This chapter explores the ingenious methods used by a person named Clutty to print and hide maps and compasses during World War II. It discusses the various hiding places used, such as bootheels, coat pockets, and uniform linings, as well as a button with a hidden compass. It also highlights the extensive tunnel system built in Colditz Castle and the mental health challenges faced by prisoners.
Join us for adventure with Ben Macintyre, author of Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis' Fortress Prison!
What We Discuss with Ben Macintyre:
- How Germany's Colditz Castle — around in some form or another since 1046 — came to serve as a Nazi POW camp for high-ranking officers of the Western Allies during World War II.
- How concentrating Allied officers who had previously escaped from other camps — or were deemed to be a high-security risk — into one place turned Colditz into a highly competitive "escape university."
- Why the hodgepodge layout of Colditz (known as Oflag IV-C during the war) made it a terribly inefficient prison — from which more than 30 successful escape attempts were made between 1939 and 1945.
- Plans for more than 300 escape attempts made over the years involved everything from clever disguises to hand-dug tunnels to a glider made from bedsteads, floorboards, cotton sheets, and porridge.
- What happened to Colditz and its prisoners after the war?
- And much more...
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