The Colditz Story

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The Colditz Story
In this episode of WW2 Wayfinder I travel to Eastern Germany to visit Colditz Castle, home to troublesome Allied Prisoners of War!
Believed to be the perfect prison camp for prisoners who had made repeated escape attempts, Colditz Castle was thought to be impossible to escape from. The Allied Officers imprisoned there however thought otherwise, with over 30 successful escape attempts being made from Colditz Castle from 1941 - 1945.
Colditz Castle became synonymous with the determination of Allied Soldiers and Airmen in the post war years with the book, The Colditz Story wirtten by Major Pat Reid, one of the orignal British Officers imprisoned at Colditz, and through the 1955 film, also titled The Colditz Story, starring John Mills who played Major Pat Reid.
Colditz Castle and it's wartime history are now part of the British legend of the Second World War and to visit this iconic location was quite the experience. Today Colditz Castle is open to the public to visit and houses a small musem containing details of the Colditz Story and the various artefacts used by both prisoners and guards.
One important aspect about this episode is to realise the stories of Colditz Castle and it's time as Offlag IV C are so numerous I couldn't include all of them. This is a look at a handful of them and to give a feel for Colditz Castle and to highlight some of the key personalities who were there during the war.
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4 июл 2024

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@davegoldsmith4020 21 день назад

A few weeks after the Berlin Wall fell, I was serving in the RAF in Germany, we drove via Colditz to Berlin, for a holiday of a lifetime. We parked out motor caravan in the little square below the castle and walked up towards the gate into the prisoner compound. There was a guy talking French to some people, as we approached he heard us speaking English, and invited us to join him in visiting the compound. Colditz was then still a mental hospital. We visited the cellar below the stairs to the British rooms, we visited the Chapel and saw items recovered from the tunnel. We walked around the compound. As we left he asked us to hold back. As the french people left he invited us to his house, only a short walk from the castle. I remember going up a big oak staircase to a large bedroom. Her we saw items that are normally seen in the books on Colditz. the fake rifles, german uniforms, and the original hatch that Aiery Neave escaped through. he said his family had hidden the items when told to destroy them. We offered to pay him for his time but he would not accept a penny, he was very pro British. We felt very privilaged to have seen the castle in its original state.

@ackers36 20 дней назад

We were stationed in RAFG in ‘91 and did the same trip. I was a youngish kid at the time but had seen the Colditz Story movie and couldn’t quite believe we could simply wander in. It was either still a mental hospital at that time too or was in the process of being handed over/re-roled as I remember there being faces at the windows and parts of the castle that were off limits.

@davegoldsmith4020 20 дней назад

@@ackers36 it was a surreal time. After we left the castle we went into the town, and got some shopping. The Cinema had been turned into a supermarket. the stuff was piled on the floor, on the stage were some basic freezers and fridges. First time i had shopped in a supermarket with a slopping floor. We drove into Berlin, the checkpoints had gone but at every one there were russian lorries full of soldiers.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Must have been so surreal and incredible to have visited then! I've seen various documentaries from that time just after the Wall came down and now the castle has a very different look to it with the freshly painted walls etc and clearly better than when it was under the DDR but I can only imagine how imposing it must have been to see itin the 90's! And also incredible to see the items that are now in the museum today! Thank god they were saved and not just disposed of!

@davegoldsmith4020 16 дней назад

@@WW2Wayfinder it was a strange and interesting time. We also visited Buchenwald on the way to Berlin. we were the only people from the west there that day, with lots of Russian Schoolchildren with their teacher in uniform, they totally ignored us, once they heard us speak in english to each other. The camp had not been westernised at the time so when we went into the large building it still had exhibits like the shrunken heads and lampshades of human skin. Everything was labelled in Russian, German, English and Hebrew, with a small relevant flag by the entry. Every entry we read in English glorified Russian and how they had won the patriotic war with little support from the west. As we drove to Berlin we passed through towns that still had evidence of war damage that had been repaired. and lots of Neon signs. the shops with queues were the TV shops, not the food shops!. As we drove into Berlin the checkpoint buildings had been removed to be replaced with Russian lorries, parked to slow you up, with young conscripts sitting in them, you got the sense they were just waiting the call to shut the road.

