Funny Nature & Travel Art & Stage Going Viral Science Greetings Inspirational

Edit Profile Recently Viewed Favorites

Main > Going Viral > Baba Recommends

How Monopoly Helped WWII Prisoners Escape...

Edited By: David B.

Add to Favorites In Favorites

Español

Font Size:

A+ A-

For over a century, Monopoly has been one of the most popular board games in the world. While it was invented to help friends and family members around the world spend quality time together, what nobody could have imagined is what a crucial role it would play in the Second World War. What role could a board game possibly have played in a war, you ask. Read on to find out.

How Monopoly Helped WWII Prisoners Escape...

Throughout WWII, thousands of British prisoners were held captive in camps with practically no hope of escape. However, the British intelligence forces realized one day that they actually had a single huge advantage.

This is because the Germans allowed British captives to receive care packages from humanitarian groups while they were in prison. Despite the knowledge that each care package would be thoroughly inspected before being passed on to the captives, the British intelligence forces still managed to find a way to get around this...

MI9, the British intelligence organization, devised a simple plan. Before sending troops off on a mission, they informed them to be on the lookout for Monopoly games in the event of their capture.

MI9 teamed up with Waddington's, Monopoly's manufacturer in Britain, to masterfully hide tiny maps, tools, magnetic compasses and other supplies inside the game itself to aid prisoners in their escape.

Clayton Hutton, the British intelligence officer who came up with this plan once said, 'My aim, right from the start of my association with the escape department, had always been to discover a foolproof system for introducing my ‘toys’ into the camps themselves.”

One of the tricks used was to get the maps printed on pieces of silk to prevent them from wearing out over time, as well as to make them waterproof. It was an absolutely ingenious decision.

During the war, it's estimated that nearly 35,000 British soldiers escaped from imprisonment, and around 20,000 of them claimed to have used supplies found within Monopoly games to give them a hand.

What's more, Monopoly wasn't the only game that helped British prisoners of war during WWII. In fact, messages, bank notes, and maps were also routinely added to packs of cards and chess sets, which all went right under the Germans' noses!

Who would have ever thought that such an ordinary board game could have been responsible for saving the lives of so many people? Talk about a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card!

If you enjoyed reading this article, then don't forget to share it with your friends and family, too.

Source

Related Articles:

11 Especially Original Uses for Box Games

Fascinating: The History of Chess!

Did You Ever Play These Ridiculously Odd Board Games?

Like Next Post Send Share WhatsApp

Copy Link

Did you mean:

Continue With: Facebook Google

By continuing, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy

Report copyright infringement

Print this content

You may also like:

Baba Recommends

13:08

The Epic Battle of Stalingrad Comes to Life

One of the most epic battles in history, and the biggest of WWII comes to life and explored in this in-depth video.

Baba Recommends

The Historic Avalanche Minutes After Hitler's Death

12:49

The Things That Happened Shortly After Hitler's Demise

What they never bothered to tell you in history lessons at school.

Design & Photography

History Really Starts to Come Alive When You Add Color

If you love history then you'd better hold onto your hat. Discover a collection of 20 colorized historical photos alongside the original monochrome photos for reference

Baba Recommends

2:40

Experience the Battle of Waterloo in Virtual Reality

Experience the Battle of Waterloo in first-person in this crisp 4K video. We've never experienced anything quite like it!

Baba Recommends

A Moment in History: The Ghost Army that Scared the Nazis!

One of the most fascinating army units during World War II was constantly at the front lines, but never did any fighting...

Baba Recommends

These Are the Most Famous Swords Ever Forged!

Check out 8 of the most legendary swords to have ever graced the field of battle!

Cute overload

Charlie the chipmunk Gets Jealous Over Its Favorite Human

3:05

Watch This Chipmunk Get Jealous Over Its Favorite Human

Charlie's little heart can barely take other chipmunks getting attention from its favorite human.

Science and Technology

Witness the Leading New Devices From 2026

5:41

Witness the Leading New Electronic Devices of 2026

The experts at CNET and PCMag were on the floor, and they've got their favorites. Let's dive in.

Send Comment

Related Topics: history, war, rescue, baba recommends, board game, WWII, British, Escape, nazis, Germans, Monopoly

Quizzes

What Do You Know About Classical Music?

his quiz is designed to ease you in with accessible questions before gradually testing your deeper knowledge of composers, forms, and musical history.

Historical Quiz: 2020-2025

No obvious trivia here - only thoughtful challenges drawn from 2020 through 2025. Ready to see how closely you’ve followed history in the making?

This Color Test Will Tell You What Makes You Happy

In the next test we will ask you to choose the color that attracts you and "speaks" to your soul without thinking too much. From these intuitive choices will be revealed the answer to what your soul needs now to feel better and improve the mood.