   etienne henri "hans" larive, mwo, dsc and bar, (23 september 1915 â 28 december 1984) was a dutch naval officer during world war ii. he escaped from the prisoner of war camp oflag iv-c at colditz castle in 1941, and spent the rest of the war in england serving aboard motor torpedo boats. he later wrote his memoir vannacht varen de hollanders (1950), which was republished translated into english as the man who came in from colditz (1975) â a pun on the best-selling novel the spy who came in from the cold. ==early life== larive was born on 23 september 1915 in singapore. he entered the royal netherlands naval college (kim) in 1934, graduating in 1937, and gaining his commission as luitenant ter zee (3de klasse) on 13 august that year. he was promoted to luitenant ter zee (2de klasse) on 13 august 1939. ==world war ii== in may 1940, just a few days before the germans attacked holland, he returned from his tour of duty in the dutch east indies as navigation officer aboard the admiralen class destroyer hnlms van galen. on 10 may 1940 the germans invaded, and the van galen was sent to shell german paratroopers which had landed around rotterdam and waalhaven airport. the ship had to steam into the narrow nieuwe waterweg, where she was attacked and soon sunk by stuka dive-bombers.{{cite web |url= http://www.netherlandsnavy.nl/men_larive.htm |title= li
1915_births 1984_deaths Colditz_prisoners_of_World_War_II Dutch_escapees Dutch_non-fiction_writers Dutch_prisoners_of_war Engelandvaarders Escapees_from_German_detention Knights_Fourth_Class_of_the_Military_William_Order Knights_of_the_Order_of_Orange-Nassau People_from_Singapore Recipients_of_the_Bronze_Cross_(Netherlands) Recipients_of_the_Distinguished_Service_Cross_and_Bar_(United_Kingdom) Royal_Netherlands_Naval_College_alumni Royal_Netherlands_Navy_officers Royal_Netherlands_Navy_personnel_of_World_War_II