Colditz: The German Story [Paperback]

Reinhold Eggers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1992

This is an account of Colditz, the famous World War I POW camp, as seen from the German side. Reinhold Eggers, on staff there for the greater part of the war, relates how he discharged, with varying success, his duty of preventing escapes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Robert Hale (February 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0709044763
• ISBN-13: 978-0709044765
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,725,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and amusing, March 30, 2000

By 

Rachel Gray (Pasadena, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Colditz: The German Story (Charnwood Large Print Library Series) (Hardcover)

Colditz was the Germans' most heavily guarded prison camp in WWII. Escape artists from all the other POW camps were funneled to this one, where they pooled their talents to break out of it. Many of the former prisoners have written books about Colditz, but this is the only one I know of from the German viewpoint. Eggers was a security officer at Colditz, one of the men most responsible for keeping the prisoners in while they used all their ingenuity to get out. His story is interesting and quite funny in places; he doesn't hesitate to admit that the prisoners often made a fool of him. If you have any interest in World War II or in escape stories, this is a good book for you-- written from a point of view that English-speaking readers don't often see.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Writte: The Other Side., May 31, 2002

By 

John P. Rooney "John" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Colditz: The German Story (Paperback)

"Colditz", by Reinhold Eggers, sub-titled "The German Side of the Story", W.W. NORTON & COMPANY, New York, 1961.

After having read "Colditz" by Henry Chancellor, I had to search out Reinhold Eggers' book in the Hingham Public Library. Reinhold Eggers was a German officer who had his native German, plus English and French as languages; thus his assignment to deal with Allied POWs. He was in his fifties during the time period of this book, so he did not see much combat in the Second World War. Eggers gives an even-handed, fair recounting of the events at the prison camp, Colditz Castle, where recalcitrant Allied prisoners were kept. The idea was that the worst offenders, those POWs who had attempted too many escapes, would be kept safe and sound in escape-proof Colditz Castle in eastern Germany. Of course, there were many escapes, and some POWs actually made it to neutral territory or back to Allied control. In each case, the author attempts to explain what happened or what went wrong. He also references later works of others, which explain what actually had happened.

At Colditz, Reinhold Eggers was one of the German officers who worked for exact correctness in dealing with Allied POWs, and, sometimes in the book, you can sense his regret that the various nationalities rarely reciprocated this correctness. Page 75, "The indiscipline in the camp never ceased to have its effect in the cold war between staff and prisoners." Page 124: "The Poles seethed with hatred of us, but in Colditz their behaviour was exemplary". You can also sense the dislike or at least the distaste that Eggers has for the Nazi "Partei". At Colditz, there were very few Americans, so they are mentioned only briefly towards the back of the book.

The book is a well-translated volume, in almost scholarly tone, which might reflect the way the book was originally written in German. The translation was very good, with the only exception being on page 39: "Sentries were unsighted at one or two spots". I believe the translator meant, "Sentries were out of sight, at one or two spots". If you have read other books on Colditz Castle, it is worth your effort to search out and read "The German Side of the Story".

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hogan's heroes?, October 7, 2010

By 

A. Ferrari (Northern California) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Colditz, the German Story (Paperback)

I had learned of Colditz many years ago and of Eggers somewhat humorous treatment of a serious subject. After reading "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" ( a great book ) my interest in WW2 was reignited and I read a number of books on the Channel islands occupation and eventually decided to read up on Colditz. I read Eggers' book first and then P R Reid's "The Full Story." both are excellent and I am glad I read them in that order. Highly Recommended!