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Colditz
- Prisoners of the Castle
- Narrated by: Ben Macintyre
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
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Colditz
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Publisher's Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
In a forbidding Gothic castle on a hilltop in the heart of Nazi Germany, an unlikely band of British officers spent the Second World War plotting daring escapes from their German captors. Or so the story of Colditz has gone, unchallenged for 70 years. But that tale contains only part of the truth.
The astonishing 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 a remarkable 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 game of cat and mouse.
From the elitist members of the Colditz Bullingdon Club to America's oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent, the soldier-prisoners of Colditz were courageous and resilient as well as vulnerable and fearful—and astonishingly imaginative in their desperate escape attempts. Deeply researched and full of incredible human stories, this is the definitive book on Colditz.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
What listeners say about Colditz
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- IanKH
- 23-11-2022
A Great Listen
I liked this book very much. I remember the TV series and I use to play the Colditz board game repeatedly many years ago but it was great to hear the true story of the place and time. The altruism of the tv series is certainly lacking and even though it surprised me I should have expected it really. The British military is, or at least at the time, very class oriented and the true nature of Colditz's inmates comes through as boorish in may respects.
The narration was good and kept me listening throughout and it was well paced and written.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 28-01-2023
Loved it
A fascinating story of the men and the castle, loved the narration by the author, a wonderful read
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karen
- 03-06-2023
Privileged prisoners
I generally don’t like war stories but this one had a great pace and i particularly enjoyed hearing the voices of the lower class who didn’t have their version of the war documented due to their illiteracy (or the system stopping them).
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-04-2024
Excellent!
I've read just about every book on WW2 escapes, including "The Colditz Story" and Airey Neave's "They have their exits". Ben MacIntyre has once again delivered a meticulously researched and beautifully told story which adds a lot of new material, and importantly includes the German side of the story. Highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charlie
- 06-10-2024
incredible story brought to life with impressive research
author is quickly becoming one of my favourites- he has a knack of bringing history back to life and i am so grateful to learn about the many personal tragedies and triumphs of the lives that were shaped by Colditz
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ric Vatner
- 21-03-2023
Astronomical! Couldn’t put it down.
Everybody knows the Colditz story, correct? That’s what I thought until I read this book. It’s like drawing the curtains on a darkened room to discover a room full of treasures.
The story unfolds at a cracking pace, going from one character to the next and never hits a boring patch. It is read excellently with passion and exuberance that keeps the listener enthralled. I listened to it while walking and found I covered twice my normal distance because I couldn’t stop listening to it.
Colditz is not just an adventure story, it is a story of humanity in all its glory and failures. I was truely moved by it and I am sure you will be too.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Annie
- 08-10-2022
Fantastic Writing
Really enjoyed this book, so well researched. Opened my eyes to a few things, the hierarchy, the orderlies and Douglas Nader who sounded like an absolute arsehole!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 19-11-2022
Outstanding Book
Ben MacIntyre is close to my favourite author. I've listened to many of his books and all have been very interesting and enjoyable but this one is close to my favourite. The descriptions of life inside Colditz, the relationship with the guards, the ingenuity of the escape attempts and the individual story lines that run through the book make it fascinating and enjoyable listening. The narration is very good. I confidently recommend this book to you if you are interested in the subject.
Thanks Ben, I'm better for having listened. Love your work!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carly
- 28-01-2023
Fascinating story and brilliant narration
I generally steer away from read-by-the-author but Ben Macintyre is an exception - he’s brilliant to listen to. Yet another fascinating story of a previously untold (or at least, the accurate version) story of the war.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bondi Amazon Customer
- 04-10-2023
Reach for the sky no more
The poignant stories of the humble Jewish dentist and the Indian Doctor facing danger and discrimination are balanced by the revelation that my childhood hero Douglas Bader was an utter s$#t.
A wonderful reading by the author. A great cracking and moving yarn.
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