The Colditz Story

By: P.R. Reid

Narrated by: Tim Woodward

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Colditz - the dreaded POW camp was supposed to be impregnable. It was the German fortress from which there was no escape. It had been escape-proof in the 1914-18 war and was to be again in the Second World War, according to the Germans... This is the true story that has passed into legend: the story of the incredible courage and daredevil ingenuity of those who refused to admit defeat - those who burrowed, leapt and ran their way to freedom. It is the story of the finest escapers of World War Two, culminating in the author’s own dramatic escape in 1942.

©2001 P.R. Reid (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

One of the best in the genre

Author has a great sense of humor. The stories from Colditz are funny despite those killed and injured. This is serious and I appreciate the levity he brings to the story. The narrator is perfect, His reading and accent so add to the flavor of the story. Loved the Gestapo being outwhitted by the prisoners. Puts the lie to the myths about German efficiency.

Great book!

Great book great story and amazing narration I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good book!

But, audible app doesn’t work well at all on Apple Watch! And don’t work very well on phone!

absolutly brilliant

Incredible, it was like i was there in the castle itself. a real adrenaline rush with the escapes and also very informative on so many other escape strategies. A true game of cat and mouse. I loved it

Enthralling and exciting

Would you listen to The Colditz Story again? Why?

Yes, I would definitely listen to it again.

I read the book when I was a teenager and was just as enthralled as I was listening to the audio version.

This is a story about the human spirit under pressure and what is possible in a seemingly impossible situation.

There are lessons here for those of us who have never experienced war or oppression. No matter how hard we may think our lives are it is nothing compared to others around the world imprisoned or detained against their will.

Yet even under the worst of circumstances incredible feats can be achieved.

Reading the true stories of escapes from Colditz - the most impregnable and escape proof prisoner of war camp in World War II, Germany - is both nail biting and mind blowing.

The Colditz Story covers many seemingly impossible achievements - lock picking "unlockable" doors, building tunnels, hidden trapdoors, forging documents, making german uniforms from scraps around the POW camp and more.

The story is full of humour, surprise, tension and astonishment along with some sad sections when things don't go well.

When I hear about prisoners esaping from prison on the news I always think about this book. When someone has nothing to do but think about escaping 24 hours a day it is incredible what crazy, hair-brained and absolutely genius methods are dreamed up.

Overall it's an amazing story that in many ways reads like fiction and yet is 100% true.

I highly recommend it.

Good old memory for the book I read 30 years ago

We can never imagine what life was like as a prisoner of war. But this book comes close to giving you a picture of the bravery...

.....Stalag 17 Has Nothing on Colditz .....

If you like stories about the indomitable spirit of man then this should be required listening. Here Reid tells us his personal stories of escape from the Germans from two different prisons. And along the way he relates the many, many, other escape attempts being conducted in Colditz castle. You will be amazed at the ingenuity of the prisoners in their efforts to undermine the vigilance of the German captors. This is a great adventure and one told with the practiced skill of one who knows how to tell a story.

Don’t miss the sequel: THE LATTER DAYS OF COLDITZ by Paul Reid

Tim Woodward does accents—British, Dutch, Polish, French and especially German—perfectly. He is so entertaining that I will be seeking out more of his work. When he is speaking German so fluent is he that he sounds like a native German speaker. It is a real joy to listen to such a masterful performance.

Great Story! Love it!

I like the way the author opened up a whole new level of history to me. I've read a lot about WWII, but this just adds the finishing touch. I think I can say I am now addicted to POW and escape stories.

Excellent story and narrating.

Something I listened to on my daily commute, was not long till I would look forward to the drive to or from work.

Very interesting story

The story of Colditz was new to me. It listens more like a somewhat sterile memoir. The narrator uses a British accent, which gives some justification to the somewhat dry and understated British way of telling a story.

To look at a castle like Colditz and imagine that one could escape from it takes a lot of faith. The men who did it had more than faith. They had skill, persistence, and a resourcefulness rarely seen today. Very interesting story about their lives and the life of a prison during WWII.

AWESOME STORY, GOOD READER

Where does The Colditz Story rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

pretty close to the top! The narrator could do with a lot more tone and expression though.