@johnhalley974 День назад

I was there in October 89….Back then it wasn’t all freshened up like it is now…It was probably more like it was during wartime.

@DerUrahn 21 день назад

Colditz ist ca. 1 Stunde von meinem Heimatort entfernt! Ein sehr guter Bericht, vielen Dank!

@WW2Wayfinder 21 день назад

Thank you! Definitely worth the visit if you’re able to drive over that way! The artefacts in the museum were incredible to see!

@sueannoquinn6788 19 дней назад

I'm using my wife's tablet. I was stationed in Zirndorf, FRG. When the wall came down, I was into DDR every weekend. I visited this place.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Great that you were able to see it in the 90's! I bet it looked quite different then after years of control by the DDR!

@robertvirtue 20 дней назад

You really do justice to history. I can see you put your heart and soul every episode . Thank-you for educating us and entertaining us. We all look forward to the NEXT ONE.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you so much! I do try as it's my passion. I won't try and claim I get it right all the time but it does genuinely come from a place of love for the events of those years and wanting to pay homage to those who went before!

@peterrussell663 21 день назад

Great video. I and my co-author were there in April 23, researching the location where the last Dartmoor tin miner, Capt Harry ‘Pop’ Vernon Olver DCLI MM, died in 1943. Much research finally found that he was part of the Escape Committee, probably due to his mining and engineering skills. Pop was 51 when he died, hence the moniker as he was at least 20 years older than the majority of his fellow PoWs, and is now buried in the Berlin Military Cemetery.

@WW2Wayfinder 21 день назад

Oh wow, thank you for sharing that about Pop! The sheer amount of stories from Colditz was quite overwhelming when I started to really look into the place and I’m glad you were able to go there and retrace his steps! Do you have a book coming out about Captain Vernon then?

@johnneville403 21 день назад

Great video! Reminds me of watching the TV drama Colditz on Sunday evenings when I was a kid. Brilliant to see the real locations.

@WW2Wayfinder 21 день назад

Thank you! I’ve got the series on dvd and loved the John mills 1955 film about the castle so it’s always been a place I’ve wanted to see first hand and I’m glad I did! It’s just a shame that it was the last weekend before the prisoners half was being renovated so I couldn’t really gain access to the places I wanted to but still very pleased I’ve been there.

@spitfire1962 День назад

Great to see this video. I have just binge watched the 1970’s TV series and yes I did watch it back then too. Glad you showed the Colditz game. My brother would always win, whether he was a prisoner or a guard.

@WW2Wayfinder 2 часа назад

The game is great isn't it! I love playing it and to be able to bring it to Colditz was good fun. the 70's TV series was great and I have it on DVD so need to dig it out and watch it again! Thanks for watching!

@SteveMrW 20 дней назад

Jon, I have watched your videos for a while now and I have to say I was transported into Colditz and its WW2 story. In the 70’s I watched the TV series, but you took the story to another level. Thank you.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Thanks Steve! Really kind of you to say that mate and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Apparently the TV series is availbe here on RU-vid now if you've not seen it recently.

@gaius_enceladus 19 дней назад

I loved reading Pat Reid's book on Colditz - "The Colditz Story" and "The Latter Days of Colditz". I also loved the awesome BBC drama series "Colditz" - packed with great actors - David McCallum, Robert Wagner, Bernard Hepton. Wonderful series - very gripping!

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

I've got Pat's book on a shelf, but sadly not found the time to properlly read it yet but agree about the series, it's excellent!

@firstcitytraveler 21 день назад

What an amazing video. I'm sure most of WW2 enthusiasts have seen videos or read books about Colditz Castle. I even saw a TV program on the glider story. But this tour of the castle was outstanding. Thanks, Jon for the amazing tour.

@WW2Wayfinder 21 день назад

It’s an incredible place and even today a daunting on to look up at from the town. I can’t imagine what the POWs must have felt when they first arrived there. The TV Series, Colditz is worth a look if you’re able to find a copy.

