A Perthshire -based author is hoping to shed light on an often forgotten aspect of World War II and its aftermath.
Retired Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Wood has told the story of German Wehrmacht officer Lieutenant Heinz-Helmut von Hinckeldey, who was captured on the eastern front by the Russians in 1944.
He went on to spend 11 years in Soviet captivity having already spent four years fighting on the Eastern Front.
Charles, who stays just outside Crieff, met von Hinckeldey in 1972 when he was military assistant to the now Major General von Hinckeldey in NATO.
He has now penned ‘The Cell in Vladimir’ to tell the German’s story.
The book covers some of von Hinckeldey’s demanding military operations in northern Russia including coping with its exceptionally harsh winters and difficult countryside.
It then moves on, supported by entries from von Hinckeldey, to illustrate the depths of his isolation and endurance and describes the difficult imprisonment regime and his unique experiences supporting other prisoners.
Charles’ career in the military included his commissioning into the famous King’s Own Scottish Borderers, his attendance at the prestigious British Army Staff College at Camberley from where he was selected, as his first staff job, to be the military assistant to von Hinckeldey in NATO.
Later in his career, he was on the directing staff of the Junior Staff College, returned to 1 KOSB where he commanded a rifle company and later became its second in command.
As a lieutenant-colonel, he commanded the 6th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Charles was an accomplished downhill skier, artist and piper as well as being fluent in German.
Speaking about the book, Charles said: “I started this book with the support of von Hinckeldey as he wanted to show others what Soviet justice was at the time.
“An example is his arbitrary administrative sentence of ‘25 years’ of continuing isolation, that followed the first five blank years with no information. It is for this reason that I wrote this book to illustrate the extreme difficulties that he faced, which were followed by his remarkable maintenance of his own morale throughout to the benefit of other prisoners.
“In this day of age, it is almost impossible to perceive the turmoil that he was put through. By describing his experiences, I hope that I can in a small way to mark such an outstanding person and officer that everyone in NATO found him to be.”
The Cell of Vladimir, which has drawn praise from others in the military, is available from Amazon and from Riverside Publishing.
