The Colditz Story (Classics of World War II).

Alexandria, Virginia:: Time-Life Books, 1992.. Reprint Edition.. Hardbound . BINDING/CONDITION: from a uniformly bound series: tan marbled boards with half black imitation leather (corners and spine), all edges gilt, ribbon place marker, Very Good condition.. 8vo (8.5 inches tall) . Dramatis Personae at rear. Printed endpapers. Description: Originally published in 1952, this reprint edition is part of the Time-Life World War II Classics series, The Secret War. Colditz was the supposedly escape-proof castle, high on a pinnacle of rock, in which the Germans of World War II incarcerated the toughest and most ingenious of Allied prisoners of war. It turned out to be as vulnerable before the masterly and outrageous escape plans of its inmates as were the lesser camps. In this account, Patrick Reid vividly depicts the rigors of prison life and draws fine portraits of his fellow inmates -- adventurous 'Scarlet' O'Hara, tall and laconic Hank Wardle, the scholarly but daring Dutch naval officer Van Doorninck, and a score of others. He also details every nuance of the ornate escape schemes they cooked up. Of the prison itself Reid declared it an ''unspeakably grisly place'' that made ''our hearts sink into our boots.'' This copy includes the publisher's insert.