@zcam1969 20 дней назад

there was a Hollywood movie made about that glider attempt . i seen it 50 years ago .

@rosesandsongs21 12 часов назад

Great presentation, you make it all come alive very nicely, thank you so much. Many close misses but honestly, the watch that came undone and fell off, the zealous Brit who picked it up and out of a gentlemanly outpour of the most harmless and admirable kind, brought it back to the gorgeous... thing, and who, by doing so, in the most involuntary mistake of the century, woke the guards out of some lethargic stupor, turned a brilliant plan into a dismal failure, led the lifetime project of a fellow inmate to its worst possible outcome, and probably had nightmares about it for the rest of his life... Now, that beats any escape story I ever heard of in my whole life, and I will never wear a watch again, ever! : )

@WW2Wayfinder 2 часа назад

Thank you! Yes, its quite incredible isn't it how that one gesture of kindness led to the attempt failing!

@davidwatt7663 8 часов назад

Excellent video thank you very much 😊👍🇬🇧

@WW2Wayfinder 2 часа назад

Glad you enjoyed it! Colditz is a fascinating place to visit!

@elderforest617 21 день назад

Wonderful tour - so many stories! Thanks for sharing.

@WW2Wayfinder 21 день назад

Glad you enjoyed it! Was quite the experience to walk around there and explore the place!

@brettcurtis5710 5 дней назад

I read both of P R Reid's books as a teenager - along with the Great Escape, The Wooden Horse and a couple of other escaper's memoirs - The Colditz Story and The Latter Days of Colditz were both great reads! The ingenuity these men showed in times of adversity was remarkable! Also Kiwi officer Charles Upham VC & Bar was imprisoned there after capture in Nth Africa!

@WW2Wayfinder 4 дня назад

They were incredible weren’t they. I was lucky to have a maths teacher whose mother worked the Comet Line during the war. My regret is I didn’t spend more time asking him about it!

@paulrobinson8263 21 день назад

Excellent presentation once again, i was lucky enough to stay in the youth hostel within its walls a few years ago. We could walk around the castle before it opened to the public and i came across an unlocked door and thought should i or not, anyway i did venture through it and climbed a series of steps to end up in the attic areas, very eerie and very quiet at the time, wasn’t challenged in any way and i never touched anything, i have photos if required of the upper quite empty floors. I returned to the door quickly thinking someone might have locked us in but we hadn’t, the visit was one i will never forget, thanks again for sharing, Robbo 👍

@WW2Wayfinder 21 день назад

I also stayed in the hostel! Wasn’t quite what I had expected but still a great experience to be there. I didn’t sneak around much sadly but wish I had now you’ve said that!!!

@paulrobinson8263 21 день назад

@@WW2Wayfindergot a few pics if interested but not sure how to get them to you 👍

@WW2Wayfinder 20 дней назад

I’d definitely love to see them. My email is: contactww2wayfinder@gmail.com

@dankorolyk5917 5 дней назад

One of the best episodes Jon,well done

@WW2Wayfinder 4 дня назад

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. It’s such a fascinating place, I just wish I could have spent longer there exploring it!

@leesherman100 20 дней назад

Another excellent video. Educational, entertaining and just downright fun overall. Keep up the good work and I look forward to your next video as always.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Thanks!!!! Glad you enjoyed this one and hopefully it shows just how amazing it was that anyone actually escaped from the castle given how dominating it was, and still is tody!

@Alan-gx8gf 10 дней назад

Hello , I have been watching a few Episodes of " Colditz" starring David McCallum and Bernard Hepton , fantastic story . ✌

@WW2Wayfinder 9 дней назад

Thats a fantastic series isn't it! Hope my video helped add to it! Thanks for watching.

@gilesgander155 20 дней назад

Thank you, epic stories of my youth and life lessons still employed

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

You're most welome!

@carolking6355 14 дней назад

I read a comment by Pat Reid’s grandson on one site. What an honour. Pat wrote a book on Colditz . I am old with failing eyesight. Yours looks like a great video which as an historian I will enjoy. Not the right word. Horrific is better. Just started. Had no idea it was so huge. The series on colditz is really worth watching too. I have seen it three times. Am sure this too will be really facjnating. Thank you for posting.

