Colditz

I found this show very very good. I really enjoyed the acting, the costumes and the use of the German Language. (as a student of the German language, it was rather nice knowing what they were saying and not some gibberish to throw the average viewer off) The escape stories and sub-plots kept me on the edge of my seat. To me, this was not some mindless TV show where you switch your brain off. What held my interest was that it made you think. It was almost like playing chess. Who makes the next move? Robert Wagner, Jack Hedley and David McCallum are my favorites but I must say, I also found some of the German actors appealing too. Hans Meyer and Bernard Hepton were both splendid. It was nice seeing Mr. Hepton play a Kommandant after seeing him play a barkeeper in Secret Army (another British war/drama) Mr. Meyer's character (Hauptmann Ulmann) was as cold as ice and sometimes, those are the hardest characters to play. (his eyes - how many closeups did that guy have?) This show was not only entertaining, but I found it to be quite educational too. I plan to visit Colditz on my next trip to Germany. Unfortunately, I never did see the end of the series, so I don't know how it ends. I only saw up until end of first season (gone away part 1 and 2) so, if anyone saw the series (or remembers it) please feel free to e-mail me and tell me what happens. I think when History Channel decides to play it again, I'll probably be in Germany and these shows and channels are not available - even on satellite.

Some strange and uniformed comments/criticisms about this excellent series.

One says that was a 'goof' to show prisoners in 'dress uniforms'. A brief search for photos of Colditz prisoners online will show that all POW officers possessed proper uniforms, as under the Geneva Convention these could be requested via the Red Cross. It would have been an unlikely mistake, as Pat Reid was an adviser on the series.

Another says that there were no Americans in Colditz. There were in fact three Americans: Colonel Florimond Duke, Captain Guy Nunn, and Alfred Suarez.

Some liberties were clearly taken for dramatic effect. For example, the famous 'Tea Chest' escape is featured. David McCallum's character, Simon Carter was based on the real Tea Chest escaper, 'The Medium Sized Man' aka Fl Lt Dominic Bruce OBE MC AFM KSG (Wikipedia has a very comprehensive biography, well worth a read) who did not deliberately give himself up as Carter does, but was only caught weeks later in Danzig.

For the most part, this series gives a fairly accurate portrayal of the struggle between the inveterate escapers (you were only put in Colditz if you had escaped from somewhere else, and got caught) and the well trained German security officers.

This grim and claustrophobic series chronicles the lives of the allied prisoners in the supposedly escape-proof Colditz Castle designated Oflag IV-C during World War II. It describes events from the arrival of the first British prisoners after Dunkirk to join the existing Polish, French and Dutch prisoners, until the liberation of the castle by the Americans in 1945.

It records many attempts to escape, as well as the relationships formed between the various nationalities and their German captors. A grudging respect gradually develops between the two sides. Colditz is a Sonderlager (special camp), designed by the Nazis to hold high-risk and later Prominente (politically important prisoners).

Lieutenant Colonel John Preston (Jack Hedley) is the Senior British Officer (SBO). He is the very embodiment of British stiff upper lip. He gets along well with the Commandant, whom he respects but is adept at manipulating.

The Commandant (Bernard Hepton), known only by his forename Karl, is a moderate and honourable Oberst (Colonel), a Wehrmacht man, who adheres to the Geneva Convention to the best of his ability. He is anxious to be seen by the German authorities as running an orderly camp in order to prevent the SS and Gestapo from taking control. He relies on Colonel Preston to keep the British prisoners in check.

Captain Pat Grant (Edward Hardwicke) a young, hot-headed RAF officer who frequently finds himself in solitary confinement, is the first British escape officer in Colditz. His post is later taken by Flight Lieutenant Simon Carter (David McCallum), so that Pat Grant can himself attempt escape.

Hauptmann (Captain) Franz Ulmann (Hans Meyer) is the Security Officer at Colditz. His job is to prevent escapes. Like the Commandant, he is a Wehrmacht man who has no love for the SS. Because of his careful planning and sharp eyes and mind, he is able to avert many escape attempts as well as many attempts of the SS to take over the camp.

Major Horst Mohn (Anthony Valentine) is a very highly connected Nazi Party member. He constantly finds himself in conflict with the Commandant, and is frustrated by what he perceives as the treating of prisoners with 'kid gloves'. The prisoners loathe him. Unfortunately for them, he is ruthlessly intelligent and occasionally pulls off a devastating coup.

Almost all of the events depicted in the series have a basis in truth. While there is not a direct one-to-one relationship between the real and televised characters, most of the televised characters are loosely based on actual persons.

A major goof is that throughout the series captured British fliers are shown wearing full dress uniform, which of course they would not have worn on flying operations.

Watched this as a kid and then a few years ago, and am now binge watching again. After the first 3 parts that get the men to Colditz, this is one of the finest things the BBC ever did. The acting throughout is quite brilliant, with the passing of time - so hard to capture - superbly done. The exchanges between Jack Hedley and Bernard Hepton are some of the finest in the history of British TV.

"Colditz" was shown here in Finland as a rerun in 1997-98. It was based on the books "Colditz and the Latter Days" by Pat Reid which tell the story of a group of Allied POWs who have been sent to the most heavily guarded prison camp in Germany.

The series was so good that I did not miss a single show of it, I also bought the books on Colditz written by Reinhold Eggers (known as Ullmann in the series) and Pat Reid.

The series show how the POWs had to live in Colditz, a few went insane some died while trying to escape and some made a succesful escape. The series is among the best when it comes to drama.