More TSOG Escapades with Escape from Colditz...

Time for our yearly game of Escape from Colditz. This year we had four players so had three Escape Teams, I played the British, Dave played the Dutch and Maurice the Poles while George reprised his role from last year taking on the Germans!

The AAR...or should I say the Escapade!

The calendar was about to roll over to December 1944 and during the evening of November 30 in the wintery depths of Saxony the combined Escape Committees of Colditz Castle held a meeting. The leaders announced 'Big Week', since the secret French Camp Radio was picking up news of the rapid Allied advances toward the heart of Germany now was to be the time for every escape opportunity to be taken! The meeting ended with Dutch Majoor Van der Clogs declaring "Game On!" in his eerie accent...

So it was a quiet December day in Colditz Castle dawned, the Kommandant was sleeping in after a Friday Bingo with his officers...it was going to be just another ordinary week...or was it?

December the first was a Friday and Big Week started slowly as the British, Dutch and Polish Officers involved in organising escapes spent time acquiring the basic needs of an escape, they sourced; German Alpine Hats, outrageous Lederhosen, loads of sausage and sauerkraut wrapped in snack sized packages, rudimentary compasses and documents featuring official stamps made with carved potatoes! While all this was going on the German Guards flooded the main courtyard closely watching their charges and wondering at their skills at whittling potatoes!

Saturday the Second of December saw the first escape attempt, it featured a daring dash from the Orderlies Quarters across the Outer Courtyard to the Castle's Front Gate by British Lieutenant Long-Johns! He sprinted gracefully across the open ground like an Olympic Runner, then using fake papers he duped the Gate Guard and was on the outside! He commenced a casual stroll across the moat bridge only to be undone by a Camp Guard who noticed he was humming God Save the King, he was promptly apprehended before he cleared the moat! Curses!

Undaunted by the events of Saturday the Prisoners had plans for Sunday! Attention on the day was focused on the the Chapel, two Polish Officers using only toothpicks and a coffee cup had already dug a tunnel that cleared the wire, it was time to use it! Assisted by British Escape Committee member Major Loss Polish Officers Lejtnants Dribbleinski and Hujewicz made a try at a home run! Lejtnant Dribbleinski sprinted till his lungs burst and made it away into the forest, unfortunately a pot shot from a Camp Guard ended Lejtnant Hujewicz escape in tragedy! 

Using the confusion caused by Lejtnant Hujewicz's demise Major Loss managed to slip away into the woods! Two Home Runs in the one Innings! Huzzah! Kommandant Goerg was not happy.

The Dutch had a poor start to "Big Week", acquiring a Key to the Main Gate before collecting all their Escape Kit led to a series of unfortunate events in the Inner Courtyard and a few Dutch officers ending up in the cells! Despite their setbacks Monday lunchtime saw another extraordinary escape begin! Dutch Luitenant Van der Rooty donned a German Uniform made from sewn bits of dyed toilet paper and using rope twisted from lengths of body hair exited the Orderlies Quarters and headed to the Camp Garage where he fired up Kommandant Georg's personal Mercedes! Flooring it he made a run for safety in the big black limousine! Unfortunately war shortages in Germany cut short his freedom...the Mercedes ran out of petrol just yards outside the castle's Main gate...Luitenant Van der Rooty was frog marched to the cells!

Luitenant Van der Rooty's big adventure ended in solitary confinement!

Meanwhile something was cooking in the Canteen beside Potato Soup and the Germans sniffed trouble...

...and trouble it was, the enterprising Poles had dug another tunnel using nothing more than teaspoons! During Tuesday Roll Call as Prisoners from the British, Dutch and Polish contingents prepared to use the tunnel the Germans surprised them, they crumped the tunnel and arrested the Poles! The cells of Colditz Castle were filling fast!

Wednesday and with 'Big Week' coming to and end Polish Lejtnant Rynkidynki fresh from Solitary tried to escape again! He was captured just outside the wire after launching a daring off the cuff escape attempt from the Dentistry after receiving Root Canal Surgery! He later said he prefer to be shot trying to escape rather than face the Camp Dentist again!

Thursday and Friday of "Big Week" were a doddle for the Camp Guards! Severe winter weather (read poor dice rolling) kept the Prisoners in check! Several plans were in place but none came to fruition; British Captain Tee-Cup Smythe was hiding in the Outer Courtyard Garage disguised as a 44 Gallon Drum just waiting for a chance to escape via the path near the Guards Barracks but no opportunity showed itself, Dutchman Kapitein Van der Derr was poised in the Guards Room with 120 feet of rope in his trousers but no gap in the searchlights before him appeared, he was left gutted and lastly British Captain Piles spent the full two days in the Sick Bay pretending to be suffering from haemorrhoids but he was not offered a chance to quit the Castle!

