Why read The Traitor of Colditz?

Book cover of The Traitor of Colditz: The Definitive Untold Account of Colditz Castle: 'Truly revelatory' Damien Lewis

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'A vastly entertaining tale, bursting with astonishing stories and extraordinary characters ... A fascinating read' Sunday Telegraph

'Brilliant ... An amazing story, one I hadn't heard too much about' Dan Snow

IT IS THE DEPTHS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

The Germans like to boast that there is 'no escape'…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Traitor of Colditz as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ian J. Miller

Author

What struck me about this book in the first place was it never occurred to me that prisoners stuck in Colditz could spy for the British. Quite remarkably, they somehow convinced the Germans they were really German sympathizers and were then allowed out periodically to wander around Germany.

Apparently, good information got back to Britain. The main attraction for me to the story was that besides being true, it was so unexpected.

It was also interesting that at the end of the war, Nazi sympathizers in Germany, including “Lord Haw Haw”, were promptly put on a trial that lasted a…

From Ian's 3 favorite reads in 2023.