The Password Is Courage

by castle

The man who broke into Auschwitz. When he was captured in France in 1940 Sergeant-Major Charles Coward launched his own private war against the Germans (although he was being held as a prisoner-of-war). For several years he was the most incredible amateur espionage and sabotage agent of World War Two, opposing the Nazis while sending back vital information to England. He escaped from captivity nine times and was, eventually, sent to Auschwitz III (a labour camp just five miles from Auschwitz II, the extermination camp). He carried guns and dynamite for the Polish underground movement, traded in dead bodies (by swapping the corpses of dead prisoners for Jewish prisoners, allowing the prisoners to escape) and, finally, he smuggled himself into Auschwitz where he witnessed the full horrors of the extermination camp. This is one of the most heroic and extraordinary stories of World War Two. Charles Coward fought the might of the Nazi army and won, his courage is testament to the indomitable human spirit facing overwhelming odds. At the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials Coward's testimony was sensational, allowing over 2,000 Auschwitz survivors to file lawsuits for compensations against their former oppressors.

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

Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

Reviews

[Bev Walkling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember first reading this book as I was growing up and being fascinated with the account of Sergeant Major Charles Coward's war time experiences as a prisoner of war. Having just re-read it, I still find it to be a fascinating account of what it was like for an NCO to be a P.O.W. throughout the war. Coward was keen on attempting to escape whenever he could,but there were times when as the "man of confidence" he had to set personal wishes aside to help maintain what small privileges he could for his men. Of particular interest were the details of Cowards time at a POW camp near Auschwitz where it seemed the Germans made little effort to deny what they were doing to the Jewish people. Coward even switched places with a concentration camp inmate for a night in an unsuccessful effort to try and find a British doctor supposedly being held captive. Included in the book are some details of post-war events including civil trials against I.G. Farben for their inhumane use of forced labour.

[Mur McEwan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd recently read Jack Fairweather's 'The Volunteer, the true story of the resistance hero who infiltrated Auschwitz", which I credited with a 5 star rating. John Castle's book follows a similar theme ~ insider resistance to the oppression @ Auschwitz ~ but it came across to me as much more of a ripping yarn than an accurate historic record. I was left wondering where fiction maybe encroached on fact; or maybe not.

[Anna McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Man of Confidence could do — and did

I did not know of John Castle before reading this book, and am stunned that one man could be so brave and resourceful. His story as a British POW is impressive alone, but it pales by comparison with his story as an ally and witness for Holocaust slaves at Auschwitz-Birkenau. You won’t forget this book in a hurry, and you will want to know more.

[mr s kendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this book when I was about 11 - 70 years ago, and re-reading it now was a great pleasure. It reminded me of things we might forget in todays hectic world, things we should never forget. Charles Coward was a typical Londener, of a period long gone by, when men were afraid, but never gave into fear. A pleasure of a story and a lesson to mankind.

[Pauline Dunleavy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking

I of course have seen the film and became curious about reading more. I found it very interesting I know all the details are not accurate due to the time it was written in order to protect names technics debut it is still very interesting and worth reading.

[Karen Rask Mortensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

På dansk: Sergent Cowards private krig . Hasselbalch, 1965.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an intriguing story of parishioner life in Stalag VIII-B - not sure if it is a true account but most adventurous, exciting and captivating War story!

[Daniel Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story about the imprisonment and attempted escapes by Coward during World War 2. Authenticity of a few events seemed a little sketchy. Although very interesting and a great read!!

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. The terse writing smooths out about halfway into the book, and my attention got snagged so that I had trouble putting the book down. This Charlie Coward man was a very interesting person to read about; I won't say more because honestly, his shenanigans carry nearly the entire book.
Some coarse references and swear words among military men, but many appear to have been changed to softer euphemisms. The suffering in Auschwitz is described as well, but again, some of the details are smoothed over. This book was written in the fifties, so the self editing was more evident than in much modern writing, and much appreciated by this reader.
If you can find it, the movie "The Password is Courage" is a fun fifties black and white movie based on much of this book. It had my family rolling on the floor, so I had to try the book. As usual, the book has more to it than the movie, but I highly recommend both.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets five stars because it changed my life. It made me aware of the Holocaust for the first time.