The Hawker Hurricane that von Werra tries to steal still flies as part of the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Hardy Krüger served in the SS during World War II and was captured by the Americans. He managed to escape on his third attempt.
The director Roy Ward Baker asked Hardy Krüger (von Werra) always to move from right to left whilst the other characters did the contrary, left to right; this to make things easier for audiences to identify von Werra.
The film takes place from September 5, 1940 to January 1941.