“But now it was late March, and the war was clearly into its last weeks if not days. Whatever was going to happen to us would happen soon. We learnt that any orders that could affect us, such as our liquidation or removal as hostages, would come down from Berlin to the Kommandant through the Gauleiter of Saxony whose headquarters were in Dresden. David thought we should threaten him. Pierre and I drafted a letter couched in menacing tones. It began “Ihr Tag der Macht ist vorbei. Jetzt stehen Sie den Tod gegenuber” – your day of power is over. Now you face death. It went on to say that if any harm came to prisoners in Colditz or to prisoners in Saxony at large, the Allies would see to it that he was hung. This letter purporting to come from liberal and Communist elements hostile to the Nazis was translated into idiomatic German by Lance Pope, bilingual and actually married to a German. It was written in gothic script, and posted in Dresden by Heinz. We hoped it might give the Gauleiter some worried moments, and perhaps make him think twice in a crisis. Of course these activities were known only to the SBO and those concerned.”

“By late March we faced the distinct possibility of being squeezed by Patton’s advance from the west, and the Russian advance from the east. A dogfight in our immediate area between the Germans and the Russians on one side and the Americans on the other would place us in a dangerous position. It became important therefore for us to have immediate information from our Colditz contacts as to what was going on day by day. We would see German troops moving through Colditz and along the Mulde River below. To be useful, information would have to reach us at once. We could not wait for meetings with Heinz, which could only take place every other night when he came on guard.

It was Colonel Tod’s anticipation of just such a situation that had led him to enlist David’s help. Now it paid off. We set up an early warning system.

This involved the appointment by Heinz’ father of a Colditz man who would be available to give signals which we in the Castle could see. This man took up station every day at 9am, noon and 4pm at a lamp post which was visible from the Castle on a street at the foot of the hill 300ft below us. His movements could be interpreted by us according to a code, and there were four alternative messages that he could give. The first was “nothing to report;” the second “you are to be moved;” the third “German troops are pulling out” and the fourth “break out at all costs”. He could convey one or other of these messages by his actions. Leaning on the lamp post meant one thing; crossing the road another; lighting a cigarette another; and entering a shop behind him gave the danger signal to break out. During the first weeks in early April Pierre or myself watched at every appointed hour. Until the 14th April the signal every day was “nothing to report”. Then on that day we got the signal, “you are to be moved”.

We warned the SBO; sure enough that day he was summoned to the Kommandant’s office where he was told that everyone was to be moved at once to the east, that is towards the Russian front. Because of our warning he had had several hours to think about the implications of this, and his answer was immediate; he refused to move. The Kommandant gave in after long and difficult negotiations by telephone with the General Kommando to stay put.

The final act was now to take place. Our first warning of extreme action had come with the move of the Prominenten to Konigstein as hostages on the 12th April in the middle of the night, an ominous event. Now, with the rapidly deteriorating situation on the German side, the SBO took the initiative and demanded that the Castle be handed over to him. This was done, and a formal surrender document was signed with the the German Kommandant, although for forms sake the Sentries remained at their posts albeit with unloaded arms.”

‘Colditz Last Stop’ by Jack Pringle.