Colditz: The Escapes

This chronicle recounts the daring, documented escape attempts from a renowned WWII POW fortress, detailing prisoners’ ingenuity, risks, and impact on the German war effort.

For the first time, this book chronicles all the daring escapes from Oflag IV-C Colditz Castle.

By late 1939, the German Blitzkrieg offensive had swept up a number of prisoners of war who were housed in forts and purpose-built camps. To the committed escape artist this was an initiation test, and many officers made light work of regaining their freedom, however finding passage to safety was difficult and recapture was often the outcome. Gradually Allied officers became such persistent planners of escape that the German High Command required an escape-proof prison, deep in Eastern Germany. Colditz Castle, with it’s rich history and imposing walls, provided such a place.

The Polish were amongst the first prisoners to be incarcerated at Colditz. On 7 November 1940 the first British contingent arrived to join the men who were already stationed at the camp known as Oflag IV-C, including the Laufen Six with Major Pat Reid. Gradually more Allied officers arrived, including Belgians, French and Dutch, all of whom were all branded as ‘troublesome or persistent escape artists’. They made up a community of committed officers hell-bent on escape with a wide variety of skills to exchange and hone, and there was also an escape by the Indian national, Dr Biren Mazumdar. The inmates also included Prominente who were political prisoners such as Giles Romilly, the nephew of Winston Churchill. These men were amongst the bravest to serve in the Second World War and risked everything to ensure maximum disruption to the German war machine.

Over the next four years there were 183 recorded escape attempts. The security officer at Colditz, Reinhold Eggers, established a museum in the Castle with exhibits, disguises and forged identity papers to educate his guards and prevent further escapes. Vital resources were diverted to guarding these men and the effort, time and money required to track down the men who escaped harmed the war effort of Nazi Germany.

Peter Hawthorne is Head of History and Lecturer in Law at Stafford College. He lives near Telford, Shropshire