Book description
'For you, the war is over.' These famous words marked the end of the
Second World War for nearly half a million allied servicemen, and the
beginning of a very different battle in captivity. Waged against
boredom, brutality, disease, hunger and despair, it was a battle for
survival, fought without the aid of weapons against fully armed enemy
captors.
Based on interviews and correspondence with ex-POWs and their
relatives over the last 30 years, Prisoner of War is a major
survey of allied POWs from all walks of life. Extraordinary stories of
extremes: courage, hope and desperation are revealed in the words of
those that were there.
Arranged chronologically, the book follows those involved from
capture, through interrogation, imprisonment, escape, to final
liberation and homecoming. POWs and, in particular, those who broke
free, have become a post-war cultural icon; a symbol of the will to
survive against the odds. Rich with incident and emotion, Prisoner
of War is a compelling look at the lives of extraordinary
individuals trapped behind the wire.
Charles Rollings is the author of two books on Royal Air Force POWs
in Germany during the Second World War:
Wire and Walls
(2003) and
Wire and Worse
(2004), and has been involved in the making of two documentaries,
Going Underground: The Great Escape
for the BBC, and
Prisoner of War
, now available on dvd. He has written articles for
The Times,
Daily Telegraph, Guardian
and
Independent,
and regularly contributes to
Book and Magazine Collector
. He is married and lives in North London.
