They Dared Return: An Extraordinary True Story of Revenge and Courage in Nazi Germany - Softcover

O' Donnell, Patrick K.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847377904 ISBN 13: 9781847377906

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2009

Synopsis

It's July 1943. Frederick Mayer, a German-born Jew is recruited to secret operations unit, the OSS. Along with 4 other German-Jews, he volunteers for behind-enemy-lines operations. All have family members in concentration camps. All want revenge. Mayer and his comrades are dropped into the 'Alpine Redoubt' area of Austria, where Hitler plans to gather his SS units and make a desperate last stand against the Allies. This is the most heavily-policed area of the Third Reich, swarming with Gestapo. Capture means certain death; and for Fred and the other Jews, it means a horrible death. Yet under Hitler's nose this tiny army blows up trains, steals secrets and even impersonates German officers. Eventually Mayer is captured and tortured by the Gestapo, but still he does not break. Meanwhile the Allies are approaching, sounding the end for Nazi Germany. Mayer, in his greatest act of chutzpah, convinces his tormentor, the commander of German forces in Innsbruck, to surrender his forces to him, convincing the officer that it would be better to surrender early than risk being shot defending a lost cause. This is a great World War Two story of derring-do and revenge. And it's never before been told.

About this title

About the Author

Patrick K. O'Donnell is an historian specializing in WW2 espionage. He is the winner of the prestigious William E. Colby Award for Outstanding Military History, for his book Beyond Valor, and the highly acclaimed We Were One. He was historical advisor for the HBO series Band of Brothers and has worked for The History Channel and the BBC. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1847377904
• ISBN 13: 9781847377906
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256