Colditz Castle, Nazi Germany. World War II. The remarkable inside story, revealed for the first time by bestselling historian Ben Macintyre, is a tale of the indomitable human spirit, but also one of class conflict, homosexuality, espionage, insanity and farce. Through an astonishing range of material, Macintyre reveals an unforgettable cast of characters, wider than previously seen and hitherto hidden from history, taking in prisoners and captors who were living cheek-by-jowl in a thrilling gam

During World War II, inside Germanys supposedly escapeproof Colditz Castle, Allied prisoners of war embarked on one of the most remarkable engineering projects known. They built a two man glider called Colditz Cock under the guidance of British officers Bill Goldfinch and Jack Best. Working in a secret attic workshop for nearly a year, they fashioned wing spars from floorboards, ribs from bed slats, and sealing paste from boiled millet breakfast porridge. In April 1945, as they prepared for esca