Colditz Castle was used by the Nazis to house the most high-risk prisoners – VIPS and those who had already made repeated escape attempts from other camps. The Germans foolishly believed that Colditz’ position on a rocky outcrop high above a river made it inescapable. Unfortunately this boast was merely seen as an extra challenge to its plucky inmates, and the castle in fact was subject to more frequent escape attempts – with some success – than almost anywhere else. The various attempts made by inmates included dressing as a Hitler Youth, hiding under the bread delivery van, dressing as a woman, hiding in a mattress, and of course the regulation tunnel digging efforts – including through snow on the canteen roof, or through a hole under the dentist’s chair. Escapes were made on an almost daily basis, with more than moderate sucess.

The Colditz Story  is the ultimate POW escape adventure, based on Reid’s novel, and originally released in 1955 to great critical and commercial success. Featuring an all-star cast including John Mills (Ice Cold in Alex, Scott of the Antarctic), Lionel Jeffries (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Bryan Forbes (writer: I was Monty’s Double, The Angry Silence, Whistle down the Wind) and Eric Portman (The 49th Parallel) and directed Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger, The Man with the Golden Gun), The Colditz Story celebrates British ingenuity, perseverance and indomitable spirit at its finest.