@WW2Wayfinder 14 дней назад

Thank you so much! Colditz is a fascinating place and still in 2024, a very imposing place to visit! I’ve no idea how the men who were marched into captivity there had the mental fortitude to devise the escapes they did! The tv series is also excellent and now on RU-vid!

@francesbernard2445 День назад

After watching this video I will never again experience being arbitrarily nicknamed, "Spitfire" in quite the same way again from now on. Not that me being compared to only a vessel for travelling in at the time again by someone else too would impress me so much more now.

@johndavid2054 17 дней назад

Very interesting information. Did you see the the number of escape attempts by nationality information in the museum? The British attempts were top by very, very many. When I went I was alone with the head guide who had the keys! We went to a solitary confinement cell which was through an office type place. He said that because it overlooked the outside world, prisoners there might have felt less ‘solitary’. I don’t know but the place lived up to my expectations. He told me that several non UK tourists turned up because of its history and were surprised and shocked by its WW2 use.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! And yes I did, I did the guided tour while I was there as I was curious to see what was behind some of the doors however I wasn't able to do the FULL guided tour sadly as it was the weekend before they closed for the winter and the new iPad tour they've created (not a fan of those personally as I don't want to stare at a screen when I'm in a spot as important as Colditz but just my views on that).

@Admin-um9tl 9 дней назад

Fantastic video. thanks for sharing

@WW2Wayfinder 9 дней назад

My plesure, thanks for taking the time to watch nad I'm glad you enjoyed it!

@TonyNicholls-gi9le 10 дней назад

Absolutely marvelous tour video.

@WW2Wayfinder 9 дней назад

Thank you! glad you enjoyed it!

@wildcolonialman 20 дней назад

And the remarkable TWICE AWARDED Victoria Cross Sir Charles Upham, was also sent to Golditz. Described as always angry, on Wars end, immediately armed himself and set off to join the War. Nearly escaped several times from Camps-and sent to Golditz, Captain. But never tried escaping from Golditz I believe. Fabulous effort.

@michaelrooks4030 17 дней назад

True mate he did try to join up with an American unit but the British put a stop to that and sent him back to Britain..after all he had to receive his bar for his VC from the King...a truly amazing man and a kiwi legend ...get a chance and read his book ..Mark of the Lion..awesome read

@francesbernard2445 День назад

Amazing.

@GhostRider247 20 дней назад

how amazing is this !!! thank you so much !!!!

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Glad you like it! Colditz has been on my list of must see places for a long time so glad I was able to share it!

@dawnlefevre9172 19 дней назад

This is exactly why I love this channel! I learn so much! Never heard of Colditz castle or of it's war use!! Absolutely awesome! Thank you!

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Glad I was able to show you something new! Colditz at least used to be a word in common useage when I was growing up in reference to anywhere imposing or where you didn't want to be, and when I was in trianing many years ago RAF Cranwell was nicknamed Colditz by those of us going through training there! Although in fairness we got let out at weekends for the most part!

@michaelcostigane552 7 дней назад

Fantastic video, mate thanks

@WW2Wayfinder 4 дня назад

Glad you enjoyed it. Colditz is a great place to explore.

@davidk7324 20 дней назад

Well done. I enjoyed this and learned a great deal.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the episode!

@dayitabiradatta5870 8 дней назад

Ben MacIntyre,'s book is nuanced look at the prison at Colditz. It focuses on the internal relations between the different groups of prisoners, and a subtle analysis of the Commadant

@mikehall5815 20 дней назад

What a piece of History. Great job Jon 👏.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Thank you Mike! Glad you enjoed it and hopefully it shows just how imposing Colditz Castle truly was!

@bobney569 19 дней назад

Fantastic video, thanks very much for sharing. I have been fascinated by Colditz since playing the board game with my family many years ago. It was great to actually see the castle features that became familiar to us from the game. Thanks again and I hope to visit Colditz myself one day.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it and I'm a big fan of the board game! I hope you're able to make it over to the castle, and I think there are flights to Leipzig which is the closest airport so it's definitely posible if you have the time.

