Synopsis
Colditz was the last stop for prisoners of war in the Second World War. It was to this impregnable fortress that the Germans sent all those prisoners who persisted in escaping from other camps, such as Stalag Luft III (of THE GREAT ESCAPE FAME). Once within the walls of Colditz, the Germans reasoned, escape was impossible. And yet during the four-year period when the castle was used as a prison over 300 men escaped, 31 of whom managed to complete the hazardous journey home through Germany. Prisoners from 10 different countries formed a truly international escape academy. Skeleton keys were made, German passes forged, maps drafted, and all manner of tools and machinery constructed out of whatever the prisoners had to hand. The ingenuity of the escape artists knew no they tried everything from tunnelling, to hiding in rubbish sacks, disguising themselves as German officers, and leaping acrobatically from the castle walls.
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About the Author
Pat Reid was one of the first captives to be imprisoned at Colditz in the Second World War. The tale of how he escaped the prison is one of the classics of twentieth century literature.
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The Colditz Story
Published by
Greenwood Pub Group, 1953
ISBN 10: 0313202451
ISBN 13: 9780313202452
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Sequitur Books, Boonsboro, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Bound in publisher's teal cloth. Hardcover. No dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Shelf wear. Owner's name on front end page, else unmarked. 288 pages : maps ; 22 cm. Colditz Castle, German prisoner-of-war camp in World War II, the site of many daring escape attempts by Allied officers. The castle sits on a steep hill overlooking the Mulde River as it flows through the small Saxon town of Colditz, about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Leipzig. A former residence of the kings of Saxony, the castle was used in 1939 as a prisoner-of-war camp, and in 1940 it became a maximum security prison for escape-prone Allied officers. The internal buildings and courtyards were perched 250 feet (76 m) above the surrounding terrain and were enclosed by steep stone walls 7 feet (2 m) thick at their base. Staffed by numerous armed guards and located some 400 miles (640 km) from friendly territory, Colditz seemed to offer no hope for escape. Yet, through ingenious tunneling and various ruses, prisoners on some 130 occasions managed to clear the fortress grounds. A total of 32 prisoners managed to reach the frontier without recapture. Colditz fell to the U.S. Army in April 1945. Seller Inventory # 2409120024
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The Colditz Story
Seller: Mispah books, Redhill, SURRE, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Very Good. Dust Jacket may NOT BE INCLUDED.CDs may be missing. SHIPS FROM MULTIPLE LOCATIONS. book. Seller Inventory # ERICA82903132024514
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