So it was after Seven Days (well actually two and a half hours) stumps were called! Three Prisoners were in position to attempt a Home Run and were were laden with all the equipment required but were lacking lucky dice while cocky Camp Guards fearful of Kommandant Georg continued to furtively patrol the castle!

This year again the Germans put up a a jolly good show while the Escape Committees tried their hardest to hit as may 'Home Runs' as possible! Importantly everyone had a great time, fun was had by all 😃! Happy New Year!

Oh and here’s the official summary...

Germans: Had 2 Prisoners escape and prevented 5 escapes attempts

Polish: scored 1 Home Run and had 3 unsuccessful escape attempts

British: scored 1 Home Run and had 1 unsuccessful escape attempts

Dutch: had 1 unsuccessful escape attempts

So as we say every year everyone was a winner!

TSOGers Attempt to Escape from Colditz...Yet Again!

January again so time for our yearly game of Escape from Colditz, this year we have five players so with four teams escaping so the Jerries were in for a hard time!

The story...err...AAR!

After the success of Super September with multiple Home Runs (POW talk for escapes) the Colditz Allied Escape Committee led by Colonel Brown-Staines decided that October would be bigger! New Colditz Kommandant Major Galwitz meanwhile announced on his arrival he was going to run the Castle with an iron fist and strengthened the Garrison.

With five players the board starts to fill up! You really need to watch your Pawns...

The battle of wills started on October 1st as the Escape Committees from the American, Dutch, French and Polish Prisoner contingents began accruing the necessities to breakout; clothes, documents, food and the all-important navigating aid, a compass! All the Escapees were soon ready for action except for the French who oddly starting building up a supply of Escape Equipment before getting the basics! This led to Sous-Lieutenant Dispair being the first Colditz inmate to be placed into solitary in October!

The Dutch ably led by Majoor Al Van der Harrison quickly raided the German Stores amassing a supply of escape equipment and on Friday October 6 Kapitein Van der Dik disguised as a sausage vendor walked out the Castle’s front gate and to freedom much to Major Galwitz’s fury, Gate Guard Schutze Mauser found himself on a train heading east the very next morning!

Dutch Kapitein Van der Dik (orange Pawn) by the main gate in disguise, notice he is carefully blocking the Guard deployment space...the cunning beggar!

Kapitein Van der Dik now safe and sound with the German Guards trailing way behind him!

But Van der Harrison’s team was on a roll, Monday October 8 Kapitein Van der Balz feigning a toothache used 30 feet of rope he was hiding in his underpants to get into the outer courtyard of Colditz! He was quickly through the wire and heading to freedom as fast as his clogs could take him when a German Guard tripped him up. Van der Balz found himself in the cells along with Sous-Lieutenant Dispair! Major Galwitz was quick to start handing out Iron Crosses! He also transferred a large number of Guards to patrol the Castle’s courtyard!

Dutch Kapitein Van der Balz tried to escape via the Dentistry but the Jerries caught him quite a way from safety!

The next week the whole of Colditz was a hive of activity, the Yanks led by Colonel Maurice were busy quietly amassing a huge supply of escape equipment, the Dutch were proving adept at bribing the German Guards for what they required, the Poles under the supervision of Pulkownik (Colonel) Coplewinski we’re finding it hard to secure the rope they required for their plans while the French were still trying to amass there basic Escape Kit, French Général de brigade Davide in the words of the Allied Escape Committee leader Colonel Brown-Staines really needed to pull his socks up and get his men motivated! The second week of October ended with the Germans filling the cells with prisoners raiding the Store, the Kitchen and the Showers!

