NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller“An irresistible history of the WWII Jewish refugees who returned to Europe to fight the Nazis.” —NewsdayThey were young Jewish boys who escaped from Nazi-occupied Europe and resettled in America. After the United States entered the war, they returned to fight for their adopted homeland and for the families they had left behind. Their stories tell the tale of one of the … families they had left behind. Their stories tell the tale of one of the U.S. Army’s greatest secret weapons.
Sons and Soldiers begins during the menacing rise of Hitler’s Nazi party, as Jewish families were trying desperately to get out of Europe. Bestselling author Bruce Henderson captures the heartbreaking stories of parents choosing to send their young sons away to uncertain futures in America, perhaps never to see them again. As these boys became young men, they were determined to join the fight in Europe. Henderson describes how they were recruited into the U.S. Army and how their unique mastery of the German language and psychology was put to use to interrogate German prisoners of war.
These young men—known as the Ritchie Boys, after the Maryland camp where they trained—knew what the Nazis would do to them if they were captured. Yet they leapt at the opportunity to be sent in small, elite teams to join every major combat unit in Europe, where they collected key tactical intelligence on enemy strength, troop and armored movements, and defensive positions that saved American lives and helped win the war. A postwar army report found that nearly 60 percent of the credible intelligence gathered in Europe came from the Ritchie Boys.
Sons and Soldiers draws on original interviews and extensive archival research to vividly re-create the stories of six of these men, tracing their journeys from childhood through their escapes from Europe, their feats and sacrifices during the war, and finally their desperate attempts to find their missing loved ones. Sons and Soldiers is an epic story of heroism, courage, and patriotism that will not soon be forgotten.
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Interesting book. This comment is for Bookbug/Amazon. I like to read but am on a limited income. So many of your interesting electronic books are highly priced. And considering the many errors in those electronic books ?????????.And many are repetitious in actions and themes, hence are boring..
Absolutely heart moving
Insight into a little known group of WW 2 soldiers, the “Ritchie Soldiers” infiltrated Nazi held Germany to
interview Nazi prisoners to gain info to win the war. They were Jewish Germans who had immigrated to America. The tragedy was many had lost family in the war.
A well written book about a little known aspect of World War ll.
iF YOU LIKE WW 2 DOCumentaries DON’T MISS THIS
I enjoyed learning about these Jewish Americans that made such a difference in WW2 following D-day. I hadn’t know of their service. It was difficult at times to keep up with the various characters but I was able to pull them up on my Kindle to clear them up.
Very well written and informative
I would have given it a 6 Star if there was one!
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 .
I recommend keeping a small spiral ring notebook to keep track of the men involved – there are six. The story follows them from 1930s in Germany to the West, selection and training and the return to Europe for the duration of the war.
The author completes their story by providing details about the invasion and the movements of the various Army Units toward, and into, Germany. Many things I didn’t know about – like, Paratroopers (landed in Holland in gliders) and the ‘Battle of the Bulge’. He had the opportunity to interview the actual participants – makes a difference in the story-line.
An amazing story of WW2 and the strength and power that immighrants bring to our country.
Really enjoyed the book. Was not aware of the troops from Camp Ritchie and found the book fascinating.
Well written novel that provided a fascinating look at the role immigrants played in helping win the war against the Germans in WW2. These men were truly heroes.
This was a very realistic & information story about events in WWII
Gives another insight into Germany during the 1933 to 1945 period. Illustrates clearly that there were many Germans who, despite their denials, knew exactly what they were doing and felt completely justified in their actions during the Holocaust. The Ritchie Boys were Germans who decided to do what was within their power (join the US military) to rid the world of the Nazis.
This is a well-written account of one of the lesser-known stories of WW2. German-born Jewish young men living in America returned to Europe as members of the U.S. armed forces trained to interrogate German POW’s.