Colditz: The Untold Story of World War II's Great Escapes
Colditz, based on author Henry Chancellor's television  documentary series, tells the story of the German high security prison camp (a  700-room castle), which during World War II housed the most dangerous (i.e.  escape-prone) Allied POWs. The men, officers all, were mandated by the Geneva  Convention to escape. There were, over the course of the war, 310 such attempts,  32 of them successful.Colditzis a comprehensive overview. While not  neglecting daily prison existence (a world replete with boredom, privation, and  occasional acts of treachery), it is strongest recounting the prisoners' many  efforts to outwit their captors, occasions of astonishing energy and guile. The  prisoners not only dug, climbed, and vaulted their way to freedom, but concocted  elaborate disguises, false documents, and on one occasion built a working  glider. Chancellor's is an accessible, reliable tale of invention, bravery, and  determination.--H. O'Billovitch