@chrisgeorge651 20 дней назад

Thanks Mate love the storytelling. Learnt a lot

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

My pleasure! I just hope I was able to show just how impressive and yet imposing Colidtz Castle still is to this day! Thanks for watching.

@viperbaron1 20 дней назад

Another outstanding video! Thanks for sharing.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you!

@cliffgray9822 20 дней назад

Brilliantly done good sir. Thanks for the look inside this fantastic story in history. ❤💯

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!!!

@matthewaves255 20 дней назад

Brilliant video. I went there around 8 years ago and had the guided tour. Fascinating. For a long weekend you can base yourself in Leipzig, hire a car and do Colditz, Mittelwerk and Buchenwald fairly easily.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! Great that you've been there and as you say definitley a lot to see in the surrounding area. Sadly I only had the Saturday and Sunday there but was really pleased to finally be able to get there and see it first hand! THanks for watching!

@oedsnicolai4989 20 дней назад

I remember watching the television series, this tour is great and brings a lot of extra information. 👍

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! I've not watched the series for a long time now but remember it being really good.

@Normandy1944 16 дней назад

Absolutely wonderful coverage and detailing of events. Like yourself I've always been enamored with the events of this great historic site.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Many thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it, it really is an incredible place to visit given the sheer amount of escapes and the stories from there!

@ww2recon 18 дней назад

Been a long time coming, watched this a couple of times already......loved it mate!

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thanks mate! Definitly one of the longer edits as I had a raging cold while I was there which ws just my luck!

@gibraltersteamboatco888 20 дней назад

Excellent tour. Thank you. Macintyre's book sheds light on the brutal hierarchy amongst the prisoners.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

I need to get a copy of that book as I've heard good things about it!

@dnldcow 20 дней назад

Thank you Jon for a amazing video I had heard stories about the castle , what a amazing place. please bring more like this.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Glad you enjoyed this one! Colditz is an incredible place and remains a very imposing sight even today. I just cannot imagine how those young men would have felt as they marched through the gates there.

@dnldcow 14 дней назад

@@WW2Wayfinder I to can't even imagine how they felt as they marched into places like this had to be horrible.

@donl1846 20 дней назад

Excellent research combined with videos/photos made this piece of WW-II history very interesting. Most of the information presented here I was not aware of, thank you for the tour and experience.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

You're most welcome! Hopefully it showed some areas that aren't often seen on documentaries about the castle!

@Staggerlee286 20 дней назад

Excellent video, Jon! I’m always looking forward to the next one. Love your channel!

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Thank you! Glad you liked this one, it took a long time to edit in amoungst other stuff going on so I'm glad I was finally able to publish it!

@troykauffman3963 20 дней назад

Great story about Colditz castle Jon, really well done sir. The stories from Colditz castle are absolutely phenomenal and never cease to amaze me. Learned a lot, thank you very much. 🫡

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

As always Troy, thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. I just wish I'd had more time to film there and document more of it but I only had a small window to film in so did what I could but I'd love to make it back there one day

@jas_1959 19 дней назад

Smashing Jon loved the story incredible detail. Thanks !!!

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

My pleasure! Just sorry I couln't tell more of the stories from the castle but there are so many it's unreal and I'd need a whole series on them to do it the justice they really deserve!

@455constable 18 дней назад

Brilliant video, thank you

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thanks you so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

@johnrye6752 20 дней назад

Top notch! Would love to get there one day,cheers 🇦🇺

@WW2Wayfinder 20 дней назад

Thank you! It’s definitely a great place to spend a weekend and explore the castle and the town. Still amazes me how those who were POWs there managed the escape attempts that they did!

@StudjoInfinity 19 дней назад

An absolute great video! What a story, the best moviewriters couldnt even make up some of those escapes/attempts

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! And I agree some of them seem too far fetched to even come from a Hollywood script! Amazing the engenuity those men displayed while they were held captive!

