Playing Cards with Concealed Map

Packs of playing cards concealing escape maps were smuggled into prison camps in Germany inside Red Cross parcels to help British and American prisoners of war to plan their escapes.

RAF prisoners of war held in Germany during the Second World War devised many ingenious ways to escape, but planning an escape route required a map. Many maps were smuggled into prisoner of war camps by concealing them inside items sent as gifts in Red Cross parcels. Packs of playing cards with sections of the map hidden behind the removable faces of the cards was one idea which was successfully used.