Best known for writing several historical books on World War II subjects, the most famous being "The Great Escape" which was filmed as
The Great Escape (1963) with
Steve McQueen. Brickhill himself was a prisoner of the camp in question, Stalag Luft III, and participated in what was to be the most famous prison break in World War II. He also wrote "Reach for the Sky", a biography of fighter pilot
Douglas Bader who had lost both his legs in a pre-war flying accident and who was a prisoner of war in Colditz; this was filmed as
Reach for the Sky (1956) with
Kenneth More.
