Even though it crashed shortly after take-off, the experiment proved that the glider would have worked and may have helped the escape of two prisoners at the castle, the Radio Times reports. The war ended before the Cock ever flew and no one knows if the crazy idea would have worked... until now. The Channel 4 material was edited to 60 minutes and shown in the US in 2001 as "Nazi Prison Escape" on the Nova television series. Quite a bit is already known about the glider and how it was built; there are the original plans and there is even a snapshot of it. UK freeview channel 4 is broadcasting the Colditz documentary; 'Escape From Colditz' on Monday 13th August at 21.00. However, they still placed lookouts, and created an electric alarm system, to warn the builders of approaching guards. The camp was in Colditz Castle, perched on a cliff overlooking the town of Colditz in Saxony. It is currently housed at the Imperial War Museum in London. Prison sleeping bags of blue and white checked cotton were used to skin the glider, and German ration millet was boiled and used as a form of dope to seal the cloth pores. Cambridge CB2 1PZ Flight Lieutenant Cenek Chaloupka traded goods for information and even had a girlfriend in the town. From the ledge they were able to cross to the guard house roof, and climb through an open window on the outer wall. Because of this decision, all of the Dutch and Polish prisoners and most of the French and Belgians were moved to other camps in July. It's hardly surprising the feat has never been attempted before. Channel 4 to air a one-off documentary about an audacious plan devised by British prisoners held at Colditz Castle during the Second World War to escape from the Nazis in the 'Colditz … The tunnel then proceeded out towards the proposed exit with two further descents, separated by shafts in the tough stone foundations of the castle. The programme was shown in 2000 by Channel 4 in the UK as part of a 3-part documentary series called "Escape from Colditz". The replica is now housed on loan at the Gliding Heritage Centre. By then Germans knew that the French were digging somewhere, based on the noise of tunnelling reverberating through the castle at night. Post-war he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, the only man to receive it for escaping during World War II. A team of engineers resurrect their plan. He removed the bolt from the lock on the door and returned to the courtyard.
Dutch sculptors made two clay heads to stand in for escaping officers at roll call. Some officers faked illnesses and mental illness in order to be repatriated on medical grounds. Since the Germans were accustomed to looking down for tunnels, not up for secret workshops, the officers felt quite safe from detection. This film is about the most audacious plan ever devised to escape from a prison camp. The Channel 4 material was edited to 60 minutes and shown in the US in 2001 as "Nazi Prison Escape" on the Nova television series. The horizontal shaft towards the chapel progressed 4 m (13 ft) before they hit rock too hard to dig. The only known photograph of the original glider taken on 15 April 1945 by Lee Carson, one of two American newspaper correspondents assigned to the task force which captured the castle.A Channel 4 documentary has recreated a 1945 World War Two British Army plan whereby British Army prisoners held at Colditz Castle were plotting to escape. The difference is that Reid claims any successful escape by an "official" Colditz POW a "home run" whereas most other historians only consider escapes from the castle or castle grounds itself as a "home run". He arrived at Colditz in 1942 (after attempting to escape from Spangenberg Castle disguised as a Red Cross doctor). Between 30–36 (German/Allied figures) men succeeded in their attempts.