The Traitor of Colditz: The Definitive Untold Account of Colditz Castle: 'Truly revelatory' Damien Lewis

by Robert Verkaik

'A vastly entertaining tale, bursting with astonishing stories and extraordinary characters ... A fascinating read' Sunday Telegraph 'Brilliant ... An amazing story, one I hadn't heard too much about' Dan Snow IT IS THE DEPTHS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. The Germans like to boast that there is 'no escape' from the infamous fortress that is Colditz. The elite British officers imprisoned there are determined to prove the Nazis wrong and get back into the war. As the war heats up and the stakes are raised, the Gestapo plant a double-agent inside the prison in a bid to uncover the secrets of the British prisoners. Captain Julius Green of the Army Dental Corps and Sergeant John 'Busty' Brown must risk their lives in a bid to save the lives of hundreds of Allied servicemen and protect the secrets of MI9. Drawn from unseen records, The Traitor of Colditz brings to light an extraordinary, never-before-told story from the Second World War, an epic tale of how MI9 took on the Nazis and exposed the traitors in their midst.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, World War II, Historical, War, Biography

320 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2023

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story of spies, traitors and collaborators during World War II related to the German POW prison Colditz. The recent declassification of military records from World War II has led to an interesting story about Colditz. The book is well researched and written. I found this story to be a nail bitter. I had to keep reminding myself this is non-fiction.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is nine hours and eighteen minutes. Jonathan Keebler does an excellent job narrating the book.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating depiction of how extreme circumstances bring out either the best or worst in people. If in your younger years you devoured the Colditz books (some characters appear) & took away the impression of British unconditional pluck & indomitable spirit, you might find that bubble burst by both the preparedness of, admittedly a small minority, to spy on their fellow prisoners & even join a British SS unit. The prose is terse but style is secondary here to the need of keeping that narrative charging along. It does. Recommended recommended recommended.

[Julian Worker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really the definitive account of the bravest British agent operating as a Prisoner of War in Germany, Poland, and Berlin during WWII. How this POW was able to gain the trust of so many of the German soldiers, prison guards, and officers was miraculous.

This wasn't just about Colditz, this was about all the other camps where captured allied soldiers and airmen were able to glean secret information about the German war effort and pass it back to the UK via coded messages. Of course, there were traitors and the agent risked his life, as did many others, to ensure these people were given a suitable sentence after WWII was over. Not all the traitors were executed, but one who was hung was the son of a cabinet minister during WWII. Not all those who took risks were suitable rewarded and indeed, some were regarded as Nazi sympathisers by their fellow POWs until the truth was revealed once the trials of the traitors took place.

This is a wonderful history book and a cracking story too that keeps you turning the pages.

[Megin · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are important stories to tell. I appreciate the amount of research that has gone into this book. It is however not an easy read, at some points even a bit like a list of facts. If you stick through it though is is an amazing almost adventure type book. Worth reading.

[Paul Waring · Rating 3 out of 5]

I broadly enjoyed this book, and finished it in 2 days. The author provides insight into what happened with a small number of agents and double agents, and the story was gripping for the most part. The main problem though is that this title refers to a traitor in Colditz, which makes you think that the story will mainly be about the notorious castle prison. However, there’s very little time spent there, probably because the traitor is exposed quite quickly by the other POWs. There’s a lot of chapters about other characters as well, and I’m wondering if the author wrote the book and then the publisher decided that ‘The Traitor of Colditz’ sounded good and ran with that as the title (from what I’ve heard from other authors, they don’t always get a say in the title or the cover art).

This is definitely worth a read if you’re interested in WW2, but if you’re expecting a book about Colditz you might be disappointed.

[Rabspur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book I love this type of genre Second World War spies this is a true story set in Colditz, whereby the Nazis planted a double agent in an attempt to break the British codes and thwart any escape attempts, at the same time the British concentrated on attempting to flush out any traitors in the camp and bring them to justice highly recommend read.

