Castle of the Eagles: Escape from Mussolini's Colditz

Castle of the Eagles: Escape from Mussolini's Colditz
ISBN-10
1250095859
ISBN-13
9781250095855
Category
History
Pages
329
Language
English
Published
2017-07-18
Publisher
St. Martin's Press
Author
Mark Felton

Description

"The astonishing story of twenty-four British prisoners who used tunnels to break out of a highly fortified Italian castle-turned-prison during World War II. In March 1943, at Vincigliata Castle, a menacing medieval fortress set in the beautiful Tuscan hills of Italy, an extraordinary assemblage of middle-aged British POWs were finally ready to execute an escape. The castle, which became a special prisoner of war camp on Benito Mussolini's personal order, housed some of the most senior officers of the Allied army during World War II and was guarded by almost two hundred Italian soldiers and a vicious fascist commando who answered directly to Il Duce, Mussolini himself. The POWs housed there spent six months digging a tunnel, crafting civilian clothes, forging identity papers, gathering rations, and even constructing dummies to place in their beds. Castle of the Eagles tells the story of this unbelievable escape, which today is a little-known marvel of World War II. With an eccentric cast of characters, a riveting story, and exceptional writing, Mark Felton tells a remarkable story that reads like fiction but is nonetheless true to its core."--Jacket.

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