This is an impeccably researched and written history of the so-called "Great Escape" made famous by the 1960s film of the same name. Not being British I saw the movie once a long time ago but it holds a certain mythological reverence in England where it is patriotically broadcast on TV each Christmas season. Over time the facts of what happened have been distorted by the film and other books. Thus Walters sets out to carefully dissect the primary sources and bring an objective view of what actually occurred. His argument, convincing in my opinion, is that the escape was a reckless, needless waste of life and unjustified. He blames one man, the leader, whose personality played a big part in the disaster. I was surprised to learn that German Luftwaffe officer camps were controlled as much by the prisoners as the guards, since the prisoners had so much material wealth from the Red Cross packages compared to the poor and underfed German guards. It was also fascinating to watch the German SS bureaucracy in action as the orders moved down the ranks and officials had to choose what to do. This is an extremely detailed account so be prepared for some long stretches of repetitive material as Walters go through exactly what happened to each of the 70+ escapees, few of which end well. For what this book is - an historical revisionism of a mythological event - it does a great job, and I think portrays the people and times with a clear eye. I don't know if it's the best first book on the topic since it strips away the adventure, but in light of 50 some dead guys, less adventure and more sober reflection is the right thing, what can be learned from their mistake so it was not in vain. ( )