Overview

This book tells the story of one of the most amazing PoW Camps of the second World War. Camp 186 held 6,000 mostly ''other ranks'' - ordinary Germans who had been forced into an abnormal situation.

Camp Life and Diversity

Home to extreme Nazis and to strong pacifists they formed a volatile mixture. Largely using original articles and letters by the prisoners, it tells some of their stories, from capture to arriving at night in a desolate field.

Conditions and Achievements

Living in bell tents and despite the bitterly cold winter and quagmire that formed, they created a hospital and theatres with a programme of which any professional company would be proud.

Community and Escapes

Despite the hatred and murders, they broke down the barriers of religion and even became home to a Catholic Seminary. The camp boasts what is probably the largest number of successful escapees in one attempt, but also the story of a prisoner who escaped but came back a year later - a case described by the Head of the British PoW Investigation Department as ''the most improbable story''.