Play Audiobook Sample
Sons and Soldiers: The Untold Story of the Jews Who Escaped the Nazis and Returned With the U.S. Army to Fight Hitler Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(5.00) - 1 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Joining the ranks of Unbroken, Band of Brothers, and Boys in the Boat, the little-known saga of young German Jews, dubbed The Ritchie Boys, who fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s, came of age in America, and returned to Europe at enormous personal risk as members of the U.S. Army to play a key role in the Allied victory.
In 1942, the U.S. Army unleashed one of its greatest secret weapons in the battle to defeat Adolf Hitler: training nearly 2,000 German-born Jews in special interrogation techniques and making use of their mastery of the German language, history, and customs. Known as the Ritchie Boys, they were sent in small, elite teams to join every major combat unit in Europe, where they interrogated German POWs and gathered crucial intelligence that saved American lives and helped win the war.
Though they knew what the Nazis would do to them if they were captured, the Ritchie Boys eagerly joined the fight to defeat Hitler. As they did, many of them did not know the fates of their own families left behind in occupied Europe. Taking part in every major campaign in Europe, they collected key tactical intelligence on enemy strength, troop and armored movements, and defensive positions. A postwar Army report found that more than sixty percent of the credible intelligence gathered in Europe came from the Ritchie Boys.
Bruce Henderson draws on personal interviews with many surviving veterans and extensive archival research to bring this never-before-told chapter of the Second World War to light. Sons and Soldiers traces their stories from childhood and their escapes from Nazi Germany, through their feats and sacrifices during the war, to their desperate attempts to find their missing loved ones in war-torn Europe. Sons and Soldiers is an epic story of heroism, courage, and patriotism that will not soon be forgotten.
Download and start listening now!
“Sons and Soldiers tells the remarkable story of how two thousand German-born Jews were able to get the crucial intelligence that saved American lives and helped win World War II…The message of their courage and patriotism should not be lost in today’s war on terrorism.”
— Leon Panetta, former director of the CIA and former secretary of defense
Quotes
-
“A revelatory work about a group of Jewish men whose World War II journeys are so implausible and heroic it’s difficult to understand why so few of us knew about them before now. A book of fear, flight, and almost divine retribution.”
— Steve Twomey, Pulitzer Prize–winning author -
“Reads like an adventure thriller and sheds new light on one of the most compelling stories of World War II.”
— Military.com -
“Thrilling…A gripping addition to the literature of the period and an overdue tribute to these unique Americans.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“An ably researched and written account of a previously unknown facet of the American-Jewish dimension of WWII.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Chronicles how, despite great personal risk if their Jewish identity was discovered, these soldiers were on the front lines in Europe, gathering crucial intelligence…Henderson presents an inspiring account of a little-known aspect of WWII.”
— Booklist -
“An inspiring story about a group of men who took up arms for their adopted country against their former countrymen. Fans of Stephen Ambrose and World War II histories will enjoy this look into a little-known aspect of US Army operations.”
— Library Journal
Sons and Soldiers Listener Reviews
-
—
russell porter, 11/30/2017
About Bruce Henderson
Bruce Henderson is the author and coauthor of many nonfiction books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller And the Sea Will Tell. A former newspaper reporter, magazine editor, private investigator, and field producer for television news, Bruce has taught reporting and writing courses at Stanford University and USC School of Journalism. He is a member of the Authors Guild, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Press Club. He lives in northern California.
About Brett Barry
Brett Barry graduated from Syracuse University’s television, radio, and film program and worked as an associate documentary producer for several years before moving into a career in voiceovers. In 2002, he signed with a voice-over agent in New York and began working in this field full-time. Brett’s training includes improvisational acting at Manhattan’s HB Studio, study of the Linklater voice techniques, and private coaching with some of the industry’s top voice performers. His voice can be heard on over 100 audiobooks. He and his wife Rebecca live in New York and run Silver Hollow Audio, an independent audio production studio.