Sons and Soldiers: The Jews Who Escaped the Nazis and Returned for Retribution

‘The last great, untold story of WWII… highly compelling’ Daily Mail Fleeing Nazi persecution for America in the 1930s, the young German-born Jews who would come to be known as The Ritchie Boys were labelled ‘enemy aliens’ when war broke out. Although of the age to be inducted into the U.S. military, their German accents made them distrusted. Until one day in 1942, when the Pentagon woke up to the incredible asset they had in their ranks, and sent these young recruits to a secret military intelligence training centre at Camp Ritchie, Maryland. These men knew the language, culture and psychology of the enemy better than anyone, and had the greatest motivation to fight Hitler’s anti-Semitic regime. And so they were trained and sent back into the belly of the beast, Jews returning to the frontlines of battlefields across Nazi-occupied Europe to defeat the enemy that persecuted them and their families. In an epic story of heroism, courage, and patriotism, bestselling author Bruce Henderson draws on personal interviews with many surviving veterans and extensive archival research to finally bring this never-before-told chapter of the Second World War to light. Previously published as Sons and Soldiers Drawing from the top echelons of historical research, Henderson weaves a narrative that is as compelling as it is enlightening. The history of the Ritchie Boys is brought to life with vivid detail, immersing the reader in the harrowing experiences of these unsung heroes. For fans of Julian Sancton (Madhouse at the End of the Earth), Michael Palin (Into Iraq), Charles Henderson (Goodnight Saigon), Hampton Sides (In the Kingdom of Ice), and Truman Capote (Portraits and Observations).