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Colditz: The Definitive History: The Untold Story of World War II's Great Escapes
Breathtaking and mesmerizing, Colditz is a gripping tale of perseverance, heroism, and adventure. Filled with the thrilling never-before-told personal stories of the prisoners of war held within the walls of this medieval fortress turned German high-security prison camp, Colditz offers endlessly intriguing stories of consummate survivors who proved the human spirit to be indomitable. In more than fifty original interviews, the English, French, Dutch, and Polish officers and their guards describe their experiences in the notorious castle. They reveal their boredom and frustrations, as well as the challenges inherent in making maps out of jelly or constructing tunnels with mere cutlery knives. The stories are by turns comic and tragic, as much of their labor and invention ended in failure. But what emerges is a story of breathtaking ingenuity and an intriguing portrait of the fascinating game of wits between captives and captors, who were bound together by mutual respect and extraordinary tolerance.
496 pages, Paperback
First published August 9, 2001
3 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Henry Chancellor
22 books12 followersHenry Chancellor is the author of the highly acclaimed Colditz: The Definetive History and James Bond - The Man and His World: The Official Companion To Ian Flemming's Creation. His remarkable television series, Escape From Colditz, won sweeping praise and has been shown all over the world. His documentaries for television include The Great Belzoni, Millenium and Commando.
The Museum's Secret was the first installment in Henry's trilogy of young adult books in THE REMARKABLE ADVENTURES OF TOM SCATTERHORN series and has since been followed by The Hidden World & The Forgotten Echo. It has been sold in translation in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Russia, Korea, China and the Czech Republic.
The Museum's Secret was the first installment in Henry's trilogy of young adult books in THE REMARKABLE ADVENTURES OF TOM SCATTERHORN series and has since been followed by The Hidden World & The Forgotten Echo. It has been sold in translation in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Russia, Korea, China and the Czech Republic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 15, 2021
An incredible story of determination and resourcefulness. It never ceased to amaze me how many different escape attempts were tried. Also, while the Germans committed many atrocities during the war, the mutual respect and fairness between the British and the Germans is an interesting occurrence between foes.
August 19, 2022
I don't believe that everyone will find this book as fascinating as I did. Colditz is a German castle the Third Reich used as an allied POW camp during WWII. It was considered to be escape proof. The allied prisoners saw that as a challenge, apparently, and spent their time proving to the Germans the castle might be a lot of things, but escape proof was not among them.
The ingenuity of the prisoners is amazing as they produce phony ID's, papers, German uniforms civilian clothes and more on a literal assembly line, organizing and scheduling escape attempts through a committee. And of course, there are tunnels. Finally, it seems, though Hogan's Heroes is still ridiculous, it is perhaps a little less ridiculous than it seemed before I read this book.
The ingenuity of the prisoners is amazing as they produce phony ID's, papers, German uniforms civilian clothes and more on a literal assembly line, organizing and scheduling escape attempts through a committee. And of course, there are tunnels. Finally, it seems, though Hogan's Heroes is still ridiculous, it is perhaps a little less ridiculous than it seemed before I read this book.
March 2, 2025
Fascinating and easy to read. The book is written in a way that is easy to digest and is perfect for a young audience. It focuses on the escapes, planning, and attempts themselves rather than life in Colditz.
This book is up front about its intentions to focus on all aspects of the escapes from Colditz. While it does touch on the men interned there and the mental struggles of being locked up for years, it effectively ties those struggles in with the reasoning for escaping.
What I found most interesting in this book were the early days of the Castle and the sort-of “gentleman's agreement” between the prisoners and guards. The guards and prisoners both expected the other to do their respective jobs and there appeared to be no hard feelings. What we would call “trolling” today was commonplace in Colditz and it's quite funny to read what the bored prisoners could come up with. These feelings continued postwar and thats a nice, seemingly positive outcomes.
Where I struggled with this book was keeping things straight. Timelines, people, locations, escape plans, all seem to be telling multiple stories at once. Eventually it came back together but I this is just a personal struggle.
This book is up front about its intentions to focus on all aspects of the escapes from Colditz. While it does touch on the men interned there and the mental struggles of being locked up for years, it effectively ties those struggles in with the reasoning for escaping.
What I found most interesting in this book were the early days of the Castle and the sort-of “gentleman's agreement” between the prisoners and guards. The guards and prisoners both expected the other to do their respective jobs and there appeared to be no hard feelings. What we would call “trolling” today was commonplace in Colditz and it's quite funny to read what the bored prisoners could come up with. These feelings continued postwar and thats a nice, seemingly positive outcomes.
Where I struggled with this book was keeping things straight. Timelines, people, locations, escape plans, all seem to be telling multiple stories at once. Eventually it came back together but I this is just a personal struggle.
