The Colditz Story (Coronet Books)

by P.R. Reid

Book Overview

Colditz was the last stop for prisoners of war in the Second World War. It was to this impregnable fortress that the Germans sent all those prisoners who persisted in escaping from other camps, such... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0340024062
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publishers: Coronet, New Impression Edition
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Other Books

Let us see, when you have a group of proven escape artists, and you don't want them escaping any more, what do you do? Oh, you send them all to the one supposedly secure facility so they can all combine their talents and come up with even more impressive methods and escapes. Pretty much that is a lot of what happened at Colditz, it seems. An excellent look at the ingenuity of some prisoners of the Germans.

Rivetting

P.R. Reid was interned in an old Austrian Schloss (castle) in the town of Colditz during World War II. He wrote the first book about his experiences in the camp, and The Latter Days At Colditz describing what happened after he successfully escaped. He effectively describes the colorful and engaging characters he was privileged to meet during what would be a bleak existence to an outside observer. The prisoners of Colditz, deemed dangerous by the Third Reich, were concentrated in this one place deep within Austria. The escape attempts described included tunnels that began in top of the clock tower. A glider (that was never discovered by the Germans) that was built to take off from the rooftops. A tunnel the French built that made so much noise that tunnelling could be heard at all hours of the day and night throughout the castle. These two books are rivetting accounts of life as a prisoner of war.

One of the best escape novels written

This is one of the greatest novels concerning escape in World War 2 ever written. It focuses on a series of escapes attempted at the famous fortress prison at the town of Colditz known as OFlag IVC. The massive castle was dubbed 'escape proof' by the Germans, yet hundreds of escapes were attempted. Few succeded, but they proved that the castle wasn't 'escape proof'. Reid's book tells the story about his own experiences, as well as those of others in Colditz Castle. This is a fascinating book and everyone should read it. Also check out the movie 'The Colditz Story' which is based on this book. Also be sure to check out two other very good escape books: 'The Wooden Horse' by Eric Williams, and 'The Great Escape' by Paul Brickhill.

Entertaining, light-hearted, well written story

Many WWII stories are somber, and for many good reasons. That is not the case with TCS; at times, in its humour it sounds more like Hogan's Heroes than real life. Perhaps the guards at Colditz were not nazis but merely Germans caught on something beyond their control. Whatever, they treated British, French and Dutch prisoners quite decently and involuntarily provided them with several opportunities to escape. These are very well told, in a proficient literary style, by Captain Reid, making for a very entertaining reading. The book is also a testament of the prisoners' heroism and their commitment to personal freedom.

One of the best glimpses into World War II that I have read

This book is an excellent description of the life of a prisoner-of-war in Nazi Germany. The ones sent to Colditz were those determined by the Third Reich to be "dangerous." These include those determined to be (held for future use in bargaining with the enemy) political prisoners, repeated attempts to escape, etc. More than just a description of escape attempts, P.R. Reid describes the psychology of a protracted stay in a prison camp in an extremely candid manner.