For the first time on German television we intend to tell the story of this extraordinary place. Michael Wulfes from Ziegler Film, in a production for MDR and Arte, has met British and French veterans, eyewitnesses who journey to the almost unchanged Colditz Castle near Leipzig and talk to two former German guards there.

During the war, the Germans transferred to Colditz Castle prisoners who had already attempted to escape from other prisoner of war camps. Thus the castle came to be what was regarded as the most secure officers prison camp, where the Geneva Convention was strictly adhered to. Prominent prisoners such as Churchill's nephew served Hitler as security here and provided the castle with great significance during the war.

The Germans considered that Colditz was absolutely escape proof. But the prisoners -- British, French, Polish, Belgian and Dutch officers -- turned out to be highly motivated and gifted escapees. There is a certain dry humour to the stories of these escape attempts, while the wealth of inventive and spectacular schemes is quite unparalleled.

In order to trick the German guards the prisoners would forge and smuggle, steal and build things by hand. They disguised themselves; they do get tunnel right underneath the castle; they made a radio station -- and they even constructed a glider that was capable of flying. The German guards tried in despair to prevent attempted escapes with any method or strategy they could come up with. In order to train the soldiers on guard here several escapes were photographed, and these images are included in the film.

Despite the enormous security effort and the hopeless position the prisoners found themselves in, they made over 120 attempts to escape, of which 31 ended in “home runs”: successful escapes during which the prisoners succeeded in making their way back to their own countries.