[Trevor Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was difficult putting this book down with the story changing on every page.

It’s common for us to praise those that did all the fighting and feel sad for the prisoners of war. These guys continued the fight even within the confines of their prison.

Bravery and courage abounds in an environment where it’s difficult to trust even a fellow prisoner. Creative and ingenious schemes to get intelligence back to the UK and fool the enemy.

Well worth a read.

[Jamie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Rounded up to a 4. Very interesting insight into an unknown to me part of WW2 and espionage history. Weirdly although it's a subject I love but I was rarely gripped. A great story though and I made it through at a good pace. I read this in central America and perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if it was in the winter in England. But I'm playing it down I really did enjoy this. I liked knowing what happened to all of them, Margaret Booth's story was sad and it was interesting that the main German may have escaped and lived a full life after but I bet he watched over his shoulder forever and a day. I think the cases were still trying to locate him for 20 years.
I'm also glad that Brown for the recognition he deserved, it was a shame Margaret Booth didn't get the same public announcement Brown seemed to get.
Recommended by my brother, word of mouth is always good!

[Mur McEwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book covers a bit of a niche topic within the grand scheme of things that was World War 2; but the author has taken advantage of more historical records becoming available, and thorough research, to make this a very interesting and readable account. The 3 main characters depicted (John Brown, Julius Green, Walter Purdy) all living off their quick-thinking wits (aka ability to lie and improvise) pretty much day-to-day 24/7 to avoid being unmasked with fatal consequences.

The infamous Colditz Castle plays a small part in the story; but maybe putting Colditz in the book's title & blurb ticks some more boxes.

[Bok McDonagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reads like an exciting novel by Ian Fleming, except this is a well researched story of something that actually happened. It tells the story of spies and traitors on both sides of World War II, and is a window into the workings of MI9, the Nazi attempt to create a "British Free Corps" using "holiday camps", how POWs were treated in camps like Colditz, the "New BBC" broadcasters, and the intricate ways spies on both sides worked against each other. The narrative is written so well I struggled to put this book down.

[BillontheCorner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author gives fulsome praise to his agent, Piers Blofeld, a man whose YouTube output includes "representation is pretty much conditional on us getting to a point where there is a product that I feel I can take to publishers".  This helps to explain how what probably started as a serious academic study has ended up as a book-length piece in the style of Wikipedia.

Although the footnotes are extensive (thirteen pages are devoted to the sources for footnoted parts of the text), there are many pages of information - even those presented as dialogue - for which no source is offered.  I speculate that these reflect the author's desire to tell the story being overwhelmed by his agent's need to sell the book, so the result is more entertainment than information.  

The jacket promises us "The Untold World War II Story of an MI9 Double Agent and Britain's Unlikeliest Hero".  Although the double agent's story is given in detail, I still don't know who "Britain's Unlikeliest Hero" referred to.  Authors rarely have a say in their book jackets, so I assume the publisher felt that even the agent hadn't gone far enough to make the product "popular".

The author's academic voice finally appears, in Chapter 44, with a suggestion that "he may have changed or added to his evidence a few weeks before the trial".  This is prompted by a clearly legible paragraph, type-written over a fuzzy carbon copy, as you can see via the National Archives' website.  It's page 21 of KV-2-259_2, dated October 1945.  Unfortunately, the wording is identical to another copy of the same statement (page 10 of KV-2-259_4) which had been filed in July 1945.  It seems likely that, as three copies of the report had to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecution, and the critical paragraph is at the bottom of a page, the wad of sheets interleaved with carbon paper had slipped and become illegible, necessitating some re-typing.

One mystery which the author does not address arises from the belated discovery that Purdy had to be prosecuted as a civilian.  If he "automatically relinquished his naval rank on the sinking of his ship" [para. 1 on page 26 of KV-2-259_3], and Colditz was Oflag IVC - a prison camp for Officers, then perhaps he should never have been sent to Colditz.