So began what came to be called the Big Week, Monday October 16 saw another Dutch Home Run! Kapitein Van der Butt while in the Officers Quarters took advantage of a diversion created by other prisoners to get beyond the Castle walls and sprint to safety, yet again the Guards were caught on the back foot and were never in with a chance to stop Van der Butt! A furious Galwitz ordered a crackdown and during the 17th and 18th there was a Roll Call, plus an American prisoner, Captain Gardiner was sent to the cells when he was found with gate keys moulded from ear wax in his possession and Dutchman van der Balz joined him trying to exit the courtyard using a fake pass he took from the back of a Cornflake packet! Galwitz retired to his room content Wednesday evening with these successes buoying him but he  woke to a tempest Thursday morning! Overnight Colonel Maurice’s Americans had completed digging a tunnel using nothing more than a single teaspoon and Captains Martin and Lewis accompanied by Dutchman Kapitein Van der Balz (fresh from the cells) used it to start a mass breakout! A frenzied rush to freedom ensued and Lewis and Van der Balz made it, unfortunately Captain Martin was apprehended just after crossing the barbed wire barrier! Two more Home Runs and the Big Week wasn’t over yet! The Guards should have paid more attention to the the Polish Prisoners rendition of Shakespeare’s the Tempest, during the Sunday matinee performance Polish Officer Kowalski used a tunnel they had dug under the stage to breakout while one of his comrades recited the soliloquy! Kowalski then negotiated the Castle wall and the barbed wire perimeter to complete a magnificent breakout! Two weeks later he was back with his old RAF squadron shooting Nazis from the sky!

American Captains Martin and Lewis in the Canteen Tunnel. It's the Germans turn and he can be seen redeploying his Guards, unluckily for him the Dutch played a diversion card on their next turn clearing the Guards from the Tunnel's exit point and to top it off one of their chaps joined the escape!

The 2 Yank Captains (blue Pawns) were left way behind during the escape by their Dutch compatriot (orange Pawn) who rolled thanks to doubles a total of 33 pips!

Captain Martin's gone off to the cells but the 2 remaining Escapees have a clear run to safety!

Polish Officer Kowalski (green Pawn on board edge) on his way to freedom, the German Guards rolled a 'five' for their pursuit roll he easily outpaced them!

The Garrison was ticked off by the Big Week and they redoubled their efforts after it! From Monday October 23 in the courtyard German Guards now outnumbered prisoners though many inmates joked that it was because of the number of recent escapes! Moving about the Castle was now dangerous and many prisoners were arrested for just shuffling around. Despite the German crackdown Général de brigade Davide’s French finally finished acquiring their Escape Kit requirements and belatedly started planning their first escape. The final days of October dragged on seemingly uneventful until late on the afternoon of Tuesday October 31 Polish NCO Wozniak made a ‘Do or Die’ effort to escape! He sprinted from the courtyard passed the Cells, the Guardroom and several stunned German Guards and found his way to freedom!

Polish NCO Wozniak joins his countryman Kowalski in successfully escaping Colditz Castle!

So, October 1944 at Colditz Castle came to an end. The prisoners had scored five Home Runs and the German Guards had thwarted 4 other attempts to breakout it had been a busy month!

Board at the end of the game, we played for 2 hours 45minutes, we extended our play by 15 minutes we were enjoying it so much!

Well, that’s it for this year’s Escape from Colditz romp! The Germans put up a very good show considering all the different plots that were hatching! Like last time it was a hoot and everyone was a winner except perhaps the French 😃!

Here’s a summary...

Germans: prevented 4 escapes attempts

Dutch: scored 2 Home Runs and had 2 unsuccessful escape attempts

Polish: scored 2 Home Runs

Americans: scored 1 Home Run and had 2 unsuccessful escape attempts

French: smoked about 300 packs of Gauloise cigarettes!

TSOGers Escape from Colditz (Again)!

Last Monday we played ‘Escape from Colditz’ (original version) and enjoyed a rollicking night featuring multiple escape attempts, a dead British Lieutenant, four successful 'home runs' and the transfer of several German Guards to the Eastern Front. Here’s how it panned out over two and a half hours...

Picture thanks to Boardgamegeek!

Autumn 1944; as the days began to draw shorter and the temperature grew colder Oberst Neudegg’s tyrannical reign as Commandant of Colditz Castle reached it’s zenith. He boasted not even a mouse could get out of his Camp! The Castle Escape Officers from the British and French contingents, Captain Copley and Sous-lieutenant Gauloises respectively disagreed with the arrogant Commandant and inspired their men to engage in the spirit of what they announced as Super September. It was every mans duty to score a ‘home run’ and thumb their nose at Hitler in the process!

On September 2nd while news was picked up on the prisoners Crystal Set that Jerry was getting his butt kicked at the front the British and French inmates of Colditz Castle furtively moved around the grounds under the eyes of their inquisitive captors. They were secretly hatching plots to get over the walls and through the wire to freedom! The British quickly assembled all the gear required to make up an Escape Kit for their men while the French wasted no time and started acquiring Escape Equipment. The Guards watched on concerned with how often the prisoners were visiting the Water Closet and other rooms around the compound, was there an escape attempt afoot?

