"This book tells the story of one of the ... POW camps of the Second World War. Camp 186 held 6,000 men, mostly 'other ranks' -- ordinary Germans who had been forced into an abnormal situation. Home to extreme Nazis and to strong pacifists, they formed a volatile mixture. Largely using original articles and letters written by the prisoners, [this book] tells some of their stories from capture to arriving at night in a desolate field. Living in bell tents and despite the bitterly cold winter and quagmire that formed, they created a hospital and theatres with a programme of which any professional company would be proud. Despite the hatred and murders, the prisoners broke down the barriers of religion and Camp 186 even became home to a Catholic Seminary. The camp boasts what is probably the largest number of escapees in one attempt, but also the story of a prisoner who escaped but came back a year later -- a case described by the Head of the British POW Investigative Department as 'the most improbable story'"--Page 4 of cover.