Papago Park - Great Papago Escape (1944)

Papago Park in Phoenix was the site of the Great Papago Escape on December 23, 1944, when 25 German POWs tunneled out of the U.S. Army prison compound located there. The escape is the largest POW breakout on American soil during World War II; most escapees were recaptured within weeks, and the event is documented in military and local historical records. The former POW camp location and the escape have become a notable piece of Phoenix wartime history and local legend, commemorated in regional accounts and displays.