Dave Grossman | My Amplog

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.

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.

“The Monopoly box was big enough to not only hold the game but hide everything else they needed to get to POWs.”

British historians say it could have helped thousands of captured soldiers escape.

See more at abcnews.go.com