The Real Great Escape

The Story of the First World War’s Most Daring Mass Breakout

Biography & Memoir, Historical, Nonfiction, History, Military
Cover of the book The Real Great Escape by Jacqueline Cook, Penguin Random House Australia
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jacqueline Cook ISBN: 9780857981165
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia Publication: November 1, 2013
Imprint: Random House Australia Language: English
Author: Jacqueline Cook
ISBN: 9780857981165
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Publication: November 1, 2013
Imprint: Random House Australia
Language: English

Bigger than The Great Escape. The story of the first successful mass tunnel escape from a POW camp in First World War Germany.

Situated in Lower Saxony, Germany, Holzminden swung open its barbed wire gates to welcome its first guests in September 1917. It was here that the transient population of officers and orderlies from Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, India and Argentina found themselves at the mercy of the despotic Kommandant, Karl Niemeyer, who prided himself on his unblemished breakout record. Serial escapees who had attempted multiple escapes from other camps were sent here for containment.

A group of intrepid officers hatched a daring breakout plan that was to become the blueprint for escape attempts in subsequent wars. Under the feet of their German captors, the officers dug a 55m long tunnel through concrete foundations, rock and packed earth with little more than ingenuity and kitchen cutlery.

Nine months later, twenty-nine officers emerged from the exit hole in a nearby rye field and melted into the darkness of the German countryside. Running the gamut of a furious kommandant, search parties and townspeople eager to claim the reward for their recapture, ten escapees managed to reach neutral Holland -- and ultimately the safety of England.

To write this extraordinary book, Jacqueline Cook called for contributions from descendants of Holzminden POWs, who opened their treasure chests to offer personal anecdotes, wartime journals, unpublished photographs and artwork.

The Real Great Escape illuminates the amazing lives of a group of courageous men, from the victorious to the tragic.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Bigger than The Great Escape. The story of the first successful mass tunnel escape from a POW camp in First World War Germany.

Situated in Lower Saxony, Germany, Holzminden swung open its barbed wire gates to welcome its first guests in September 1917. It was here that the transient population of officers and orderlies from Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, India and Argentina found themselves at the mercy of the despotic Kommandant, Karl Niemeyer, who prided himself on his unblemished breakout record. Serial escapees who had attempted multiple escapes from other camps were sent here for containment.

A group of intrepid officers hatched a daring breakout plan that was to become the blueprint for escape attempts in subsequent wars. Under the feet of their German captors, the officers dug a 55m long tunnel through concrete foundations, rock and packed earth with little more than ingenuity and kitchen cutlery.

Nine months later, twenty-nine officers emerged from the exit hole in a nearby rye field and melted into the darkness of the German countryside. Running the gamut of a furious kommandant, search parties and townspeople eager to claim the reward for their recapture, ten escapees managed to reach neutral Holland -- and ultimately the safety of England.

To write this extraordinary book, Jacqueline Cook called for contributions from descendants of Holzminden POWs, who opened their treasure chests to offer personal anecdotes, wartime journals, unpublished photographs and artwork.

The Real Great Escape illuminates the amazing lives of a group of courageous men, from the victorious to the tragic.

More books from Penguin Random House Australia

Cover of the book When Colts Ran by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book Jack Of Diamonds by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster 2 by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book The Ex-Factor by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book Pearlie Goes to Rio by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book The General by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book Clementine Rose and the Bake-Off Dilemma 14 by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book The Other Christy by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book Confessions Of A Liar, Thief And Failed Sex God by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book The Ashes by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book I'm Being Stalked by a Moonshadow by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book Healthy Parents, Healthy Toddler: A Guide to Bonding, Breast Feeding and the Toddler Years by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book Salad Days by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book Floods 6: The Great Outdoors by Jacqueline Cook
Cover of the book Undercover by Jacqueline Cook
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy