The grand escape : the greatest prison breakout of the 20th century / Neal Bascomb.

"In association with Scholastic Focus."

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"At the height of World War I, as Allied and German forces battled in the trenches and in the air, any captured Allied soldiers and pilots were sent to a web of German prisons. The most dangerous POWs, the ones most talented at escaping, were sent to the camp of Holzminden--better known as "Hellminden." A land-locked Alcatraz of sorts, its rules enforced with cruel precision, the prison was the pride of a ruthless commandant named Karl Niemeyer. This is the story of a group of ingenious and defiant Allied soldiers and pilots who dared to escape from Holzminden, right under Niemeyer's nose. Leading a team that tunneled through the prison's foundation and far beyond its walls, these breakout artists forged documents, smuggled in supplies, and bribed guards. Twice the tunnel was almost exposed, and the whole plan foiled. But in the end, a group of ten prisoners escaped and made it out of enemy territory in the biggest POW breakout of World War I, inspiring their countrymen in the darkest hours of the fight."--Dust jacket.