Zero Night: The Untold Story of the Second World War's Most Daring Great Escape
Oct 2014 · Icon Books Ltd
5.0star
6 reviewsreport
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320
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About this ebook
'The story of a lesser known – but perhaps the greatest – escape of Second World War prisoners has been told in a new book.' The Scotsman
'This is undeniably history as it should be told and a thundering good read.' History of War Magazine
Oflag VI-B, Warburg, Germany: On the night of 30 August 1942 – 'Zero Night' – 40 officers from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa staged the most audacious mass escape of the Second World War.
It was the first 'Great Escape' – but instead of tunnelling, the escapers boldly went over the huge perimeter fences using wooden scaling contraptions. This was the notorious 'Warburg Wire Job', described by fellow prisoner and fighter ace Douglas Bader as 'the most brilliant escape conception of this war'.
Months of meticulous planning and secret training hung in the balance during three minutes of mayhem as prisoners charged the camp's double perimeter fences.
Telling this remarkable story in full for the first time, historian Mark Felton brilliantly evokes the suspense of the escape itself and the adventures of those who eluded the Germans, as well as the courage of the civilians who risked their lives to help them in enemy territory. Fantastically intimate and told with a novelist's eye for drama and detail, this is a rip-roaring adventure story, all the more thrilling for being true.
'This is undeniably history as it should be told and a thundering good read.' History of War Magazine
Oflag VI-B, Warburg, Germany: On the night of 30 August 1942 – 'Zero Night' – 40 officers from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa staged the most audacious mass escape of the Second World War.
It was the first 'Great Escape' – but instead of tunnelling, the escapers boldly went over the huge perimeter fences using wooden scaling contraptions. This was the notorious 'Warburg Wire Job', described by fellow prisoner and fighter ace Douglas Bader as 'the most brilliant escape conception of this war'.
Months of meticulous planning and secret training hung in the balance during three minutes of mayhem as prisoners charged the camp's double perimeter fences.
Telling this remarkable story in full for the first time, historian Mark Felton brilliantly evokes the suspense of the escape itself and the adventures of those who eluded the Germans, as well as the courage of the civilians who risked their lives to help them in enemy territory. Fantastically intimate and told with a novelist's eye for drama and detail, this is a rip-roaring adventure story, all the more thrilling for being true.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Stewart Duguid
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March 29, 2015
I just couldn't put this down. The ingenuity, bravery and determination that these guys showed comes through in this extremely well written book.
1 person found this review helpful
Joydeep Bhowmik
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July 3, 2024
I Always 🌺 Win 💌
About the author
Mark Felton has written over a dozen books on prisoners of war, Japanese war crimes and Nazi war criminals, and writes regularly for magazines such as Military History Monthly and World War II. He is the author of Today is a Good Day to Fight, an acclaimed history of the American west, and Japan's Gestapo (named 'Best Book of 2009' by The Japan Times). His most recent book is China Station: The British Military in the Middle Kingdom, 1839–1997. Originally from Colchester, Dr Felton has returned to the UK after living for almost a decade in Shanghai, China. He is married with one son. Visit www.markfelton.co.uk.
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