Castle of the Eagles: Escape from Mussolini's Colditz

by Mark Felton

Overview

Vincigliata Castle, a menacing medieval fortress set in the beautiful Tuscan hills, has become a very special prisoner of war camp on Benito Mussolini’s personal order. Within are some of the most senior officers of the Allied army, guarded by almost two hundred Italian soldiers and a vicious fascist commando who answers directly to “Il Duce” Mussolini himself. Their unbelievable escape, told by Mark Felton in Castle of the Eagles, is a little-known marvel of World War II.

By March 1943, the plan is ready: this extraordinary assemblage of middle-aged POWs has crafted civilian clothes, forged identity papers, gathered rations, and even constructed dummies to place in their beds, all in preparation for the moment they step into the tunnel they have been digging for six months.

How they got to this point and what happens after is a story that reads like fiction, supported by an eccentric cast of characters, but is nonetheless true to its core.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250095855
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Publication date:	07/18/2017
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

MARK FELTON has written over a dozen books on prisoners of war, Japanese war crimes and Nazi war criminals, and contributes regularly to magazines such as Military History Monthly and World War II. His books include Zero Night.

Table of Contents

1. The Prize Prisoner

2. A Gift of Goggles

3. Mazawattee's Mad House

4. Men of Honour

5. Advance Party

6. The Travelling Menagerie

7. The Eagles' Nest

8. Trial and Error

9. Going Underground

10. Six Seconds

11. The Ghost Goes West

12. Under the Dome

13. Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow

14. The Pilgrim Band

15. Elevenses

16. Boy Scouting

17. Mickey Blows the Gaff

18. Night Crossing

Editorial Reviews

"Compelling...another excellent example of the author's growing library of sensational true war stories." —Soldier Magazine

"Recreated in the form of a novel, but with dialogue sequences based on the real words of veterans, written sources, diaries and spoken interviews, Felton really brings this taleof incredible wartime daring and heroism to life." —FamilyTree

“Mark Felton has given us an interesting look at little-known escapes from a formidable Axis prison by senior Allied officers, some of whom were far from youngsters. It is further proof, if we needed it, that while many plucky POWs attempted escape during World War II, few succeeded in making it home as a result.” —Stephen Dando-Collins, author of The Big Break: The Greatest American WWII POW Escape Story Never Told

From the Publisher