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FUSSEN
Fussen is a town in Bavaria, Germany situated three miles from the Austrian border.

*Many of the scenes in The Great Escape* were filmed in and around the town of Fussen.** The film crew and film stars lived in the area but no one is actually sure of where they lived. One observer suggested Schwangau, a small hamlet to the east of Fussen, is where McQueen lived during this part of the filming.

The real-life escape was on the night of 24 March 1944, and the ground was snow-covered.
The German town near the prison camp, called Neustadt in the film, was really Sagan (now Zagan, Poland). At the town of Neustadt, Roger, Mac, Ashley-Pitt, Hendley and Blythe catch the next train, which is also boarded by Gestapo agents. Fearing scrutiny, Hendley and Blythe jump from the train as the others continue without incident to the next town.

The Neustadt train station was filmed near the Bavaria Film Studios.( Go back to the Homepage and click on "Return To The Great Escape Featurette" (1993) [2 of 3] and move to 8:10 to locate the station used in the film and how the station looked in 1993).

	The Great Escape scene at Neustadt Railway Station shows both James Garner and Donald Pleasence entering to the side of the brick building........


	The building to the left of the photograph is Neustadt Railway Station used in The Great Escape film. The station platform, which was situated between the two railway tracks, is no longer in existence and the station is no longer used as a modern day railway station.



The station can be reached by either going directly to the 'TENNIS CLUB' at Grosshesselohe or by the scenic route via stairways, tunnels, rivers, canals and gorges.....




At the next town, Roger, Mac and Ashley-Pitt disembark from the train, but when Ashley-Pitt observes that an SS agent seems to recognize Roger, he attacks the agent and is shot running away, allowing Roger and Mac time to evade detection. This scene was filmed at Fussen Railway Station.



Bartlett (Richard Attenborough) and MacDonald (Gordon Jackson), are recognised at a railroad station by Gestapo agent Kuhn, but manage to slip away after fellow POW, Fleet Air Arm Lieutenant Commander Eric Ashley-Pitt (David McCallum), sacrifices himself by killing Kuhn and letting himself be chased and killed by soldiers, while running away from Bartlett and MacDonald.
Fussen railway station.

The Great Escape has one of the most testosterone-driven casts in history, headed by Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson and James Coburn. Initially, United Artists executives felt that scenes should be filmed showing some of the women intermingling with German women at various points of their daring escape. However, director John Sturges vetoed the plan because the script was already too long. Some United Artists executives then put forth this idea: in the scene where David McCallum's character is shot to death at the train station, the dying man was to be cradled in the arms of a buxom woman who tries to comfort him. The sole reason for this was to have theatre owners stage local contests for "Miss Prison Camp" beauties. The winner would have presumably had the bit role in the movie. Fortunately, Sturges vetoed that idea as well.


	The cafe scene in Fussen involved James Coburn, two waiters and a group of German generals.
Australian Flying Officer Louis Sedgwick (James Coburn), "the manufacturer", makes many of the tools they need, such as picks for digging and bellows for pumping breathable air into the tunnels hides in a boxcar and makes it all the way to France, and while resting in a café the local Resistance stages a drive-by assassination of three Nazi generals sitting in a roadside cafe. James Coburn is spirited out of the way by a timely phone call. After realising he is an Allied POW, the Resistance enlist the help of a guide to get Sedgwick into Spain.
Site of cafe where Sedgwick hides as the resistance shoot-up the Germans. On southern edge of original (medieval) bridge into Fussen old town. Same bridge as the boat escapees picture of the 'tunnellers'


St Mang's Basilica and former monastery viewed from the bridge over the River Lech. The oldest fresco in the whole of Germany can be found in the crypt of St Mang's Basilica. It dates back to about the year 980.
Fussen Bridge 1930	(The monastery St. Mang with the old town of Fussen, taken over the bridge across the river Lech)




The Lech river in Fussen is the scene where 'the tunnel kings' row away to safety.
Two other POWs evade capture and make it to safety. They are Flight. Lt. Danny 'The Tunnel King' Velinski (Charles Bronson) and Flight Lieutenant William 'The Tunneller' Dickes (John Leyton) - "the tunnel kings" steal a rowboat and proceed downriver to the Baltic coast, where they successfully board a Swedish merchant ship. The row boat has apparently been discovered in a yard, almost fifty years after appearing in the film....


Under new pedestrian bridge over river Lech at south eastern edge of town. Underneath junction of roads 16 and 17.
New pedestrian bridge, original road 16 where it meets 17 out of town and weir in background.
West of original (medieval) bridge into Fussen old town from the 17.
The town of Fussen can been seen in the background.

	Click on the photograph of John Leyton, who is still singing and performing across the country at a variety of venues, to view his official website.



	DELETED SCENE FROM THE GREAT ESCAPE David McCallum as Ashley-Pitt and Steve McQueen as Hilts get soused while celebrating the 4th July with homemade moonshine. The scene was ultimately removed from the final release cut of The Great Escape.

THE PLANE SCENE	For the train sequences, James Garner and Donald Pleasence used the Munich to Stuttgart line.

	James Garner, 'The Scrounger' Hendley and Donald Pleasence 'The Forger' Blythe, steal a German warplane and head towards the Alps.

A scene shows the warplane passing the 'white' Neuschwanstein castle on the hillside in Fussen. Before they're able to reach the mountain range and freedom, the warplane runs out of fuel and crash lands against the German hillside. Acting as the stunt pilot, the assistant producer, Robert Relyea* flew the vintage Bucker Bu 181 single engine, two-seater warplane, which was bought from a man in the German town of Emden, crashing it skilfully between two trees. * Further details in Relyea's book: "Not so Quiet on the set:My Life in Movies During Hollywood's Maco Era" (page 191)


Neuschwanstein Castle Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th century Bavarian castle. Located in Germany, near Hohenschwangau and Füssen in southwest Bavaria, the castle was built by Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner, the King’s inspiring muse.


What is the name of the town where the plane crashed ?


It is suggested that Munich airport was used as the airfield and that the crash took place somewhere to the north of Munich. Although in Glenn Lovell's book, Escape Artist it states that, 'Relyea piloted the plane over Salzburg toward the Austrian Alps, and then, after it appeared to sputter and lose altitude, steered it into a stand of trees. (p.235)

James Garner Interview discusses Steve McQueen's behaviour on the film set of The Great Escape (See the section from 30:23 to 34:47 of the video.)

THE OLD TOWN of FUSSEN
Bartlett and MacDonald attempt to board a bus in the town, but MacDonald is tricked into revealing his nationality with the same trick he had warned Haynes about before the escape—a German speaks to him in English and he responds in his native tongue. They both flee, but MacDonald is caught shortly afterwards.
Brotmarkt (bread market), old town, Fussen. " Good luck !"






	Bartlett is stopped in Old Fussen.


The 'Zigaretten' machine was on the right side of the wall of Marys Boutique in Old Fussen.


Bartlett escapes over rooftops. However, after Bartlett fools some pursuing Gestapo, he is recognised by his previous captors.








The barbed wire in the film has now been replaced with modern day orange tiles. The scene was filmed in the corner of Old Fussen with the church in the distance.


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