They didn’t have long to wait to find out! The very next day alerts rang out in the depths of the night, a prisoner was outside the walls! Jean-Claude had emerged from a tunnel near the Canteen and was making a dash for freedom via the bridge…a short time later he was in the cells a Guard caught him whilst he was still on the bridge.

 Jean-Claude heading for freedom...

Jean-Claude in the Cells!

This did not deter the inmates!

Two nights later exiting the vestibule near the Guards room thanks to the 90 feet of ‘rope’ he had hidden in his trousers Frenchman Captaine Dejavu found himself outside of the wire with Feldwebel Schultz in hot pursuit! Unfortunately he was apprehended only yards from safety! This was expected by the Escape Officers though as he had tried this very same escape just a week earlier and then just a week before that! But there was no rest for the Germans that night as while Dejavu was being escorted to the cells Lieutenant Carothers had left the Castle from a window in the Dentist's Room and was soon outside the wire sprinting towards the woods…he was dead moments later with a German bullet in his back!

Lieutenant Carothers meets a sticky end!

The prisoners were riled up! They were determined to score a ‘home run’! On September 10th Dejavu made another French escape attempt once again emanating from Sick Bay and he was again foiled! Jerry was certainly running a tight ship…err…Castle!

Then there was a quite literally a break for the Allies! on the 15th Captain Smithers donned a German tunic and made a dash from the Orderlies Quarters to the German Car Pool, there he hot-wired a Mercedes-Benz 770 and cruised through the main gates and to safety! Days later he was sipping wine in Switzerland and the two gate Guards were on a train to the Eastern Front. Success to the Allies!

Captain Smithers escapes, you can hear the champagne corks pop (in Switzerland!)

This initiated a flood of escape attempts, on the 21st and the 22nd Frenchmen Yves and Charles both scored ‘home runs’! Yves used a tunnel emanating from the Chapel and Charles using rope made from his hair trimmings and wire cutters fashioned MacGyver style from two old forks from the Dentist’s Room!

French Escapees stacking up!

Annoyed by the escapes, unrest amongst the prisoners and roll calls drawing fewer attendees each time the Germans cracked down. Soon there were more inmates in the cells than in the Castle courtyard!

The Escape Officers were not discouraged by this and on the 29th Captain ‘Biffo’ Babbage successfully decamped from the Castle via a tunnel he dug with a tea spoon located under the stage of the Theatre. A final September attempt to escape came on the 30th. A French NCO, Hugo fled through one of the windows in the Dentist's Room but he was quickly apprehended by several Germans, as he was escorted to the cells while being given an earful of guttural German expletives!

French Captaine 'Hugo' made a dash for the wire he was nabbed by a swarm of Jerries!

Results

Germans; stopped six escape attempts

British; two successful ‘home runs’

French; two successful ‘home runs’

A win for all sides I’d say!

Once again a great time was had by all, so much so we decided we should revisit Escape from Colditz again in June rather than wait until January next year!

TSOGers Escape from Colditz!

We started the years fortnightly catch-ups with a good feed and a game of Parker Brothers Escape from Colditz!

Picture thanks to Boardgamegeek!

So it was pizza and a sea of dips washed down with ample amounts of amber liquid to start proceedings! Dave left after dinner as he had work to do leaving Al, Stu and myself...

Out came the game and Stu took up the Cudgels as the Germans (black) while Al selected the USA prisoners (blue) and I used the Polish inmates (green)...

Play went on slowly while Al and I gathered gear and planned our escapes, Stu kept the cells of Colditz full arresting our prisoners as often as he could. During play Al's Yank prisoners (blue) changed nationality to British ones (red) as he and Stu were having a hard time distinguishing their pawns!

One of my Poles made a dash over the walls from the safe space near the Guard House only to be shot dead 4 spaces from safety. After that the British got a prisoner to safety outside the walls employing the Canteen tunnel. And then Poles were planning to make a dash to freedom with the Staff Car when our time ran out!

Final Stats;
Colonel Al +1 for carrying out one successful escape
Pulkownik Pete -1 one dead prisoner shot trying to escape
Oberst Stu a transfer to the Russian Front for allowing an escape!

Our game just before the British successfully got a prisoner out!

Good fun was had by all and we'll definitely be revisiting Escape from Colditz in the future!