INTO ENEMY ARMS: The Remarkable True Story of a German Girl's Struggle Against Nazism, and Her Daring Escape With the Allied Airman She Loved

Book Description

Ditha Bruncel's detailed memory of living in Germany during the Second World War provides a rare, first-hand insight into the day-to-day struggle against Nazi oppression, when even small acts of defiance or resistance carried great personal risk.

In 1945 Ditha was living with her parents in the small town of Lossen, in Upper Silesia. Close Jewish friends had vanished, swastikas hung from every building, and neighbors were disappearing in the middle of the night. At the same time more than one thousand, five hundred British and Commonwealth airmen were being marched out of Stalag Luft VII, a POW camp in Upper Silesia. Twenty three of these prisoners managed to escape from the marching column and by chance hobbled into Lossen. One amongst them, Warrant Officer Gordon Slowey, was the man Ditha was destined to meet and fall in love with.

This book tells the extraordinary story of Ditha and the escaped POWs she helped to save. Together they embarked on a dangerous and daring flight out of Germany. As they faced exhaustion, hunger, extreme cold and the constant risk of discovery, Ditha and Gordon's love for one another intensified, and so did their determination to survive and escape together.

OUR CHANCES WERE ZERO: The Daring Escape by two German POW's from India in 1942

Average customer rating:

Review- Our chances were zero (also known as prisoners bluff

OUR CHANCES WERE ZERO: The Daring Escape by two German POW's from India in 1942
Rolf Magener
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Prisoners of War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

During World War II the British imprisoned many German and Italian prisoners of war and civilian internees in India. The less co-operative prisoners were kept under harsh conditions in camps in the Himalayan foothills.

The author was a German civilian working in India at the outbreak of war and was promptly interned by the British. In 1942 Magener and another prisoner, Heins von Have, finally managed to escape. Getting out of the camp was only the prelude to the difficult task of making their way across the entire Indian sub-continent in an attempt to reach friendly territory.

Disguising themselves as British officers, the two Germans made an epic journey across India and through British forces on the Burma frontier in an attempt to link up with advancing Japanese forces. Ironically, the Japanese unit they finally located did not believe their story and they came close to being executed as spies.

His grippingly told personal narrative of a German's escape from Allied custody is unique in the annals of prisoner-of-war escape and evasion.

Customer Reviews:

Review- Our chances were zero (also known as prisoners bluff.......2004-03-29

interesting book, as many escape storys are by english escaping in europe. worth a read even if your not a "WWII escape" fan.
Although you don't get to feel you know the two guys as well as in sinilar books.

The Texas 7: A True Story of Murder and a Daring Escape (St. Martin's True Crime Library)

Average customer rating:

The Texas 7
The Texas 7
The Texas Seven
The Texas 7

The Texas 7: A True Story of Murder and a Daring Escape (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
Gary C. King
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Penology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Murder & Mayhem | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0312981570

Book Description

"You haven't heard the last of us yet...."These were chilling words on a note left behind by seven armed and dangerous inmates who escaped from the John Connally prison in South Texas on December 13, 2000. Their promise has apparently been fulfilled. The inmates, now known as the Connally Seven, are suspected of having first robbed a Radio Shack in Houston, and then, days later, on Christmas Eve, of having fatally shot and runover a young police officer during an assault on a Dallas sporting-goods store. For six frantic weeks, a massive manhunt with a significant reward had only turned up dead ends....until a tip came in from someone who had seen the gang on Fox-TVs "America's Most Wanted." Authorities arrested four of the seven prisoners, including suspected ringleader George Rivas, in Woodland Park, Colorado, and a fifth inmate shot himself during police negotiations.Immediately intensifying the search for the last two heavily armed and dangerous prisoners, police and FBI closed in on them at a Holiday Inn in Colorado Springs just two days following the previous arrest. After five hours and a telephone interview with a TV news station in which they expressed their feeling that the breakout was a statement against Texas's judicial system, the two inmates surrendered themselves, putting an end to a long and frightening episode.The Texas 7 goes behind the scenes to give you a detailed, fascinating account of the events leading up to and after their brazen prison escape--and the exciting chase that ultimately led to their capture.

Customer Reviews:

The Texas 7.......2003-10-08

I came upon this book about a month ago. I was at my friends house one night when I remembered that I needed a book for my college reading class. I asked my friend if he knew of any good books and he said that the only book he ever liked was called the Texas 7. He let me borrow it and I read it. I thought the book was very well detailed and accurate. It is based on a true story about a prison break and I thought that it sounded interesting. It is a very informative novel on every detail ranging from how the prisoners broke out to the time they were captured over one month later. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and strategy. I give this book 4 stars.

