The author of The Winter Fortress and Hunting Eichmann here spins a thrilling true tale of the largest Allied prisoner outbreak of World War I. Captain David Gray of the Royal Flying Corps considered it a mark of shame to be a POW, and made several escape attempts before being sent to "escape-proof" Holzminden, under the maniacal Karl Niemeyer. But in a camp full of talented escape artists, it was only a matter of time before Gray—a former army sapper and an expert on tunnels—devised a daring plan.

"Just when you think there are no more terrific war stories that have gone untold .... [Neal] Bascomb has achieved that rare combination of impeccable research and a page-turning narrative."—Tom Clavin

"Intensely detailed and written with a prose style that puts readers right there in the camp with the prisoners: when the prisoners hold their breath, terrified of being discovered in a secret activity, the reader will hold his or her breath, too."—Booklist