The Nazi prison was located in Zakyna, south of Poland. This was brought out in the first chapter, where Joseph Balicki, a school teacher, turned Hitler’s picture to face the wall in his classroom. Due to his display of defiance he was taken to prison by the Nazis. The prison camp was located in the mountains and the area was extremely cold, placing all the prisoners at risk of death from the harsh conditions.

His imprisonment separated him from his family back in Warsaw, and in order to reunite with them he arranged his own escape from the prison. To achieve this, he quarreled with a guard and ended up in solitary confinement. While there he crafted a slingshot, which he used against the guard bringing him food. He obtained the keys for the cell, freed himself and bound the guard instead. To disguise himself, he dressed in the guard’s clothing and made it out of the prison camp.

Who ran the Nazi prison in The Silver Sword?

The children's book The Silver Sword, by Ian Serraillier, is set after the invasion of Poland during WWII. The book opens with the main character, Joseph Balicki, a school headmaster living in Poland, being arrested and taken to a prison camp for turning pictures of Hitler to face the wall. Although the prison camp that Joseph is taken to is in Poland, it is run by German guards who are members of the Nazi army.

During his escape from the prison, Joseph disguises himself in a guard uniform, and he uses this fact to his advantage several times to aid his escape, although at other times he finds it more helpful to disclose that he is actually a Polish man who is fleeing the Nazis.