Customer Reviews

Colditz

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Henry Chancellor has written a book about the bad boys of Colditz - the true Houdini escape artists! Although they weren't as successful as Houdini, they showed absolute brillance in devising ways to escape out of Colditz. And the British agents in England were just as devious with respect to smuggling in contraband.

Chancellor deftly writes about the many escape attempts by the French, the Poles, the Brits and others. He captures a "you are there" feel as he describes their fears, their boredoms, and for some, there escape into lunacy.

If you have read other books about escape attempts from the German Stalags, then you are in for a treat with this book. Chancellor also describes how each side (German and Allied) held mutual respect for one another except toward the end of the war when things began to turn nasty for the Germans.

An excellent book and worthy of anyone's library.

I read "Escape from Colditz" from the library when it was new right after the war, and it left a lasting impression. I read the sequel "Men of Colditz" a few years later, When I looked to get copies to reread, I found that there were stories about the prison from other points of view, and ordered them as well. Hate to say it, but the Reid books are certainly better pleasure reading, and possibly more accurate. This is an attempt at a "definitive history," but as reading for pleasure I found it good enough to finish once, but am unlikely to read it again.

A thorough research work plus the gift of gab and prose plus a fascinating subject from World War II. That's five star material !

Well written, fast paced, an exciting tale of human endurance, perseverance and ingeniuty. Hard to put down.