Author(s): Ben Macintyre

History | Germany

The bestselling historian with the real story of WW2's 'inescapable' Nazi prison camp
In a grim Gothic castle on a German hilltop, an unlikely band of prisoners plotted a daring escape from the clutches of their Nazi captors. Or so the story of Colditz has gone, unchanged and unchallenged for 70 years. But that tale contains only part of the truth.
The astonishing inside story, revealed for the first time in this new book by bestselling historian Ben Macintyre and in his usual gripping style, is a tale of the indomitable human spirit, but also one of snobbery, class conflict, homosexuality, bullying, espionage, boredom, insanity and farce.
With unprecedented access to declassified archives, previously unseen photographs, private papers and the vast Imperial War Museum Colditz sound archive, Macintyre reveals a remarkable cast of characters hitherto hidden from history. Some were heroes, but they were also human- tough but vulnerable, brave but terrified, by turns cheerful, determined and desperate.
From the Indian doctor whose hunger strike and eventual escape reads like a thriller, to the peculiarly brilliant inventor who manufactured maps hidden in playing cards and a compass secreted inside a walnut, the soldier-prisoners of Colditz were courageous and resilient - and astonishingly imaginative in their escape attempts.
Deeply researched and full of incredible human stories, this is the definitive book on Colditz.

Review: A fine feat of storytelling . . . will surely become the last word on the subject -- Patrick Bishop * Telegraph *
Like watching a black-and-white photograph being colourised . . . rich in humour and quirky detail . . . another compelling narrative -- Clare Mulley * Spectator *
Nuanced and gripping . . . told with sensitivity and insight, with an eye for telling detail -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *
Fascinating * The Sun *
Every Ben Macintyre book is a treat -- Jane Thynne * The Tablet *
Entertaining yet objective and often moving * Wall Street Journal *
Macintyre's genius has long been to excavate the nuance, subtlety and ambiguity beneath the myths he explores . . . remarkable -- Matthew D'Ancona * Tortoise Media *
Another fine history . . . His unerring eye for the telling detail that can illuminate a greater story is apparent in Colditz -- Ronan McGreevy * The Irish Times *
Macintyre so seamlessly fuses so many different accounts that their compilation creates something more profound than a simple escape yarn: a biography of the prison itself and the world detainees built there -- Andrea Pitzer * Washington Post *
Macintyre recreates the daring escape stories with punchy flair . . . a lively page-turner -- NJ McGarrigle * Independent.ie *

Author Biography: Ben Macintyre is the multimillion-copy bestselling author of books including Agent Sonya, SAS- Rogue Heroes, The Spy and the Traitor, Agent Zigzag, Operation Mincemeat and A Spy Among Friends. He is a columnist and Associate Editor at The Times, and has worked as the newspaper's correspondent in New York, Paris and Washington. Several of his books have been made into films and television series, including Operation Mincemeat, A Spy Among Friends and SAS- Rogue Heroes.