The escape siren wailed across San Francisco Bay, striking fear into every heart on the mainland.
The unthinkable had happened – a prison break at the “inescapable” island fortress of Alcatraz, where America's most dangerous criminals were caged.
At 1.30pm on May 2, 1946, a gang of five inmates led by bank robber Bernard Coy ambushed a guard, stole his keys and, armed with a rifle and a pistol, made a bloody bid for freedom from The Rock.
The 46-hour siege that followed became known as the Battle of Alcatraz and ended only when the government sent in the Navy and the Marines.
Two guards and three escapees were killed in the savage jail break. Another 18 guards and a prisoner were injured.
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