The Texas 7.......2003-10-08

I read the Texas 7. It is about seven convicts who were fed up with the texas prison system. So the ringleader, George Rivas plans a briliant scheme to get him and six of his fellow prisoners out of the prison. This is a true story and it goes over everything the prisoners did to break out and how the police caught them. I first came upon thias book when i needed a bookto read for a reading class. One of my friends said it was the only book he ever liked so i borrowed it from him and read it. I thought this book was really comprehensive and would recommmend it to anyone who plans to go to or already is in prison.I give it 4 stars.

The Texas Seven.......2001-03-22

Just finished reading this book and there is only one word to describe it EXCELLENT! thank you Mr. King Jude at trialwatchers.com

The Texas 7.......2001-03-17

I just ordered this book and can't wait to get it! This was such an interesting story and Gary C. King is the best for true crime. I love all of his books! Can't wait for the Binion book to come out to An Early Grave I watched the trial and it was fascinating...Hurry Amazon! Jude http://trialwatchers.com

Hannah and the Daring Escape (Best Friends, Book 12)

Average customer rating:

Hannah and the Daring Escape (Best Friends, Book 12)
Hilda Stahl
Manufacturer: Crossway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Mystery | Fiction | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0891077146

Average customer rating:

The Great Houdini: Daring Escape Artist
Louis Sabin
Manufacturer: Troll Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0816717702

Sadie Rose and the Daring Escape (Sadie Rose Adventure, Book 1)

Average customer rating:

PINT SIZED PRAIRIE SPITFIRE!

Sadie Rose and the Daring Escape (Sadie Rose Adventure, Book 1)
Hilda Stahl
Manufacturer: Crossway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0891074929

Customer Reviews:

PINT SIZED PRAIRIE SPITFIRE!.......1998-12-04

Christian messages of of God's unconditional love, forgiveness and redemption through His son, Jesus, are deftly woven into this story of prairie migration, as Sadie's family starts a new life in Western Nebraska. First book in a Prarie Adventure series by midwestern author Hilda Stahl, SADIE ROSE presents us with a young heroine--a spunky 12-year-old girl who suffers from self-imposed guilt about her Pa's death. She refuses to adjust to Ma's new husband or to enjoy the family lifestyle which the Lord has provided them all.

Sadie Rose, the middle of 5 children, may be the runt of the family in terms of size, but she has the courage and feisty will to survive and protect her own--including a mistreated pup whom she rescues from a vicious old man. This brute stalks her and attempts kidnapping and worse. (Since this book is for young readers, no one dies.) This story will hold the interest of pre-teen girls, for the external plot is interesting, while the Eternal truths are tenderly expressed to reinforce a young Christian's faith.

Average customer rating:

A BIZARRE ADVENTURE

A different time, a different world

No Picnic on Mount Kenya: A Daring Escape, A Perilous Climb
Felice Benuzzi
Manufacturer: The Lyons Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Military | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Kenya | Africa | History | Subjects | Books
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books
Mountain Climbing | Mountaineering | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance

The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom

Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle

Fatal Forecast: An Incredible True Tale of Disaster and Survival at Sea

Kilimanjaro: The Trekking Guide to Africa's Highest Mountain - 2nd Edition; Now includes Mount Meru

ASIN: 1592287247

Book Description

In 1943, Felice Benuzzi and two Italian compatriots escaped from a British POW camp in equatorial East Africa with only one goal in mind--to climb the dangerous seventeen-thousand-foot Mount Kenya. No Picnic on Mount Kenya is the classic tale of this most bizarre and thrilling adventure, a story that has earned its place as a unique masterpiece of daring and suspense.

Customer Reviews:

A BIZARRE ADVENTURE.......2007-09-05

An extremely well-written book, especially considering the author was not writing in his native language. A crazy idea about climbing a mountain by 3 novices; crazier still under the circumstances of escaping from a POW camp with the intention of returning. I bought the book after having read the story in National Geographic "Adventure" of 2 experienced & well-outfitted mountaineers who re-traced their steps. The original is better!

A different time, a different world.......2007-01-31

An entertaining story. It's hard to imagine escaping from an interment camp simply to climb a mountain, planning to return to camp afterwards! And it is even harder to imagine planning such a climb with the sparse resources available.