@cliffmcilwee9123 19 дней назад

Really enjoyed this video, so informative and interesting, thanks very much for your excellent work, keep it up !

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

@glynnhm0lsg308 10 дней назад

great video really enjoyed this

@WW2Wayfinder 9 дней назад

Thank you!

@TheFergie9 20 дней назад

Great episode & highlights the incredible story of S/L G.Stephenson,which I watched in the series 'Colditz' (in black & white) on BBC as a child.I have also visited 19 Sqdn Museum at Duxford

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! Everytime I see his former Spitfire fly at Duxford I'm grateful to those who took the time and money to put it back in the air!

@ronnieince4568 6 дней назад

Some 28 British escaped and made successful home runs .I knew one Lt Commander W L Stephens DSO -he after the war married a girl who helped him on his escape journey, he died when retired in France 20 years ago . France in the earjy

@neilharrison1420 20 дней назад

amazing watch .great stuff

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Thanks for watching! Colditz is one of those places that needs many episodes to do it the justice it deserves given how many incredible tales there are behind the castle walls!

@greggriffin1 20 дней назад

Always enjoy your content and we never miss them, thank you for all the indebt history posts.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Thank you Greg I really appreciate that!

@suepalin9202 20 дней назад

I thoroughly enjoyed this video, Jon, so many thanks for producing it. The drone footage shows the extent of the castle and its impregnability - as you say, first sight of it for the prisoners must have been daunting and somewhat disheartening. I liked the anecdote about Airey Neave's green uniform! The TV series of Colditz is very good and can be found on YT. Best!

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Glad you enjoyed it! It's such an impressive place but the walls seem extreemly tall when you're stood inside of the court yard! I just can't imagine the mental fortitude those men had to devise ways to over come them both physically and mentally!

@quirkygreece 20 дней назад

Great Vid, Jon. I enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed the Colditz tv series!

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Glad you enjoyed it! The tv series was great wasn't it, and hard to think most of it was filmed in the north of England and Scotland I beleive!

@adamcoleCat425 20 дней назад

Love it !! Very good video thank u . Ur a very good narrator . Very good story 👌

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

@dannyjeurissen 20 дней назад

Very interesting video, we have again learned quite a bit about WW2

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

@jas_1959 19 дней назад

Thanks!

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you!!!!!

@adambanul7660 17 дней назад

Great job !!!!

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

@MenealGosso 5 дней назад

I really love your taste and style always so chic. My faves would be the kislux leather backpack and the Swarovski pave diamond ring so gorg. Thank you for your recommendations.

@davidking6172 19 дней назад

Well told thank you

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you so much!

@gsr4535 18 дней назад

Nice video. Thanks. 👍

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thanks for watching! I'd definitly recommend a visit to the castle if you're able to travel that way as it's quite something to see it in person!

@gsr4535 17 дней назад

@@WW2Wayfinder I would love to visit there. I'm an American and I grew up watching the wonderful British series "Colditz" in the 1970's! I still watch it on RU-vid today! 👍

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Oh cool! I know that Colditz isn’t as well known in the U.S., or at least I’m led to believe that’s the as it is in the UK. Great that you’ve seen the series, I’ve got it on dvd and really must go through it again!

@nedmaletdecarteret1991 20 дней назад

Thank you. My friend's uncle was there. Charles Lockett RAF.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Oh wow, I just looked him up and what a story! Hard to imagine how those men of the Advanced Striking force got onboard their aircraft in the Spring of 1940 knowing full well they were no match for the Luftwaffe.

@nedmaletdecarteret1991 16 дней назад

Indeed, Fairey Battle, obsolete. My friend has very interesting memorabilia.

@eddiefelson782 17 дней назад

Great video, great research.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you so much!

@dale1956ties 19 дней назад

Thanks for this. I am subbed and enjoy your content.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed this one, it was quite incredible to be able to visit there and see it first hand!

@dale1956ties 16 дней назад

@@WW2Wayfinder Yes, it's an incredible and imposing place. Thanks again.

@carolking6355 14 дней назад

The Best ! 😊😊

@WW2Wayfinder 14 дней назад

Thank you!

