Attempts to escape Oflag IV-C

51°07′51″N 12°48′27″E / 51.13078°N 12.80748°E / 51.13078; 12.80748

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Prisoners made numerous attempts to escape from Oflag IV-C, one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II. Between 30 and 36 men succeeded in their attempts - exact numbers differ between German and Allied sources. The camp was situated in Colditz Castle, perched on a cliff overlooking the town of Colditz in Saxony.

The German Army made Colditz a Sonderlager (high-security prison camp), the only one of its type within Germany. Field Marshal Hermann Göring even declared Colditz "escape-proof." In spite of this claim, there were many well-documented escapes and failed attempts by British, Canadian, French, Polish, Dutch, and Belgian inmates. Despite some mistaken beliefs to the contrary, Colditz Castle was not used as a prisoner of war camp in World War I.