- Paperback: 457 pages
- Publisher: Coronet Books; New edition edition (4 April 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 034079495X
- ISBN-13: 978-0340794951
- Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.4 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 463,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Claiming anything, let alone a book on the Colditz story, as "the definitive history", is certainly a bold move. But since Henry Chancellor was the man behind the acclaimed British television series, Escape from Colditz, it might just be true. Certainly it is an enthralling read, although given its subject matter it could hardly be anything else. Colditz, more prosaically known to the German military as "Oflag 4C", was the supposedly escape-proof medieval German fortress from which over 300 men during the Second World War attempted to escape, and from which 32 made a "home-run". A small but hugely morale-boosting figure. With tragic heroism, some of these successful escapees, having risked life and limb getting back to the home country, then returned eagerly to the war only to be killed in battle. Chancellor's book represents 76 interviews carried out over a course of 14 years, and so promises to be exhaustive. It also corrects some of the errors in the classic but not always flawless memoirs of former prisoners such as Major Pat Reid. He is also good on adding colourful if tangential details, such as the fact that the great expansion of castle took place under the reign of Augustus the Strong of Saxony in the 17th century, a man who fathered no fewer than 354 offspring. The heart of the book, however, is the accounts of escape by the men themselves who lived to tell the tale. This is a history book that will make your hands clammy with fear and excitement. One can also relish the humour with which these old soldiers recall their days and nights of danger. One of them attempted to escape disguised as a woman. "But I had made the great mistake of filling it [his bra] with biscuits, in an attempt not to waste space. Unfortunately by the time I had crawled through the tunnel the biscuits had turned to crumbs and everything was sagging." So, not only a thrilling and inspiring history, but a useful guide to cross-dressing too: don't keep biscuits in your bra.--Christopher Hart
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
'Crammed full of compelling nuggets'
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It was an unremarkable beginning. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
It was an unremarkable beginning. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Anybody interested in escape, or the second world war, or POW's should get this. My uncle was a POW and the few stories he told me over the years got me hooked. I've read lots of them and this is one of, if not THE, best. Not biased. Viewed from both sides (Allies and German) it is factual (as far as I know!) humourous and entertaining. Even how MI9 helped the POW's. I'd recommend it to anyone.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having seen the program recently on channel 4, I saught out to buy the book and I was not disappointed. In other war books such as the brilliant great escape there is an overbearing feeling of dread because it is well known 50 of the escapees of Stalag luft III were shot - however this is not always so in the book of Colditz because although people were killed, the general feeling of friendship and adversity in the face of danger is much more apparent. There are some moments of humour mixed in with moments of despair which all in all make this a very compelling read, one which I would highly recommend.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This one will have the midnight oil burning !! This is a genuine cant put down book that takes you through the history of Colditz and the POW's who made it their home for various length's of time. The author is not afraid to double back chronologicaly on himself at times. This does not detract from the story telling ,but enhances it by throwing up familier names and incidents already mentioned. All in all an excellent unbiased account of times at Colditz.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An interesting read
The book accompanies a TV series made several years ago now but is still periodically shown on various UK cable channels. Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2008 by Gavin Worrell
Itz Cold.
I read this whilst ata conference that I didn't want to be at, and it fitted the mood perfectly as I considered the situation those in Colditz faced, year after year. Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2007 by Andrew Moules
Fantastic Read
This book is fantastic from start to finish and you will be hard pushed to put it down.... All I can say is that if you are interested in finding out about Colditz Castle and the... Read more
Published on 5 April 2007 by Samantha Symons
An interesting counterpoint to Pat Reid's books
Chancellor takes a broader view of Colditz than Pat Reid, a historian's-eye-view rather than that of a successfully-departed inhabitant, and his account fills in a lot of... Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2002 by Peter Fenelon
Well it set some things right! finally!
This book should be read as a follow thru after you complete Maj P R Reid's Colditz Story. I am happy to say that Mr. Read more
Published on 2 April 2002
brilliant, i could't put it down.
i have watched the film colditz many times and even though the comparison was obviously darker in real life there were quite a few scenes which reflected the true facts. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2002 by ray.matthews1@btinternet.com
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