"Colditz: The Untold Story of World War II's Great Escapes is a tale of perseverance, heroism, and adventure. Filled with the personal stories of the prisoners of war held within its walls - who made it their personal duty and obsession to escape - Colditz offers endlessly intriguing stories of consummate survivors who proved the human spirit to be indomitable." "In Colditz, Henry Chancellor breaks new ground by offering the prisoners' own stories of the great escapes. Using more than fifty original interviews, the English, French, Dutch and Polish officers and their guards describe in their own words their experiences in the notorious castle. They reveal their boredom and frustrations, as well as the challenges inherent in making maps out of jelly or constructing tunnels with mere cutlery knives. The stories are by turns comic and tragic, as much of their labor and invention ended in failure, but what emerges is a story of breathtaking ingenuity and daring, and an intriguing portrait of the fascinating game of wits between captives and captors, who were bound together by mutual respect and extraordinary tolerance."--BOOK JACKET.