The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft (On My Own History)

Average customer rating:

This Book is Wonderful!

The Daring Escape of Ellen Craft (On My Own History)
Cathy Moore
Manufacturer: Carolrhoda Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0876147872

Customer Reviews:

This Book is Wonderful!.......2003-12-16

These On My Own books are great! This book is another fantastic installment. I've read other accounts of this story but this one is the most accessible and interesting. Try it!

Saddam's Bombmaker: The Daring Escape of the Man Who Built Iraq's Secret Weapon

Average customer rating:

Book Has Problems But Is An Important Contribution
A small point of clarification....
Recommended
A well-written memoir...
Eye-opening and informative book. Easy to smuggle past the UN

Saddam's Bombmaker: The Daring Escape of the Man Who Built Iraq's Secret Weapon
Khidhir Hamza , and Jeff Stein
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Scientists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

Iraq | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

International | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Terrorism | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0743211359
Release Date: 2001-10-30

Amazon.com

"I am lucky to be alive," writes Khidhir Hamza on the opening page of this memoir, which reads like a thriller. Hamza describes how he helped Saddam Hussein design a nuclear bomb over the course of 22 years. He has an amazing story to relate, and with the help of collaborator Jeff Stein, he tells it remarkably well. It begins with his cloak-and-dagger escape from Baghdad in 1994, then goes back in time to describe the education he received earlier in the United States. Hamza returned to his native Iraq, and Saddam seduced him into accepting the comfortable life of an atomic scientist trying to build a bomb for a megalomaniac. Hamza presents a terrifying, almost psychotic portrait of Hussein himself: the dictator--a man with "yellow, lifeless eyes"--has a paranoid fear of germs and a taste for Johnnie Walker Blue Label. He's prone to drunken rages and relies on sedatives to keep control of himself: "His personality grew more erratic with the ups and downs of the drugs, the liquor, and the pressures of command." Hamza recounts a story told by one of Saddam's doctors, in which the strongman was found "stomping about his palace bedroom in a blood-splotched shirt" near the body of a woman whose throat was slit.

Hamza was eventually kept under house arrest, and even threatened with torture. His escape was an astonishing feat, and the message he brought to the West is vital: "I have no doubt that Iraq is pursuing the nuclear option." The Gulf War slowed development, but failed to shut it down. The coalition that knocked Saddam out of Kuwait has fallen apart, and United Nations inspectors no longer try to keep him in check. Hamza urges policymakers to confront Saddam, and suggests that the CIA redouble its efforts to help topnotch scientists flee from their virtual captivity. If rogue nations experience a brain drain, he says, their capacity to produce weapons of mass destruction will suffer. Saddam's Bombmaker is hard to put down and essential reading for anybody interested in national security. --John J. Miller

Book Description

"DON'T TELL ME ABOUT THE LAW. THE LAW IS ANYTHING I WRITE ON A SCRAP OF PAPER." -- SADDAM HUSSEIN

In a white-knuckle thriller, Khidhir Hamza, who spent twenty years developing Iraq's atomic weapon, recounts his life in Saddam Hussein's inner circle and his daring flight to the West.

Taking readers into the darkest corners of a regime ruled by a volatile, brutal leader, Dr. Hamza, the only defector who has lived to write a firsthand portrait of Iraq, also presents an unprecedented portrait of Saddam -- his drunken rages, his women, his cold-blooded murder of underlings, and his unrivaled power. If pushed to the wall, Saddam will use the bomb that Dr. Hamza helped create.

From the relentless dangers Dr. Hamza endured in Iraq to his harrowing flight across three continents and his first encounter with skeptical CIA agents who turned him away, Saddam's Bombmaker is a true-to-life thriller as rich in danger, intrigue, and personal courage as a well-crafted spy novel.

Download Description

The defector once responsible for Iraq's clandestine nuclear weapons program reveals for the first time what the CIA and Iraq desperately want to keep hidden -- that Saddam Hussein is devastatingly close to manufacturing nuclear weapons and has every intention of using them.