The author gets 3 stars out of 3 for an astonishingly extensive piece of research, but his agent and publisher score 0 out of 2 for having dumbed it down the research findings to make them look more interesting.

[Jane Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of these war books and this is no exception.

We know about Colditz but what we don't know is what went on inside - the scheming, bribery and corruption, double-agents, etc.

This is the story of Walter Percy and how he got away with what he did. Think Agent Zigzag, in the "rogue" department, but not Agent Zigzag. Walter Percy was a Fascist and he took these beliefs with him to Colditz.

I could not put this book down.

[Karen Collyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

What appears to me to be a well-researched account that is important to restore the balance.
The stories of the officers who risked everything are a wonderful example, but it is important to realise that there were also 'other ranks' who risked more and also men who followed the other path, siding with our country's enemies at a time of war.
I am grateful to Mr Verkaik for providing such an important record.

[Abbie Mikhail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is written in documentary style so you don’t get a great sense of the characters and the sacrifice they made but understand what the double agents and traitors did through the facts stated in the book. Agent Brown is incredibly brave and it’s a true story I wasn’t even aware of haven’t take history and being British myself! Not an author I would pick up again and explains why it’s not a New York Times bestseller but is worth a read if you like history!

[Greer Andjanetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A detailed look at another small part of a large war and the detailed effort put in by a large number of people in order to defeat the Germans. Information which can now be released gives outsiders some idea of how extensive the secret, behind-the-scenes activity was and the people who worked so hard with no public recognition.

[Brian Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read . Well researched and well told . Some of the stories ( true) take some believing especially when the spy was discovered at Colditz but noone was willing to take the necessary action , which meant he was able to carry on for some time longer. Cant believe this would happen now but you never know...

[Colette Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Read

Not my usual style of book, but it was very interesting full of facts that were clearly well researched. A good read if you don’t want a ‘fluffy’ story told around the actual events and just want the cold hard facts. Some fantastic photos and extra insights at the end too

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Interesting story . Completely unaware of this story and the nazis plan for a British foreign unit even if it was tiny , the impact would of been huge . Some real heroes working in espionage to stop it.

[Jim Beaumont · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, although the title is somewhat misleading in that it’s not so much about Colditz itself, rather a character that spent a very short time there for what is obvious reasons.
Still, enjoyable and gives a completely new to me side picture of goings on during the war period.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently read Ben McIntyre's Colditz book, I was worried this might be a duplicative read. I needn't have worried, as it's a fresh take and lots of new details. Obviously there is crossover, but for those interested in the subject it's well worth a read.

[Dave Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating , truth appears indeed to be stranger than fiction.
A great insight into the intrigue and duplicity within POW camps and the Reich during WW2 .
A brilliant read of Heroes & Villains.

[Scott Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read with lots of anecdotes but jumps around a great deal chronologically and indeed repeats key areas. Also the colditz moniker is somewhat misleading given the limited portion of time devoted to that particular prison.

[Eugene Kala · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it was a very informative book, I think it is not well written at all. The story line is pretty difficult to follow and at times it reads as a bad James Bond story. Again, it was nice to have all the information consolidated in one book, but I will probably not buy another book from Verkaik.

[Michael S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly researched, this is an absorbing read, outlining the larger than life characters, the spies, Nazi war criminals and traitors imprisoned in and policing Colditz. An outstanding book. Recommended.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good

[Jason Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a WW2 fanatic. This was a chapter in Colditz I knew nothing about and how the Germans sought to turn Allied prisoners.

[Christopher Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed the read. Particularly fascinating what went on. The book has been impeccably researched and the story told is gripping.

[Susan Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A revelatory story of bravery and courage as well as deep deception. A real page turner. Highly recommend.

[Steve Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely outstanding and gripping true story about the activities of MI9 in WWII and the exposure of British collaborators with the Nazis. I could not put the book down, a must read

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another side to those at Colditz and the repercussions of actions