Colditz

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

In a forbidding Gothic castle on a hilltop in the heart of Nazi Germany, an unlikely band of British officers spent the Second World War plotting daring escapes from their German captors. Or so the story of Colditz has gone, unchallenged for 70 years. But that tale contains only part of the truth.

The astonishing inside story, revealed for the first time by bestselling historian Ben Macintyre, is a tale of the indomitable human spirit, but also one of class conflict, homosexuality, espionage, insanity and farce. Through an astonishing range of material, Macintyre reveals a remarkable cast of characters, wider than previously seen and hitherto hidden from history, taking in prisoners and captors who were living cheek-by-jowl in a thrilling game of cat and mouse.

From the elitist members of the Colditz Bullingdon Club to America's oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent, the soldier-prisoners of Colditz were courageous and resilient as well as vulnerable and fearful -- and astonishingly imaginative in their desperate escape attempts. Deeply researched and full of incredible human stories, this is the definitive book on Colditz.

© Ben MacIntyre 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

  • A fine feat of storytelling . . . will surely become the last word on the subject

    Telegraph

  • Like watching a black-and-white photograph being colourised . . . rich in humour and quirky detail . . . another compelling narrative

    Spectator

  • Nuanced and gripping . . . told with sensitivity and insight, with an eye for telling detail

    The Times

  • Fascinating

    The Sun

  • Every Ben Macintyre book is a treat

    The Tablet

  • Entertaining yet objective and often moving

    Wall Street Journal

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