A German reenactment of the escape from Mussolini's office. Escaping Colditz 17: September 9, 1942 On this morning, the Germans discovered six officers missing. It seems that some prisoners had snuck at night into the office of the German Sergeant-Major nicknamed Mussolini and, right behind his desk, had cut a hole through the back wall to a storeroom beyond. When the time was right, the six chosen escapers slipped through Mussolini's office and exited the storeroom disguised as two German officers and four Polish inmates. A real German officer opened the gate for them, and they were gone. Four were recaptured within a day, but two -- British Flight-Lieut. William Fowler and Dutch Captain D.J. van Doorninck -- reached Switzerland. Previous escape | Next escape | See the map First escape April 12, 1941 Straw mattresses May 8, 1941 Locked cells Mid-May 1941 Canteen tunnel May 1941 German woman June 1941 Air-raid shelter June 1941 Hacksaw June 1941 Over the wall July 2, 1941 Air shaft July 28, 1941 Lavatory July 31, 1941 Manhole Late summer, 1941 Dummies December 1941 German officers December 1941 Main gate January 6, 1942 Town dump March 1942 Wooden crate September 7, 1942 Mussolini's office September 9, 1942 Headquarters building October 15, 1942 Willi the electrician December 1942 "Maddest attempt" May 11, 1943 Franz Josef September 2, 1943 Cellar house January 19, 1944 Rubbish heap May 2, 1944 Greatest escaper September 25, 1944 Glider April 1945 Escaping Colditz | The Jailor's Story | Great Escapes | The Colditz Glider Resources | Transcript | Site Map | Nazi Prison Escape Home Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated January 2001