Colditz - History Learning Site

On April 16, 1945, Colditz Castle, the high-security prisoner of war camp in Germany, was liberated by American troops.

"Probably the most famous attempt at escape was the building of a glider in an attic above the castle chapel. When the glider was built the idea was that the glider could be catapulted from the roof to the other side of the River Mulde with two men on board. The idea came from Bill Goldfinch and Anthony Rolt. Together with Jack Best and Stooge Wardle, they set about designing and building the glider. Using hundreds of pieces of wood – especially bed slats and floor boards – the men constructed the glider which they hoped would glide the 60 metres required to take two men to the other side of the Mulde. The skin of the glider was made from prison sleeping bags and the material’s pores were sealed by boiling prison issue millet and smearing it onto the material. However, their daring idea was never put to the test as the war ended before the glider had been completed."