Colditz prisoners of the castle

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Second World War Germany. Uncover the incredible inside story of Colditz, the notorious castle prison at the heart of Nazi Germany, famed as the site of daring escape plots. Join Ben Macintyre as he presents the undisclosed story of life inside Colditz, where prisoners lived in close proximity to their captors, participating in a thrilling game of cat and mouse. A remarkable cast of characters from many countries, hitherto hidden from history, will be brought to life in this tale of the indomitable human spirit. Yet, as Macintyre will reveal, the story of Colditz is also one of snobbery, class conflict, homosexuality, bullying, espionage, boredom, insanity and farce.

Colditz prisoners of the castle

In a forbidding Gothic castle on a hilltop in the heart of Nazi Germany, an unlikely band of British officers spent the Second World War plotting daring escapes from their German captors. Or so the story of Colditz has gone, unchallenged for 70 years. But that tale contains only part of the truth. The astonishing inside story, revealed for the first time in this new book by bestselling historian Ben Macintyre, is a tale of the indomitable human spirit, but also one of snobbery, class conflict, homosexuality, bullying, espionage, boredom, insanity and farce. With access to an astonishing range of material, Macintyre reveals a remarkable cast of characters of multiple nationalities hitherto hidden from history, with captors and prisoners living for years cheek-by-jowl in a thrilling game of cat and mouse. From the elitist members of the Colditz Bullingdon Club to America's oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent, the soldier-prisoners of Colditz were courageous and resilient as well as vulnerable and fearful -- and astonishingly imaginative in their desperate escape attempts. Deeply researched and full of incredible human stories, this is the definitive book on Colditz. Editions: Paperback Hardcover ePub Audiobook. Latest Publication. On This Site.

Many of the prisoners also found inventive colditz prisoners of the castle to get under the skin of their captors. Then the flow of Red Cross packages stopped, as the war came home to Germany. Aroundrenovation and new building work on the castle were done by order of Prince Ernestwho died in Castle Colditz in

Jump to ratings and reviews. Want to read. Rate this book. Ben Macintyre. Goodreads Choice Award. For four years, these prisoners of the castle tested its walls and its guards with ingenious escape attempts that would become legend. But as Macintyre shows, the story of Colditz was about much more than escape.

Colditz Castle, located in the Saxony town of the same name, has a long history. Dating back to the Holy Roman Empire, it has been used for a number of different purposes, including as a prisoner of war camp by the Germans during the Second World War. The history of Colditz Castle dates back to around , when Holy Roman Emperor Henry III gave the Burghers, part of the medieval bourgeoisie, permission to create the first documented settlement at the location. During the early part of the Middle Ages , the castle served as a lookout post. The first attack was launched on Colditz Castle in , when the Hussites attacked the town, setting the majority of it aflame. Colditz Castle was once again the victim of a fire in , when a baker accidentally set the building aflame. The blaze spread to the town hall, church and a large portion of the settlement, meaning reconstruction efforts had to, again, be undertaken. This began in and continued through to , when the upper floors were rebuilt.

Colditz prisoners of the castle

Its purpose was to restrain those Allied prisoners who had attempted to escape from other Oflags and so Colditz housed various nationalities who were mainly British, Dutch, French and Polish. Richmond is warned by the Kommandant that "escaping is verboten" but Richmond has no intention of heeding this advice. All the prisoners are wary of Priem, the chief security officer, who is efficient and tenacious. Reid and other British officers attempt to open a manhole cover one night but are foiled by a simultaneous French attempt which alerts the German guards. Reid and La Tour argue about the lack of co-operation, both blaming the other.

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Maine Colonial. I guess not enough has been documented to turn this into a smooth narrative. Explore further. Excellent, well researched and absolutely engrossing account about the infamous WWII POW prison at Colditz Castle, including plenty of tales of resilience, ingenuity and audacity in recounting some of the many escape attempts - some successful, others much less so - undertaken from there. Also great; the way one of the main security officers, Reinhold Eggers, responds to all these crazy inmates trying to escape in the most bizarre ways. If an officer was caught he was returned to the prison usually unharmed. There is so much more in this book that it can't all be covered, nor should be, in a review. Rate this book. This was a very interesting and entertaining book, and the author did a very good job narrating the audiobook. Naturally, despondency is always close at hand, as efforts to escape backslide, hopelessness lingers. During , the servant Clemens the baker accidentally set Colditz afire, and the town hall, church, castle and a large part of the town was burned.

During the Second World War, German officials thought they had come up with a genius idea to control unruly prisoners of war: throw them into Oflag IV-C, a prominent and intimidating camp in Colditz Castle. Instead, they unintentionally created their own "university of escapology," according to historian Ben Macintyre.

Museums liaison Museums training programme Regimental and Corps Museum networks. For some time after the war the glider was regarded as either a myth or tall story, as there was no solid proof that the glider had existed and Colditz was then in the Soviet Occupation Zone. During , rebuilding of the upper floors of the castle began. Captain Patrick R. And a man masquerading as the nephew of a top British commander bluffed his way into the group, although he was only a distant cousin. He turned down working for the Germans but was still a victim of his compatriots. Sadly, there were prisoners who shared many of the same fascist and racist attitudes as the Nazis. The Jews and other "undesirables" sent to concentration camps like Auschwitz had it much, much worse than the prisoners of Colditz. Ben Macintyre always tells a wonderful tale and I enjoyed this book as I have enjoyed all the others I have read by him. Elsewhere, Soviet POWs experienced far, far worse. Definitely recommended. In reality, however, successful escapes were rare. It shined a beacon of light on what is possible and how one can help with the war effort, even if they have a disability.