 Gerry Anderson drew inspiration for the series ' underlying concept from the West German mining disaster known as the <unk> von Lengede ( " Miracle of Lengede " ) . In October 1963 , the collapse of a nearby dam flooded an iron mine in the municipality of Lengede , killing 29 miners and trapping 21 others underground . Lacking the means to drill an escape shaft , the authorities were forced to <unk> a heavy @-@ duty bore from <unk> ; the considerable time necessary to ship this device by rail had significantly reduced the chances of a successful rescue . <unk> the advantages of <unk> crisis response , Anderson conceived the idea of an " international rescue " organisation that could use <unk> aircraft to transport specialised rescue equipment quickly over long distances . 