Customer Reviews:

Book Has Problems But Is An Important Contribution.......2006-10-22

Saddam's Bombmaker is an important contribution to our understanding of the challenges faced by groups and states trying to produce their own nuclear weapon.
How Iraq and Hamza went about trying to obtain fissile materiel and advanced tools and parts is the most interesting and important part of the book. You will be alternatively pleased at how hard it is to obtain some items (like plutonium) and dismayed at how easy it is to obtain others from willing states and companies. The book should be read by those interested in obtaining a better understanding of nuclear proliferation.
Now to the shortcomings of the book---
(1) the chronology is hard to follow, the author doesn't reference a lot of dates and flips back and forth between present, past and future.
(2) It's hard to not to become skeptical of Dr. Hamza's motives at certain points. He claims to have been forced and terrorized to work on Saddam's bomb, but was simultaneously enjoying all the comforts and benefits that Saddam's regime had to offer like new cars, high living and perks. One wonders whether Dr. Hamza's conscience really caught up with him as he claims, or did he just read the writing on the wall that there was no future in Saddam's Iraq?

A small point of clarification...........2006-10-17

Convinced he had discovered that Iraq was only ` a few inches' away from finishing a successful production of the `Bomb', the author suddenly summoned undocumented story about 1) his contribution to the `bomb's project' from initial stages, and another 2) by alluding to IBM not able to sell Iraq up to date technology.
On page 141 he refers to IBM "couldn't sell us their new mainframe because of the export controls."
The truth of the matter is that the Arab Boycott Office had narrated a statement, called the `negative' (or Nasty) clause, to the effect that `carriers and ships carrying goods destined to and/or from the Arab Countries, should NOT pass through or deal with Israeli ports".
The Boycott Clause (stereotyped as is) was to be mentioned on the Bills of Lading and on all related shipping documents.
IBM had to comply with the USA anti Boycott regulations that did not accept such `negative' statements.

Recommended.......2006-07-22

I read this as a book on tape. This is an "important" book. I recommend it highly. Email:boland7214@aol.

A well-written memoir..........2005-10-28

Most physicists lead hum-drum lives, but not if they were born in Iraq. Hamza studied in American graduate schools, and was summoned back to teach in Iraq as a way of paying off his university debts. When invited in 1972 to join the nascent Iraqi nuclear effort, Hamza did so with some enthusiasm, thinking this would be a wonderful professional challenge and not taking seriously the prospect of an actual bomb. In addition to Hamza's talent as a scientist and scholar, his finely-tuned ability to stay out of trouble quickly became apparent and he began a long march through the bureaucracy. By 1981, he was working directly for Saddam Husayn and by 1987 he served as director general of the Nuclear Weapon Program. This high stature inevitably brought the scientist head-turning benefits - a high salary, travel to the West, fancy cars, even a residence located within Saddam Husayn's presidential compound. "All that loot was softening me up, I don't deny it," Hamza admits. With time, however, an absorbing intellectual venture turned into a descent into Stalinist hell. Finally, Hamza fully woke to his situation ("I had sold out for a Mercedes") and in 1994 managed to escape from Iraq, settling a year later in the United States.

Although Saddam's Bombmaker is a well-written memoir (kudos to co-author Stein), it contains important information on two quite distinct topics of current interest: life at the highest levels of Iraqi regime and the inner workings of the Iraqi nuclear weapons project. It is hard to say which is scarier. Life in Saddam's court is morbidly fascinating. We learn about his paranoia about germs, his taste for virgins, and his personal penchant for brutality. As for the nukes, Hamza shows how, after an initial period (1972-81) of heavy dependence on imported technology, the Iraqis rethought their program, put twenty-five times more resources in it, and built "a crude, one-and-a-half ton nuclear device" by 1990.

Eye-opening and informative book. Easy to smuggle past the UN.......2005-07-15

This is an excellent book and eye-opener based on the first hand account of the scientist that worked on Saddam's nuclear bomb program. It is very insightful on Saddam's personality in how he rules through fear, punishes and then rewards to try to regain loyalty.

The most eye-opening is how the Iraq government circumvented the UN embargo after the 1990 Gulf War. It is also disappointing on reading how ineffective the UN inspection program was and how Saddam was able to hide his developmental programs.

The author first starts his story attempting to escape Iraq alone, in the hopes of later being able to find a way to save his family from Saddam's regime. The author later describes the major events that occurred and provides his view on what happened and how the lives of not only the scientists, but also those of the average Iraq citizen were affected.

An outstanding book that was published in 2000 and was worth every penny spent buying it, and every second spent reading it.

Tunnel to Canto Grande: The Story of the Most Daring Prison Escape in Latin American History

Average customer rating:

Tunnel to Canto Grande: The Story of the Most Daring Prison Escape in Latin American History
Claribel Alegria , and Darwin J. Flakoll
Manufacturer: Curbstone Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Penology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1880684349

Book Description

story of political prisoner's escape, tr Flakoll

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books