The Colditz glider really flew.
 

Documentary on TV tonight. Experimental team built a glider to the same design and materials, then launched it off the roof of the castle using a bath full of bricks as a launch accelerator.

To be fair, the glider was remotely controlled for its twenty or so second flight, but it did launch, it did cross the river and it did avoid the town. It's rather untidy landing was more or less deliberate, to prevent it overflying private property. In 1945 that area was completely clear of obstruction.

So, it seems the Colditz prisoners were justified in believing that it would have flown. Nice one guys.

Roger.

A team built a flying manned replica for a TV program about the POW camp 12 ago and proved that the glider would have been able to fly the required distance. The flight of the winch launched 'Cock' is at the end of this clip.



What this program proved was that it could have been launched from the roof, abet with some difficulty in getting it to the launch point from where it was built.

greatly indebted to you . .. . . . superb in every way