French officers captured life in a Nazi prison camp with a smuggled camera... then escaped

As World War II raged, a group of French prisoners-of-war hatched a plan to escape Germany’s Oflag 17a camp. But they weren’t content to simply break out: they wanted the world to see it. Using pieces smuggled inside sausages, they assembled an 8mm camera in a hollowed-out dictionary, with film reels nailed into shoes. Using it, the prisoners created a 30-minute film documenting life inside the camp, from plays and concerts to tiny food portions and searches by guards. As the video progresses, you’ll also see them digging one of dozens of escape tunnels, which would eventually allow over a hundred men to escape — though only two successfully returned to France. The BBC has the whole story, told in part by the only escapee still alive. A portion of the film itself can be seen there and on Gizmodo, courtesy of d’Arte Les Mercredis de l’Histoire.