@marthaterhune9821 20 дней назад

Well done!

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the episode!

@zcam1969 20 дней назад

how are you guys doing Mark ,i haven't seen you in while. my parachuted into Holland during 'Operation Market Garden' September 14th 1944. take care my friend

@bobleicht5295 20 дней назад

Bravo!

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you!

@TI4438 11 дней назад

Damn this was good! Hoping to see more like this. Is this the place where an escape tunnel was shown to a tour guide by former prisoners? The tunnel was unknown until that moment.

@WW2Wayfinder 9 дней назад

Could well have been given how many escape attempts were made from Colditz. The place was like a labyrinth made worse given how it have been built up for centuries without formal plans so all sorts of secret spaces exisited there!

@skyedog24 20 дней назад

Very riviting , this is a great documentary. And there's no people in the background which is very rare it seems.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! I was lucky that it was the last weekend in October last year before they closed for the winter and it was really quiet.

@dayitabiradatta5870 7 дней назад

Airey Neave wrote his book They Have Their Exits

@WW2Wayfinder 7 дней назад

I need to find a copy of that at some point!

@orlandowaldstein685 6 часов назад

Greetings from New Zealand. Sir, did you go to school with Mark Felton? The two of you minic eachother for thoroughness continuity of thought etc etc Sterling effort for the both of you

@WW2Wayfinder 2 часа назад

haha thank you! Very kind of you to say so.

@994206 17 часов назад

The clever ones, never got caught!

@Useaname 20 дней назад

Thank you. Very interesting. Is is worth staying in the area a few days to see other attractions.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Thank you, and yes I'd recommend a week in the area as there is a lot of wartime histroy around there. For example Dresden isn't too far away.

@Useaname 16 дней назад

@@WW2Wayfinder ah excellent. Thank you. Much appreciated

@Michel-og5sg 20 дней назад

Superbe document de qualité

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Merci!

@andrewfischer8564 19 дней назад

great tv show with robert wagner and david mccellum

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

It's a great series isn't it! It's been a few years since I last watched it but remembered really enjoying it!

@bill2066 19 дней назад

The TV series is fantastic.

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

I've got the boxset on DVD and it's been years since I've seen so need to break it oout and some point and get stuck into it again!

@bill2066 17 дней назад

@@WW2Wayfinder Liked and subd!

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you! Hope you like my other stuff on here!

@garlicandchilipreppers8533 20 дней назад

Just up the road from Colditz was another Prison Camp that was Grimma.

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

So much wartime history in that area, along with the Cold War and the DDR too so definitley a great spot for history buffs!

@robertmiller2173 7 дней назад

New Zealand’s famous Charles Upham from the 20th Battalion, a Pakeha (European Ancestry) battalion from the South Island of New Zealand. The New Zealand Māori 28th Battalion were well feared by their/our enemy. Charles Upham was the only double VC in WW2. The Rugby mindset made the Kiwis very tough, and our troops and population had a high Protein diet!

@WW2Wayfinder 7 дней назад

@@robertmiller2173 he features at 33:10😀

@rappers5719 19 дней назад

How beautiful is it?

@jjsmallpiece9234 20 дней назад

I always think about WW2 POW escape stories is that getting out of the prison camp is only the start of a prisoners problems. The chances are, from a British point of view, is someone is not likely to speak a European language, once out of the prison you are then maybe 4-500miles behind enemy lines, travel is difficult, risking capture by having to interact with rail staff etc. Yo have to admire the courage of the men who tried to escape

@BrianMarcus-nz7cs 19 дней назад

Desperation

@user-ml3rb7mv1g 4 дня назад

The Officer prisoners unbelievably had batmen to scivvy for them. Double amputee and "hero" Douglas Bader had a batman carry him around on his back and treated him like dirt. No wonder they had time on their hands to plot their escapes. I don't want to be churlish. I 'm sure they were brave men but these are the facts. Ian Dee.