January 22, 2018
If you're into WWII, personal experiences, intrigue, subterfuge, and sheer ingenuity--particularly under extreme circumstances--this book is for you! The author complied first-hand accounts not only from many of the men (both POWs and civilian hostages) held captive there, but also from some of the guards and commandants. The never-ending attempts to undermine and escape, mixed in with both humor and angst, makes for a suspenseful and entertaining read. I think this is a worthy read for any historian or WWII buff.
July 2, 2018
This was such an interesting book about many Allied prisoners held in this high-security camp high in the mountains of Germany. Many tried to escape and several made it. Others tried and were caught and returned over and over again. Having grown up watching Hogan's Heroes, I think I had an unconscious view that these prison of war camps were run by silly and unskilled people like Colonel Klink and Sergeant Schultz. This book shows instead the courage and ingenuity of the prisoners as they sought to escape from such an impregnable fortress.
January 21, 2017
An excellent book on the many escape attempts, not only from Colditz but other POW camps as well. I was amazed at the ability these men had to create what they needed from odds and ends found in the castle. I don't care how many episodes of MacGyver you've watched, I just don't believe anyone today could do what they did!
August 16, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyable, well researches and very well told - I was gripped from start to finish. If you remember the old '70s series with Christopher Neame and David McCallum, this book will surprise you by how very colourful and ingenious the actual prisoners were as compare to the stiff upper lip portrayed by the BBC back in the day. Good history - exciting read. What more do you want?
January 23, 2018
I think I’ve read a book on the subject before. It was very detailed without being overwhelming. What I want to read is the German guard stories. It’s amazing that only 32 people made it back home by escaping. Really good read if you want to read something not always discussed. Although there are a lot of books on the subject. This was a good one.
August 29, 2018
I’d read the three Pat Reid books; and even the Reinhold Eggers book (with a German perspective), but this book contained newer and additional information.
Very well-written: it certainly expounds upon Colditz: The Full Story with some characters, unnamed in other books, finally identified.
Very well-written: it certainly expounds upon Colditz: The Full Story with some characters, unnamed in other books, finally identified.
February 12, 2018
Very good. A different perspective to the books by Pat Reid.
June 22, 2011
I actually had never heard of Colditz until stumbling across this book; which surprised me because I've read many other WWII escape stories, both fiction and non-fiction. I found this book to be very detailed and interesting, right down to the last page. Although the many names and nationalities could be confusing at times, the author did a good job of describing the characters and reminding the reader of who each person was and what they accomplished.
The sheer number of escape attempts amazed me. The prisoners were brilliant at coming up with plans of escape using whatever they could scrounge up; there were so many escape attempts that they had to elect Escape Officers and run their plans by them. Oftentimes there were many similar plans and each had to be done in the order they were brought up - this might mean that a prisoner had an excellent plan that could only happen at a certain time of the year, but would have to wait until the next year, or maybe would never get the chance. I also found it amazing how willing to help each other the prisoners were. They could work diligently for months helping fellow prisoners plan an escape; even knowing that they themselves won't be able to escape when the time came. For many, just being able to help was enough for them, and they waited eagerly for news of whether the escape was a "home run" -- each home run bolstered their spirits and helped them to continue despite lack of food and dreary captivity.
I don't want to give too much away, but I spent much of this book amazed at the courage and resourcefulness of the prisoners and how they never gave up hope, even when the vast majority of their escape attempts ended in failure.
One thing that really intrigued me was their last escape plan - it truly was amazing.
This book has great pictures that really help you picture everything as it happens. Highly recommended.
The sheer number of escape attempts amazed me. The prisoners were brilliant at coming up with plans of escape using whatever they could scrounge up; there were so many escape attempts that they had to elect Escape Officers and run their plans by them. Oftentimes there were many similar plans and each had to be done in the order they were brought up - this might mean that a prisoner had an excellent plan that could only happen at a certain time of the year, but would have to wait until the next year, or maybe would never get the chance. I also found it amazing how willing to help each other the prisoners were. They could work diligently for months helping fellow prisoners plan an escape; even knowing that they themselves won't be able to escape when the time came. For many, just being able to help was enough for them, and they waited eagerly for news of whether the escape was a "home run" -- each home run bolstered their spirits and helped them to continue despite lack of food and dreary captivity.
I don't want to give too much away, but I spent much of this book amazed at the courage and resourcefulness of the prisoners and how they never gave up hope, even when the vast majority of their escape attempts ended in failure.
One thing that really intrigued me was their last escape plan - it truly was amazing.
This book has great pictures that really help you picture everything as it happens. Highly recommended.
February 7, 2021
This book grew out of Henry Chancellor’s British television series, Escape from Colditz, which aired on channel 4 television. Colditz was the German prisoner of war camp for allied officers (actually it was a castle) where the Germans sent those officers most expert in the art of escape. The most troublesome of the troublesome earned incarceration there. It is by far the most complete telling of the Colditz story, taking into account the varied experiences of the British, Dutch, French and Polish prisoners in addition to those of their German captors. The book at the end has a complete list of all the experts keep attempts. Highly recommended.
