The truth behind the most notorious prison in history
In a Gothic castle atop a hill in the heart of Nazi Germany, a gang of British officers plotted daring escapes from their German guards during World War II. Or at least this version of the story of Colditz had prevailed for seventy years, without anyone challenging it. However, this is just part of the truth.
The astonishing story revealed for the first time in this new book by historian Ben Macintyre is a narrative of the indomitable human spirit, but also of snobbery, class conflicts, homosexuality, bullying, espionage, boredom, madness, and farce. Having access to a wide range of information, Macintyre discusses a group of people from many different nationalities and presents a thrilling game of hide-and-seek between captives and guards who lived side by side for years.
Whether it was members of the elitist Colditz Ballington Club or the oldest paratrooper in America and the worst secret agent, the Colditz soldier-captives were brave and combative but also vulnerable and frightened. Nevertheless, they remained remarkably resourceful in their desperate attempts to escape.
They wrote about the author:
“A master storyteller who captivates.” –Daily Mail
“Macintyre writes with the consistency and insight of a journalist, and with the ease of a man who is a born storyteller.” –John Banville, The Guardian
“Macintyre celebrates and simultaneously undermines the myths of the espionage craft, while possessing an insightful look at the absurd.” –Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker
