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How the Dutch fooled the guards during their
manhole escapes (see #12.). Hint: Look for the officer without any legs.
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Escaping Colditz
11: Late summer 1941
On three occasions in summer 1941, two Dutch officers
managed to escape. Two were caught, but four reached the Swiss border safely.
The Germans were stumped, until they noticed two Dutch officers slip into a
manhole in the park. The Germans had bolted the manhole cover shut, but the
Dutch had managed to get it off and replace it with a glass bolt, which those
hidden within could break by pushing from inside. When the moment was right,
those hidden climbed out and slipped over the wall.
Previous escape |
Next escape |
See the map
- First escape
April 12, 1941
- Straw mattresses
May 8, 1941
- Locked cells
Mid-May 1941
- Canteen tunnel
May 1941
- German woman
June 1941
- Air-raid shelter
June 1941
- Hacksaw
June 1941
- Over the wall
July 2, 1941
- Air shaft
July 28, 1941
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- Lavatory
July 31, 1941
- Manhole
Late summer, 1941
- Dummies
December 1941
- German officers
December 1941
- Main gate
January 6, 1942
- Town dump
March 1942
- Wooden crate
September 7, 1942
- Mussolini's office
September 9, 1942
- Headquarters building
October 15, 1942
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- Willi the electrician
December 1942
- "Maddest attempt"
May 11, 1943
- Franz Josef
September 2, 1943
- Cellar house
January 19, 1944
- Rubbish heap
May 2, 1944
- Greatest escaper
September 25, 1944
- Glider
April 1945
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Escaping Colditz |
The Jailor's Story |
Great Escapes |
The Colditz Glider
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