Ben Macintyre specializes in finding nooks and crannies in World War II history and then striking best-seller gold, first with Forgotten Fatherland and then, among other books, Agent Zigzag, Operation Mincemeat, A Spy Among Friends, Rogue Heroes, Agent Sonya, and now Prisoners of the Castle, a chronicle of the infamous German prison called Colditz, a medieval pile that today houses a youth hostel. Macintyre details the famous escapes, but, just as importantly, gives a vivid picture of everyday life in what became Germany’s most elite prison. Set aside a few hours for this book, since once you start reading you will not stop until the last page.
JIM KELLY: In your new book, you do wonderful dramatic justice to the reputation of Colditz as a prison famous for its escape attempts, partly because many of its prisoners of war had ended up there after failed efforts to escape other prisons and also because so many of the occupants were officers and thus unlikely to be shot if captured, thanks to the Geneva Convention rules governing the treatment of P.O.W.’s. Which escape attempt did you find the most audacious?
