This is fascinating. Get Out of Jail Free: Monopoly's Hidden Maps reports:
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It's a story that will forever change the way you think of the phrase, "Get Out of Jail Free."
During World War II, as the number of British airmen held hostage behind enemy lines escalated, the country's secret service enlisted an unlikely partner in the ongoing war effort: The board game Monopoly.
It was the perfect accomplice.
Included in the items the German army allowed humanitarian groups to distribute in care packages to imprisoned soldiers, the game was too innocent to raise suspicion. But it was the ideal size for a top-secret escape kit that could help spring British POWs from German war camps.
The British secret service conspired with the U.K. manufacturer to stuff a compass, small metal tools, such as files, and, most importantly, a map, into cut-out compartments in the Monopoly board itself.
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Technorati tags: Monopoly
3 comments:
Wow, that's really interesting. I don't really understand how they fit cut-out compartments in the board, but oh well. Regardless, I'd love to see a picture of that!
The article says that the maps and money were only hidden in a few games, which were specially marked. Only a few soldiers knew about the details, so the risk was fairly low, still if the Germans had searched every game of Monopoly they would have found the maps and money.
Guess I overlooked that (I did read the article though!). I think the key was the innocence of the game. Who woulda thought, eh?
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