#colditz

[the-prince-of-professors]

you're invited to...

✨ ... the 2024 Anthony Valentine Convention! ✨

It is a new year, and per usual we will start it up with the annual AVC and stream various film and television programmes from our dear Tony's career. Come join us on Saturday, 13 January for some Raffles, Callan, Justice, and a number of other wonderful performances from the '50s to the '90s! There is not a set programme, but I will as usual be liveblogging and let you know what is coming up next. Join at any point and come and go as you like - we will be happy to welcome you into the room! Date: Saturday 13 January Time: 15:00 GMT (Time Zone Converter) Place: Caracal.club (room link will be shared on my blog shortly before we start) Duration: Per tradition, for at least 12 hours! Join for the whole thing or drop in and out as you like - it's up to you!

Who can join: Anyone who wants to! It is preferable though if you create an account on Caracal beforehand with a recognisable username, or at least say hi and tell us who you are when you enter the room so we know it's a real person joining!

If you have any other questions about the convention, just send me a telegram. See you on Saturday!

[theender36]

If there was a Tenth Doctor story that took Colditz into consideration, do you think there'd be an awkward moment between the Doctor and the TARDIS when they realize his face is very reminiscent of that one nazi that she pulped?

[unwillingadventurer]

[missanthropicprinciple]

Colditz episode 6

[radarsteddybear]

I finished my Hogan's Heroes rewatch this morning.  (Or, at least, I think I did; I can't remember now if I ever went back and rewatched the pilot, so I might do that tonight.)  Funnily enough, after being so excited that it's finally streaming, I ended up switching to watching via DVD by the end because so many episodes are missing (plus the quality's  a lot better). 

Next up, I'm planning on rewatching Colditz, which I've been meaning to do for a few years now.  I'm looking forward to that.  I also mentioned to my dad that we should get back to watching M*A*S*H together; we watched the first season (and the film) the summer before I went to college, and I kept watching without him. It would be cool to go back and revisit it...and maybe actually watch the finale this time 😂

[theangelshavethephonebox]

So fucked up to listen to David Tennant threatening to r-pe and murder Ace ngl

[nelc]

[ludojudoposts]

RIP David McCallum 🖤

[drwhowatch]

Colditz

Always a fun story when you involve Nazis. Always like a bit of real history (the castle and POW camp), almost as much as I enjoy alternate timelines. Brilliant to have David Tennant show up as the campest German ever. Klein was satisfyingly slightly evil, I am impressed she becomes a companion later. Ace is a bit miserable throughout this, I think her travels are getting to her. Also liked that the Doctor got shot and survived fine unlike in The Movie.

[themarvellousmichaelbryant]

Another eBay find! Michael Bryant as Wing Commander Marsh in Colditz. In the episode Tweedledum he feigns madness in an attempt to be let out of the prison on medical grounds.

[semper-legens]

85. Colditz: Prisoners of the Castle, by Ben MacIntyre

Owned: Yes Page count: 327 My summary: During the Second World War, the imposing German castle of Colditz was used to house the most notorious Allied prisoners of war - the escapers, the troublemakers, the ones who proved difficult to contain. This is their story, from the first POWs to walk through the gates, to the liberation of the castle. My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

Look, at this point, I don't feel the need to justify myself anymore. I've got a few special interests in things that most people aren't interested in, and one of those special interests is prisoner of war camps during World War Two. And, specifically, Colditz. It's an interesting subject, okay! I'm always fascinated by the ways that people react to being put into extreme situations, as well as the nuances of class in the 1940s and the ways we retell these stories. This was an interesting read, but first - Jamie gets on their soapbox!

So many POW tales that get retold (see the Great Escape) are of Plucky Brits Plus A Token American Or Two exhibiting the classic Stiff Upper Lip and treating wartime escapes like they're games. Which wasn't the reality for most POWs, and not even most officers. See, under the Geneva Convention, officer POWs could not be made to work in captivity, whereas regular soldiers could. In the earlier stages of the war, the penalty for attempting escape as an officer would be returning to the POW camp and some time in solitary. Regular soldiers could be shot. And so many of our POW narratives revolve around the Heroic Escaper that Kept Defying The Nazis even after captivity...which subtly reinforces the idea that some, who saw less combat, aren't worth talking about. There's class dynamics, there's toxic masculinity, there's a lot going on in how we characterise people in this time period, and a lot of nuance gets lost in media like the Great Escape, which mostly focuses on Posh Lads Escaping And Fighting The Good Fight, rather than the regular lives of men who were captured by Germany.

Anyway. This book specifically! It promises to be the true story of Colditz, but it still mostly focuses on some of the same old stories - understandable, Colditz was the camp where they housed the chronic escapers and much of the camp genuinely was trying to escape in their time. That said, despite the fact that I already knew some of the stories relayed in this book, I wasn't ever bored. It builds up its core cast of characters quite nicely, from the German commander of the camp to the British prisoners (and some from other nationalities) living there. It is quick to criticise people who need criticising, including war hero and notable asshole Douglas Bader, and shows a level of nuance when talking about the German officials, most notably the difference between the regular German army and the Gestapo, the latter of whom were far more likely to torture and murder prisoners. Overall, if you're interested in the subject, it's a pretty good book! I'm probably gonna return to it a few times when in the throes of Special Interest Fever, that's for sure.

Next up, it's graphic novel time, and we're off to Oregon to the sleepy town of Gravity Falls.

[veshialles]

DAVID TENNANT IN A BIG FINISH STORY BUT BEFORE HE WAS THE DOCTOR??? HELLO????

[unwillingadventurer]

The Colditz men

[missanthropicprinciple]

Tunneling out.

[wezg]

Review: MI9: A History of the Secret Service for Escape and Evasion in World War Two - by Helen Fry

I randomly found this book on the shelves of Caldicot library. I read a lot of books on U.K. Intelligence services: MI5, MI6 and GCHQ. During the war…. Mt grandfather (GaGa) was in 618 Squadron RAF and 143 Coastal Command. He didn’t really speak to me much about World War 2 itself until quite late on in his life. Typical of an Armed Forces Officer, though, he kept a pristine home and in part of…