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A review by xxstefaniereadsxx
Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis' Fortress Prison by Ben Macintyre
informative
slow-paced
3.0
Colditz Castle is a beautiful Renaissance era castle, located near Leipzig, Germany. The history of the castle is lengthy, going back to the 1000's. The castle has seen many periods of remodeling and reconstruction due to age and circumstances but still retains a beautiful facade. In 1523, the castle park was converted to a zoo that housed one of the largest collections of animals in Europe. The castle has also seen use as an asylum for the mentally ill, a facility for tuberculosis patients, a workhouse for the poor, and a sanatorium for the wealthy. Today, the castle has been restored to look as it did before World War II. It currently houses a museum that provides tours and part of the building serves as a youth hostel.
This book focuses on the use of Colditz Castle as a prisoner of war camp under the control of the Nazis. The castle was converted to a maximum-security prison for prisoners of war. Escape was virtually impossible, though there were many attempts with several successes that are detailed in this book. The first prisoners at the camp arrived in 1940 and were British prisoners who had escaped from another camp. The camp housed prisoners from Canada, France, Poland, Belgium, Britain, America, and the Netherlands. After 1943, the Nazi powers that be decided the camp would only house British and American prisoners of war. The majority of the prisoners sent to Colditz were previous escapees or those who had attempted escape from other camps. One of the prisoners of the camp, 2LT Desmond Llewelyn, would later go on to play Agent Q in 17 James Bond films. The ways that the prisoners attempted to escape were amazing. I am not sure I would have ever thought of a fraction of the things that they did to try and get out. (The tunnels are part of the castle tour.)
I have the Audible version of this book. It is pretty lengthy, so if you are interested in a long listen...this is one you could consider. The physical copy is under 400 pages. I have read several books by this author, and each one of them have been wonderfully well written and the research is impeccable. I enjoy this authors ability to teach about historical places and events while letting you get to know the people involved, all while keeping your interest. I have a couple more books by this author that I am looking forward to reading for my 2025 Reading Challenge. I learned a lot from this book.
This book focuses on the use of Colditz Castle as a prisoner of war camp under the control of the Nazis. The castle was converted to a maximum-security prison for prisoners of war. Escape was virtually impossible, though there were many attempts with several successes that are detailed in this book. The first prisoners at the camp arrived in 1940 and were British prisoners who had escaped from another camp. The camp housed prisoners from Canada, France, Poland, Belgium, Britain, America, and the Netherlands. After 1943, the Nazi powers that be decided the camp would only house British and American prisoners of war. The majority of the prisoners sent to Colditz were previous escapees or those who had attempted escape from other camps. One of the prisoners of the camp, 2LT Desmond Llewelyn, would later go on to play Agent Q in 17 James Bond films. The ways that the prisoners attempted to escape were amazing. I am not sure I would have ever thought of a fraction of the things that they did to try and get out. (The tunnels are part of the castle tour.)
I have the Audible version of this book. It is pretty lengthy, so if you are interested in a long listen...this is one you could consider. The physical copy is under 400 pages. I have read several books by this author, and each one of them have been wonderfully well written and the research is impeccable. I enjoy this authors ability to teach about historical places and events while letting you get to know the people involved, all while keeping your interest. I have a couple more books by this author that I am looking forward to reading for my 2025 Reading Challenge. I learned a lot from this book.