Stories Behind the Pages - The Password Is Courage

This week on Stories Behind the Pages, Tim explores The Password Is Courage by John Castle.

The book tells the extraordinary true story of Sergeant Major Charles Coward, one of Britain's most remarkable prisoners of war during the Second World War. Captured in France in 1940, Coward became renowned for his daring escape attempts, fearless resistance to his captors, and the intelligence network he established inside German prisoner-of-war camps.

In this episode, Tim looks beyond the 1962 film to uncover the real man behind the legend. He examines the historical evidence, separates fact from dramatic licence, and explores Coward's courageous efforts to assist fellow prisoners and help those suffering inside Auschwitz, where his work earned him lasting recognition after the war.

Discover the remarkable true story behind the book—and the film that introduced Charles Coward's incredible wartime exploits to a worldwide audience.

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Transcript

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Stories behind the pages: The Password is Courage. 

As many of you will know, The Password is Courage by John Castle, and perhaps even better, the 1962 film starring Dirk Bogarde. 

The film is tremendous entertainment. 

It follows Sergeant Major Charles Coward as he consistently outwits his German captors, 

organizes escapes, carries out acts of sabotage, and generally becomes a thorn in the side of the Germans. 

And here's something to, to watch out for. 

Charlie Coward himself makes a cameo appearance during one of the party scenes, so the real man actually appears on screen alongside Dirk Bogarde. 

But if you've only seen the film, you've only heard part of Charlie Coward's story. 

The book goes much further. 

After being sent to work at the IG Farben industrial complex beside Auschwitz, Coward witnessed the horrors taking place there. 

Using his position as a British prisoner of war, he secretly helped Jewish prisoners whenever he could. 

The book describes how Coward is said to have helped replace the identities of dead prisoners with living Jewish prisoners, 

giving some a chance to escape almost certain death. 

It also tells how he smuggled food, medicine, and messages into the camp. 

He gathered evidence of what was happening there. 

After the war, Coward gave evidence at the IG Farben trial at Nuremberg, helping to expose the company's use of slave labor at Auschwitz. 

It was these actions that earned him the nickname The Count of Auschwitz. In 1963, 

Yad Vashem in Israel recognized Charlie, Charles Coward as One of the Righteous Among Nations for risking his own life to save others. In 2010, he was also recognized by the British government as a British hero of the Holocaust. 

The film mentions Auschwitz only briefly, and concentrates instead on the lighter, more adventurous episodes of his captivity. In fact, an Auschwitz sequence was filmed, but was later removed from many television versions, leaving viewers with little idea of the scale of his humanitarian work. 

It is also worth remembering when the film was made. 

It was released in 1962, less than 20 years after the war. 

British war films of that era often celebrate courage, humor, and the famous Keep Calm and Carry On spirit. Audiences wanted stories of daring escapes and triumph over adversity. 

The darker reality of the Holocaust wasn't yet portrayed on screen in the same way it would be in later films, such as Schindler's List or The Pianist. 

So the filmmakers chose to focus on Charlie Coward the escape artist rather than Charlie Coward the witness to genocide. 

The film gives us Charlie Coward the escape artist. The book reveals Charlie Coward the humanitarian. 

If you've enjoyed the film, I'd strongly recommend reading the book as well. 

The film shows the fearless escape artist. The book reveals something even greater: 

a man who risked everything, not just for his own freedom, but to save the lives of hundreds of innocent people. 

Military history often remembers great battles and famous victories, but sometimes the greatest courage is shown by one, one person quietly risking everything to save others. That's why, more than 80 years later, we still remember Sergeant Major Charles Coward. 

Some historians questioned whether every episode in Charles Coward's memoirs happened exactly as described. However, there is broad agreement that he worked at the IG Farben industrial complex beside Auschwitz, assisted Jewish prisoners, testified after the war about what he had witnessed, and was honored by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations for his efforts. 

While the exact number remains debated, it is historically accurate to say that he helped hundreds of Jewish prisoners escape almost certain death through his actions and influence. 

This feature contrasts the well-known film with the much deeper and more humanitarian story contained in the book, making it an ideal example of how Stories Behind the Pages explores the real history behind famous books and films. 

Thank you for listening. 

Stay low, move fast, and watch where you put your feet.