January 16, 2016
Source materials--including interviews, artifacts, diagrams and fact sheets--establish a clear picture of Colditz itself, allowing greater understanding and imagining of the conditions therein, and of course ultimately, all the escapes and attempts that took place there. In tales such as this, not much beats first-hand accounts, and these are nicely woven into a historical grounding of Colditz as well as the war's timeline, and the disparate personalities are fleshed out beyond quotations. A bit repetitive; goes at a fast clip and is an easy read to churn through, but without need for skimming.
November 13, 2013
Colditz was suppose to be one if World War II's escape proof prisons. Yet that did little to dampen the spirits of the Allied prisoners. Escape after escape took place, with a few successes.
I wouldn't say this is the definitive history of Colditz but it id entertaining. Chancellor provides readers with plenty of information, allowing them to view the story from both captor's and prisoner's point of view. The humour of prisoners along with their antics will also be sure to produce a few chuckles. There were some inappropriate things hence the three-star rating.
I wouldn't say this is the definitive history of Colditz but it id entertaining. Chancellor provides readers with plenty of information, allowing them to view the story from both captor's and prisoner's point of view. The humour of prisoners along with their antics will also be sure to produce a few chuckles. There were some inappropriate things hence the three-star rating.
June 30, 2014
Amazing story of those obstinate fighters who will keep trying to escape. Good background information, pictures, and even reenacted photos. It shows the great lengths everyone in the prisoner of war camp went to help each other keep trying to escape even when it was a crazy idea. I really liked that there was a "gentleman's" code to some agreements and that the former prisoners helped 2 of their former guards who were OK (fair minded under the circumstances) Some adult subjects, mild cursing sprinkled within.
May 14, 2007
Colditz recounts Allied escape attempts from a high profile POW prison in Germany during WW2. The anecdotes -often hilarious - inspire the reader through the ingenuity and hope of the prisoners. As a reader who tends to prefer fiction, I was surprised to finish this book in record time. It's that good.
August 7, 2008
I found this book years ago in a library. It was an amazing book about the incredible escapes and attempted escapes of the men in the most fortified POW camp in Germany. Unfortunately I forgot the name of the book and I have spent a long time trying to remember it. Finally I found it. I hope to buy it soon. I strongly recommend this book, especially if you like history related books.
October 28, 2013
Arduous read, but AMAZING tails of a little known group of Allied P.O.W.'s held in the inescapable German Colditz Castle. Essentially, this was the prison for the cunning soldiers who'd already escaped (some multiple times) other prisons. The lengths and antics gone to by these soldiers to try and escape Colditz are hilarious and ingenious.
December 23, 2009
GREAT WORLD WAR II DRAMA THAT OF COURSE IS A TRUE STORY. ANY WAR BUFF WOULD LOVE IT. IT IS SET IN A TIME WHEN THE SOLDIERS ON ALL SIDES RESPECTED EACH OTHER AND THERE WAS STILL A CODE AMONG MEN. DARING ESCAPES, INTERESTING cast AND of course everyones favorite bad guys.
September 11, 2010
Loved this book! It was an exciting read and fortunately about a POW camp in Germany that adherred to the Geneva Convention guidelines, so instead of reading of horror and tragedy, it read like Hogan's Heros.
Want to read
March 24, 2007Paul is reading this one currently (when he has the opportunity). So I'll read it after he's done, or before he finishes, since I read more often than he does.
September 4, 2007
Great read about one of the most difficult German prisoner camps to escape from in WWII. Very well written and hard to put down!
March 9, 2008
I really enjoyed this book, it is full of daring, true to life escapes from WWII.
July 23, 2008
Anyone interested in WWII will find this a fascinating, often humorous, and poignant read. The sheer determination of these men is inspiring.
September 21, 2011
Awesome, amazing read!!
June 23, 2016
Chronicles the many escapes from the castle of Colditz which was used as a prison for officers during World War II. The most ingenious one had to be making a glider to fly out of the window.
September 24, 2014
Amazing....Just absolutely amazing great work by Henry Chancellor.
February 7, 2016
read SOMETIME in 2008
April 18, 2017
Behind the wire
An entertaining history of the famous WW2 POW camp.
The most interesting thing about this book is the fact that Colditz, despite being the “prison of last resort” for repeat escapers and Deutschfeindlich, was actually more humane than many other places in Nazi Germany. Compared to concentration, extermination, and slave labour camps, it was a “bad hotel”.
An entertaining history of the famous WW2 POW camp.
The most interesting thing about this book is the fact that Colditz, despite being the “prison of last resort” for repeat escapers and Deutschfeindlich, was actually more humane than many other places in Nazi Germany. Compared to concentration, extermination, and slave labour camps, it was a “bad hotel”.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews