig vigorously and avoiding the soldiers, they knew they were putting their own lives at risk. For 9 months, they dug the tunnel until at last, it was exactly where they needed it to be.

This idea is expanded on when Bascomb states, “Stone walls do not a prison make. Nor iron bars a cage.” This shows that nothing can hold you back if you keep trying hard enough to reach your goals. Kennard, Gray, and Blain crawled out of the tunnel, staying in a position where no one could recognize that they were out there. They inched their way through the field and plodded through the night. The three acted like ninjas. They didn’t dare to travel during the day, for it could cause them a lot of trouble. Eventually, they arrived at a town about 36 miles from Holzminden. Their food supply was just about to run out and they were exhausted from traveling. The text later on states, “What kept them going? Many things. The shame, unwarranted though it was, of being shot down and captured. Imprisonment - in one camp after the next - months, years, stolen from their lives.” The three kept going and going till they made it. They were determined to stay together, even if that meant staying on the run for the rest of their lives. Eventually, they ended up crossing the border, denoting that they were finally back home. They were reunited with their families and provided hope for their fellow soldiers during one of the darkest times of the war. Although they escaped, they still had a war to fight, which was what kept them going.

Even though the group had been treated horribly, they tried many times to escape, despite being caught repeatedly. They continued to try repeatedly, even though it put their lives at risk. Eventually, they could finally escape and make it to freedom. Out of all the prisoners who escaped Holzminden, only 10 out of the 29 could get back home to their families, while the others were killed or recaptured. Blain, Kennard, and Gray could escape and give hope to others, all while demonstrating great courage to get to where they needed to be. Their escape from Holzminden became known as the greatest prison breakout of the 20th century. If they could do what everybody thought was impossible, we can too. Just as long as we try to work hard enough, we can do the impossible. Next time you’re complaining that something is too hard, remember Blain, Kennard, and Gray’s story. They defeated the odds and did the impossible.