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    The Escape Artists: A Band of Daredevil Pilots and the Greatest Prison Break of the Great War
    The Escape Artists: A Band of Daredevil Pilots and the Greatest Prison Break of the Great War
    The Escape Artists: A Band of Daredevil Pilots and the Greatest Prison Break of the Great War
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Escape Artists: A Band of Daredevil Pilots and the Greatest Prison Break of the Great War

    Written by Neal Bascomb

    Narrated by L.J. Ganser

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    About this audiobook

    Neal Bascomb, New York Times best-selling author, delivers the spellbinding story of the downed Allied airmen who masterminded the remarkably courageous-and ingenious-breakout from Germany's most devilish POW camp In the winter trenches and flak-filled skies of World War I, soldiers and pilots alike might avoid death, only to find themselves imprisoned in Germany's archipelago of POW camps, often in abominable conditions. The most infamous was Holzminden, a land-locked Alcatraz of sorts that housed the most troublesome, escape-prone prisoners. Its commandant was a boorish, hate-filled tyrant named Karl Niemeyer who swore that none should ever leave. Desperate to break out of "Hellminden" and return to the fight, a group of Allied prisoners led by ace pilot (and former Army sapper) David Gray hatch an elaborate escape plan. Their plot demands a risky feat of engineering as well as a bevy of disguises, forged documents, fake walls, and steely resolve. Once beyond the watch towers and round-the-clock patrols, Gray and almost a dozen of his half-starved fellow prisoners must then make a heroic 150 mile dash through enemy-occupied territory towards free Holland. Drawing on never-before-seen memoirs and letters, Neal Bascomb brings this narrative to cinematic life, amid the twilight of the British Empire and the darkest, most savage hours of the fight against Germany. At turns tragic, funny, inspirational, and nail-biting suspenseful, this is the little-known story of the biggest POW breakout of the Great War.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateSep 18, 2018
    ISBN9781980006800
    Author

    Neal Bascomb

    NEAL BASCOMB is the national award–winning and New York Times best-selling author of The Winter Fortress, Hunting Eichmann, The Perfect Mile,Higher, The Nazi Hunters, and Red Mutiny, among others. A former international journalist, he is a widely recognized speaker on the subject of war and has appeared in a number of documentaries. He lives in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://nealbascomb.com or find him on Twitter at @nealbascomb.  

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    Reviews for The Escape Artists

    4/5

    38 ratings5 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A spellbinding tale. Insightful about the strength, courage and determination of those Great War POWs. Excellent writing and superb narration.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      THE GRAND ESCAPE details the people and events around a major prison break from Holzminden during World War I. It begins by giving the reader some background on the events that led up to World War I including the building of professional armies and diplomatic efforts that were either non-existent or ineffectual. It introduces the Hague Conventions that were supposed to legislate the ethical and humane treatment of Prisoners of War. The British entered the war with enthusiasm and with the confidence that the war would soon be over with the Allies victorious. The book talks about the origins of the Royal Flying Corps which began as a rich man's club since they could afford the planes. It talks about the dangers of using this new technology in war where flying speeds were about 75 MPH and the ceiling for these open cockpit vehicles was 10,000 feet. After setting the scene, the book focuses on a few men who were mostly RFC pilots and spotters who crashed in German held territory and who were taken to various prisons. After numerous escape attempts, the most incorrigible found themselves at Holzminden which was commanded by Captain Karl Niemeyer who delighted in tormenting his prisoners in both great and small ways. The book details the some of the prisoners' plans to dig a tunnel out of the prison and then make their way to Holland where they would be out of German-controlled territory. It details the difficulty of the endeavor as men dug in claustrophobic conditions with bad air and the constant fear of tunnel collapse or discovery by the Germans. And getting through the tunnel was only the start of the ordeal. The escapees had to travel through hostile territory with very limited supplies and the constant fear of discovery.The book is profusely illustrated with photographs, maps, and other documents. There is an extensive bibliography, detailed chapter notes, and an extensive index (not provided in the Advanced Reader Copy I read.) I especially liked the Epilogue which followed up on a number of the men who managed to escape and make their way back to England and told how the lessons learned escaping from Holzminden helped POWs during World War II survive and escape.
    • 3/5
      The story of a number of British officers who were captured and escaped from a POW camp in Germany by tunneling out. A huge effort with 29 escapees. The book details the background of some involved - focusing largely on Gray, Kennard, and Blain who all were pilots. The book get a bit dry and I wished the primary source images and documents were easier to read within the text. It was a story I hadn't heard before.
    • 4/5
      During WWI numerous pilots and soldiers found themselves as prisoners of war. This book outlines the myriad of places that they were kept and their numerous attempts at escape. Although this was a very interesting book, I think it tried to present too many characters. It would have been better to focus on 4 or 5 characters, rather than telling fragments of dozens of men. Despite this criticism, I did enjoy this book and will recommend it to others.
    • 5/5
      Nonfiction account of one of the greatest prison breaks of World War I. Great detail and information about the preparation and execution of the break. Many authentic, original pictures and notes from the actual characters involved. If you like Alan Gratz (Refugee, Grenade) you'll enjoy this book. Great WWI story.