 The entrance to the tunnel was concealed by a large box of coal. | |
| Date | December 23, 1944 – January 28, 1945 |
|---|---|
| Location | Camp Papago Park, Arizona, United States |
| Participants | Jürgen Wattenberg Hans-Werner Kraus Friedrich Guggenberger August Maus |
The Great Papago Escape was the largest Axis prisoner-of-war escape to occur from an American facility during World War II. On the night of December 23, 1944, twenty-five Germans tunneled out of Camp Papago Park, near Phoenix, Arizona, and fled into the surrounding desert.
Over the next few weeks, all of the escapees were eventually recaptured without bloodshed. Although most were apprehended within Maricopa County, a few nearly made it to the border of Mexico, which is about 210 km (130 miles) south of the camp.[1][2][3]
- ^ Hartz, Donna; George Hartz (2007). The Phoenix Area's Parks And Preserves. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0738548869.
- ^ "Papago Park: City of Phoenix - Best Arizona Places to Picnic Guides from AlansKitchen.com". Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- ^ "The Great Escape at Camp Papago Park: The Swastika Tattoo". Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2012.