Bruce Henderson
“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 leap 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 the 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.
Provided by publisher.
Books are available to borrow from the Holocaust Center's library
Email: rosa@holocaustcenterseattle.org
