Overview

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.

Full Product Details

9781538419625

Table of Contents

Reviews

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 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 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 ably researched and written account of a previously unknown facet of the American-Jewish dimension of WWII. -- Publishers Weekly Thrilling...A gripping addition to the literature of the period and an overdue tribute to these unique Americans. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Reads like an adventure thriller and sheds new light on one of the most compelling stories of World War II. -- Military.com 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

Author Information

Bruce Henderson has written more than twenty books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller And the Sea Will Tell, the national bestseller Hero Found: The Greatest POW Escape of the Vietnam War, and Rescue at Los Banos: The Most Daring Prison Camp Raid of World War II. An award-winning journalist and author, he has taught writing and reporting at USC School of Journalism and Stanford University. He lives in Menlo Park, California. 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.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available