@WW2Wayfinder 4 дня назад

@@user-ml3rb7mv1g spot on. When I heard of Bader’s treatment of his Batman I was discussed. Not letting him escape when he had the chance was a horrid way to treat someone. While Bader was a good pilot and overcame some monumental stuff, I don’t rate him very highly as a decent person

@davidanderson1889 14 дней назад

Was Airey Neave not also the British officer that handed the indictment to Hermann Goering just before the Nuremberg trials?

@WW2Wayfinder 14 дней назад

I believe he was!

@kapfe1933 18 дней назад

Is this the same guy martin, who rode the isle of man TT?

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

The one and the same! He also recreated Steve McQueen's famous jump from the Great Escape! The lad is an absolute legend in my eyes!

@fok13 10 дней назад

I don't know if there were bBelgium prisoners but i do know there were Dutch officers in captivity

@1psychofan 18 дней назад

This is an amazing episode! I learned so much! Excellent!!!

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Glad you enjoyed it! I'm just sorry I couldn't cover all the incredible stories from the castle as it would take so many episodes to do it justice!

@peteruk1 8 дней назад

My grandfather was at colditz . He never really talked about it so that alone says a lot doesn't it. Typical of the Germans to cash in on the past. A Hostal.... Please. So not only has it been proven they deny history by not teaching this in their schools they result to , like I've already said cashing in on the place. When my grandfather made the only return trip to colditz with my father in the 80s my grandfather even had to correct the guide who was given false information. My grandfather was in the end asked to complete the tour which he did ,so the tour was accompanied by a very red faced guide, but the group went away for once being told the truth.

@jemwand2530 День назад

Winston Churchill's nephew, was not; in reality; of churchill's lineage.. he simply shared the same surname and used it to his advantage.

@WW2Wayfinder 2 часа назад

True, all from Churchill's wife, Clementine's side of the family.

@TheYeti308 20 дней назад

A great tale of cat and mouse .

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Couldn't agree more, and that was just the start of it for the prisoners, if they managed to get out, then having to make it across occupied Europe to freedom!

@zcam1969 20 дней назад

my dad seen those Hitler youth 12 ,14 year old kids killed on the battle field .

@WW2Wayfinder 16 дней назад

Hard to imagine today what that geneeration witnesed!

@ManikasKathern 4 дня назад

All dat kislux bags sssssoooooooo gorgeous

@albertseabra9226 14 дней назад

Germans did treat their western captives, specially Officers, quite well. Unfortunately, Russian prisioneirs didn't get a comparable treatment. A major German blunder At the outset, in many parts of the Soviet Union, the Germans were were received. In spite of all the brutality, the Germans managed to form several divisions of Russians soldiers and Officers. Fighting against the Red Army. After the Nazi capitulation, the "Dissidents" were handed over to Stalin, who delt with them in a rather predictable manner. The Jewish Policies, the stupid and criminal way they handle German interactions with "non-arians" arguably made them lose the War. Einstein and other major Scientists escaped to the US and the UK -- and thousands of important figures of the Academic and Artístic world.

@WW2Wayfinder 14 дней назад

Agreed. Very much a case of two different wars being fought at the same time from the German perspective.

@LouisDaniel-f2z 5 дней назад

🎉🎉😢

@WW2Wayfinder 4 дня назад

Thank you.

@clovergrass9439 18 дней назад

@WW2Wayfinder 17 дней назад

Thank you!

@rogerhudson9732 3 дня назад

I get a bit fed up with this elitist 'escape history' involving Allied Officers, the vast majority of Allied prisoners, many tens of thousands, were 'Other Ranks' not officers and they were kept in work camps and places like the coal mines in Silesia. Some worked in mines from the fall of France until the 1945 forced marches to the West. Lines of marching prisoners when some were even shot at by RAF aircraft. Let's have a balanced history of POWs.

@WW2Wayfinder 3 дня назад

@rogerhudson9732 have a look at my episode about STALAG VIIA then. I’ve filmed there maybe two or three times and covered what became one of Germany’s biggest POW camps so on my channel the balance is very much in favour of the standard POW camps.

@carolking6355 14 дней назад

Ps.I need to say this is factual. The series I mentioned had artists licence. Really appreciating this thank you.