Leah Garrett

This popular history book tells the story of a group of Jewish commandos, all refugees from Nazi Germany, centering on the stories of Manfred Gans, Peter Masters, and Colin Anson, but also paints the larger picture of their poor treatment by the British at first, their training in Wales, and then their exploits in Western Europe and Italy from D-Day until the end of the war and afterwards.

The story seems to be told based on diaries and old interviews with the subjects, and it is their perspective that is front and center. There is less information about the reasoning and debates among the British high command, which would be interesting to know.

The writing is good enough, but I didn't love the style. I much preferred The Brigade by Howard Blum, a story about the Jews of Palestine who were similarly drafted into the war by the British.… (plus d'informations)

One reviewer described this book as “‘Inglorious Basterds’ but much better”. I don’t buy that at all. This is not, in any sense, based upon or linked to Tarantino’s brilliant film. Instead, it’s the true story of several dozen German and Austrian Jews who managed to make it to Britain before the outbreak of the Second World War. There, they were detained as ‘enemy aliens’ until finally allowed to volunteer for the British Army. Trained as an elite commando force, they fought bravely and well across several fronts. Their specialty was capturing and interrogating German soldiers, who were always caught off guard. Sadly at the end of the war, the survivors were not immediately given British citizenship. Nor was their Jewish identity mentioned in the memorials, or even on the graves of those who fell. Leah Garrett has done a terrific job of telling a hitherto unknown story.… (plus d'informations)

The incredible World War II saga of the German-Jewish commandos who fought in Britain’s most secretive special-forces unit—but whose story has gone untold until now. June 1942, the shadow of the Third Reich has fallen across the European continent. In desperation, Winston Churchill and his chief of staff form an unusual plan: a new commando unit made up of Jewish refugees who have escaped to Britain. The resulting volunteers are a motley group of intellectuals, artists, and athletes, most from Germany and Austria. They will stop at nothing to defeat the Nazis. Trained in counterintelligence and advanced combat, this top-secret unit becomes known as X Troop. Some simply call them a suicide squad.
Drawing on extensive original research, including interviews with the last surviving members, Leah Garrett follows this unique band of brothers from Germany to England and back again. Their story is profoundly gripping.… (plus d'informations)