Synopsis
'Extraordinary ... one of the most moving and uplifting stories of the war' Keith Lowe
'A remarkable book' The Telegraph
A gripping account of hidden identity, military courage, and an against-all-odds reunion.
Four days after Germany's surrender in May 1945, a young British officer headed east into Germany. But this was no ordinary soldier. Manfred Gans was searching for his family. As a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany, he fled to England. Once he could, he enlisted, serving in the elite British 'Three Troop' unit, comprised of German-speaking refugees, and joined the D-Day landings.
Working undercover, he gained vital intelligence, liberated occupied France and the Netherlands, and saved lives on both sides. Meanwhile, he dreamed of a reunion with his family trapped behind enemy lines, and with his childhood sweetheart, Anita.
As the war ended, chaos reigned in Germany: defeated Wehrmacht soldiers faced columns of U.S. and British soldiers, concentration camp survivors encountered SS guards, and Soviet military roadblocks controlled the route east. Manfred overcame them all, finally reaching the place his parents were last seen: Theresienstadt ...
Translated by Rachel Stanyon
'A remarkable book' The Telegraph
A gripping account of hidden identity, military courage, and an against-all-odds reunion.
Four days after Germany's surrender in May 1945, a young British officer headed east into Germany. But this was no ordinary soldier. Manfred Gans was searching for his family. As a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany, he fled to England. Once he could, he enlisted, serving in the elite British 'Three Troop' unit, comprised of German-speaking refugees, and joined the D-Day landings.
Working undercover, he gained vital intelligence, liberated occupied France and the Netherlands, and saved lives on both sides. Meanwhile, he dreamed of a reunion with his family trapped behind enemy lines, and with his childhood sweetheart, Anita.
As the war ended, chaos reigned in Germany: defeated Wehrmacht soldiers faced columns of U.S. and British soldiers, concentration camp survivors encountered SS guards, and Soviet military roadblocks controlled the route east. Manfred overcame them all, finally reaching the place his parents were last seen: Theresienstadt ...
Translated by Rachel Stanyon
Details
04 September 2025256 pages
9781804185346Imprint: Ithaka
Reviews
'A remarkable book'Mick Brown, The Telegraph
'[The] most dramatic of war stories'Jewish Chronicle
'Extraordinary ... one of the most moving and uplifting stories of the war. I couldn't put it down'Keith Lowe, author of Savage Continent
