Attempts to escape Oflag IV-C

Common card · No. 490723

Prisoners made numerous attempts to escape from Oflag IV-C, one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II. Between 30 and 36 men succeeded in their attempts; German and Allied sources differ on the numbers. The camp was situated in Colditz Castle, perched on a cliff overlooking the town of Colditz in Saxony. The German Army made Colditz a Sonderlager (high-security prison camp), the only one of its type within Germany. Field Marshal Hermann Göring declared Colditz "escape-proof". There were many well-documented escapes and failed attempts by British, Canadian, French, Polish, Dutch, and Belgian inmates. Colditz Castle was not used as a prisoner of war camp in World War I. The escapes from Colditz have been described in many works of fiction and documentaries. This has popularized the unrealistic image of prisoner of war escapes as being common; this is sometimes referred to as the "Colditz Myth".

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