Aired
May 14, 2014
Colditz Castle, a notorious prisoner of war camp in Nazi Germany, was supposed to be escape-proof. But in the dark days at the end of World War II, a group of British officers dreamt up the ultimate escape plan: in a secret attic workshop, they constructed a two-man glider out of bed sheets and floorboards. Their plan was to fly to freedom from the roof of the castle, but the war ended before they could put it to the test. Now a crack team of aero engineers and carpenters rebuild the glider in the same attic using the same materials, and they’ll do something the prisoners never got a chance to try: use a bathtub full of concrete to catapult the glider off the roof of the castle. As the hair-raising launch 90 feet up draws near, the program explores the Colditz legend and exposes the secrets of other ingenious and audacious escapes. Then, after a 70-year wait, the team finally finds out if the legendary glider plan would have succeeded.
Episode 21 of Season 41 from NOVA — available to stream in HD on any device.
Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!
Recommended
Trauma Room One
History's Greatest Warriors
On the Roam
Major Crimes Unit
Palu Ailesi: Karanlık Sarmal
In The Eye of the Storm: Chasers
K-Everything: A CNN Original Series
The Nightmare Upstairs: What Happened to Ty and Bryn?
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch
Kevin McCloud's Listed Britain
Search for movies, TV shows, collections, manga, or people
Trending Now