Inside the real David Stirling's prisoner of war ordeal and escape attempts
BBC One's SAS Rogue Heroes has returned, with Paddy Mayne (portrayed by Jack O'Connell) assuming command of the regiment after David Stirling's (played by Connor Swindells) capture.
In Sicily, the SAS found both allies and adversaries, while at Gavi prisoner of war camp, Stirling was visited unexpectedly. In January 1943, the real-life David Stirling was captured during a mission in Tunisia.
By then, he had earned the moniker 'The Phantom Major' from his German foes. Following his capture, he attempted to escape four times, leading to his relocation to the supposedly 'escape-proof' Colditz Castle in Germany.
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He remained there until the war's conclusion and upon his arrival in August 1944, he was tasked with establishing the Colditz British Intelligence Unit.
His capture sparked concerns among his troops that it could spell the end of the unit, but under Paddy's leadership, this did not occur.
One of his escape attempts involved a mass breakout from Gavi, dubbed the 'Italian Colditz'.
Among the prisoners at Colditz Castle were Winston Churchill's nephew and the nephew of the then British King George VI.
Today, the European Youth Hostel at the site welcomes guests from around the globe and hosts events and concerts.
Discussing David's role in the second season of SAS Rogue Heroes, Connor Swindells revealed: "We now find Paddy leading his boys in a very Paddy-like fashion whilst David rattles away in his cell very begrudgingly.
"Largely, the story for David's part is him coming to terms with the fact he is missing out on all the action which is how I felt too, because I was missing out on all the fun.
"Everyone was shooting in very wonderful conditions and I was in a cave."
He said of David's frustration: "He can't do anything about this and he has to relinquish control."
"He's someone who has always been trying to gain control by opening himself up to failure a lot of the time, that's what I tried to play with in the first series and what Tom Shankland (series one director) and I mined."
"I think during series two the challenge has been that this is about David being on his own for the first time in his life, and for me as an actor that's really fun."
SAS Rogue Heroes is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
